# Microsoft OneNote vs OrigNotes

Microsoft OneNote and OrigNotes both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of OrigNotes's written reviews are positive against 45% of Microsoft OneNote's. OrigNotes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Microsoft OneNote's advantage is ratings volume (1.1M vs 313) and chart position (#83 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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. OrigNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Microsoft OneNote against 4.7 for OrigNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft OneNote has 1.1M ratings behind it against 313, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Microsoft OneNote's written reviews are positive against 84% of OrigNotes's.

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, OrigNotes every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft OneNote | OrigNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246/reviews) | [4.7 (313 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 313 |
| Positive reviews | 44.8% of reviews | **83.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#83** | — |
| Size | 406 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1676398498) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft OneNote

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

**Currently charting:** #83 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture thoughts, ideas, and plans in a digital notepad. Organize, search, and secure your notes, memos, and sketches. Sync across devices for access anywhere, anytime. Collaborate with others on shared notepads.

**Highlights:** Capture thoughts and ideas, Digital sketchbook, Organize and search notes, Sync notes via OneDrive, Collaborate on shared notepads, Handwritten notes and drawings

**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


### OrigNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922)

Create, organize, and manage high-quality handwritten notes with ease. Supports handwriting, drawing, image insertion, and PDF annotation. Stay organized and productive for study, work, or daily ideas.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes and drawing, Image insertion and PDF annotation, Organize and search documents, Customizable note covers and paper styles, Palm rejection and writing settings, Variety of brushes and tools, Cloud sync support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft OneNote free?

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

### Is OrigNotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft OneNote or OrigNotes?

Microsoft OneNote and OrigNotes are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.1M and 313 ratings respectively.

### Do Microsoft OneNote or OrigNotes have ads?

Neither Microsoft OneNote nor OrigNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft OneNote or OrigNotes?

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, and OrigNotes every 11 days. Most recently, Microsoft OneNote was updated on September 29, 2026 and OrigNotes on September 26, 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.*