# Microsoft OneNote vs USMON Lite

The clearest difference is rating: Microsoft OneNote at 4.7 against USMON Lite's 4.0. Microsoft OneNote also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (1.1M vs 1). USMON Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft OneNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. USMON Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

Microsoft OneNote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft OneNote has 1.1M ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Microsoft OneNote's written reviews are positive against 30% of USMON Lite's.

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, USMON Lite every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft OneNote | USMON Lite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/usmon-lite/id1191816564/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **44.3% of reviews** | 30.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#84** | — |
| Size | 414 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [US Monitoring, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/582100592) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft OneNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246)

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture and organize your thoughts, ideas, and plans with a powerful digital note-taking tool. Utilize AI features for summaries and transcription, and seamlessly sync notes across all your devices. Collaborate on projects and integrate with other Microsoft Office apps.

**Highlights:** AI-powered Copilot notebooks, Voice transcription and smart notes, Document scanning and text extraction, Cross-device synchronization, Collaboration on notes and ideas, Integration with Microsoft Office

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $11.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple, works well
- 👍 Great for planning
- 👍 Powerful note-taking app
- 👍 Invaluable tool for note taking
- 👍 Used for years, couldn't be without this app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔨 Could be better
- 🔨 Formatting issues on mobile app
- 🔨 Buggy widget, no dark app icon
- 🐛 Glitchy, crashes often
- 🐛 Terrible sync speeds

**Reported bugs**

- Cursor positioning is erratic
- Search function does not work well
- Ink to text conversion missing on iPad
- Syncing issues, notes not syncing properly across devices
- Crashing, freezing, and performance issues

**Requested features**

- Native Markdown support and merged cell support
- Ruler, ability to choose or create notebook covers
- Ability to password protect app or individual notebooks
- Option to open on last opened page instead of Home
- Ability to turn note into task that appears on To Do and Planner


### USMON Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/usmon-lite/id1191816564)

This app allows surgical assistants and IONM technicians to manage patient cases, review schedules, and create new entries. Users can also scan and upload documents directly to patient records.

**Highlights:** Review and edit existing cases, Create new cases, Scan and upload documents, Direct upload to patient records, Schedule management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft OneNote free?

Microsoft OneNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is USMON Lite free?

USMON Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft OneNote or USMON Lite?

Microsoft OneNote is rated higher. Microsoft OneNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1M ratings, while USMON Lite averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Microsoft OneNote or USMON Lite have ads?

Neither Microsoft OneNote nor USMON Lite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft OneNote or USMON Lite?

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, and USMON Lite every 3 months. Most recently, Microsoft OneNote was updated on November 5, 2026 and USMON Lite on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*