# Microsoft OneNote vs Notes Writer

The clearest difference is monetization model: Microsoft OneNote at free against Notes Writer's free with in-app purchases. Microsoft OneNote also leads on ratings volume (1.1M vs 7.3K) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft OneNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Notes Writer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Microsoft OneNote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft OneNote has 1.1M ratings behind it against 7.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 44% and 45% positive.

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, Notes Writer every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft OneNote | Notes Writer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246/reviews)** | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-quiz-docs/id1423643723/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 7.3K |
| Positive reviews | 44.3% of reviews | **44.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#86** | — |
| Size | 419 MB | 688 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft OneNote

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

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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

**Highlights:** AI-powered Copilot notebooks, Voice transcription and smart notes, Note-taking scanner with text extraction, Cross-device syncing, 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


### Notes Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-quiz-docs/id1423643723)

This app combines handwriting, PDFs, voice recordings, and AI for note-taking, document annotation, and idea organization. It offers a paper-like writing experience with various tools and supports students, professionals, and writers with specialized features.

**Highlights:** Handwriting with Apple Pencil, PDF annotation and form filling, Voice recording and transcription, AI-powered writing assistance, Flashcard creation and spaced repetition, Quiz generation from notes, Document import and export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $3.99 | per month |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $14.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro Full Unlock | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth writing experience
- 💡 Versatile note-taking features
- 🔒 Good privacy
- 👍 Useful for various purposes (notes, PDF annotations, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Limiting free version with paywalls
- 🐛 Bugs with erasing, page management, and file corruption
- 🐛 Laggy performance and slow loading times

**Reported bugs**

- Notes randomly disappearing or getting corrupted
- Inability to recover deleted documents
- Unexpected behavior when adding/deleting pages
- Syncing issues and broken links between documents

**Requested features**

- Add more brushes and pen customization options
- Improve the clipping/selection tool
- Implement OCR and handwriting search
- Provide a Mac version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft OneNote free?

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

### Is Notes Writer free?

Notes Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft OneNote or Notes Writer?

Microsoft OneNote is rated higher. Microsoft OneNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1M ratings, while Notes Writer averages 4.5 from 7.3K ratings.

### Do Microsoft OneNote or Notes Writer have ads?

Neither Microsoft OneNote nor Notes Writer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft OneNote or Notes Writer?

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, and Notes Writer every 4 days. Most recently, Microsoft OneNote was updated on November 11, 2026 and Notes Writer on November 11, 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.*