Which one to use - Evernote or One Note [closed]

Question

Since long time I am using evernote and one note. Now the problem is that my notes are distributed among two applications. I want to narrow down to one place where I can keep all my notes.

However, I am confused which one to choose. Both of these apps are good. Onenote provides me best collection way but it's not free. Evernote provides me good search and allows me to share a note and has a web based feature also. It's also free but does not have god collection features.

Answer 1

Evernote Advantages:

• There is a free option that will be good enough for many people.
• Lightning fast search. Searches as you type, instead of having to press enter. This is highly preferable.
• Good for loose, relatively unconnected ideas that you want to be able to access easily in the future.
• Great for keeping a journal. It can never be lost, it automatically date and time stamps entries, and if this is all you want to use it for, it will be free.
• Great for web or email clippings. There’s a convenient hot key set (win-A) you can use to add highlighted text/pics/whatever to Evernote.
• Flawless syncing across multiple computers and/or mobile devices. They’ve been syncing for so long, that they have it down pat. I never have issues with this.

OneNote Advantages:

• More structure to notes. This is the main reason I use OneNote more than Evernote. I like a hierarchical structure to my notes. OneNote has up to 5 levels and Evernote has up to 3 levels. Each level is an order of magnitude higher in organizational structure.
• It synergizes with Microsoft Office Suite better. For example, if you have an email in Outlook and you want to send to OneNote, there is a convenient button that does it quickly and easily.
• More powerful desktop software than EverNote. It tends to do non-search things faster. It usually takes less time to load.
• Upfront one-time only cost. It is not cheap, but you only have to pay once.

Evernote Disadvantages:

• Not very structured, so it is sometimes difficult to find notes. Basically you’ve got just notebooks and tags as a way to organize.
• The premium version is a monthly or yearly subscription instead of an upfront cost. However, it is only $3.75/month if you pay for it yearly. This is a bargain for the time saving and convenience value they provide me.

OneNote Disadvantages:

• No free option. To use OneNote legally, you must buy it.
• Not as mobile as EverNote. It is not as good at syncing over multiple computers as Evernote. It takes a smidge of fidgeting to get it working. However, once you get it working, it should be fine.

Conclusion:

They both are good at different things. There is no reason you cannot use both.

Use Evernote for web clippings and keeping a journal. It has a quick and convenient hot-key set for clipping. With journaling, it automatically keeps track of the date and time and is easy to find again.

Use OneNote to hold my “knowledge database.” Important things for work or home or whatever, I keep in different notebooks. It then syncs between my work computer and home computer.

I recommend paying for both. The price is small for the value you get. I’ve tried out the paid Evernote and I like it, but not everyone needs to get it if you’re going to use it sparingly or you are frugal.

There is another option to OneNote that is free, but not as powerful and doesn’t have syncing capabilities (which is huge for me). I would use it if I didn’t already have OneNote and couldn’t afford to buy it. It is called Keynote. You can get the original version (now unsupported) or the updated version by someone else. I would probably go with the 2nd one.

Ref: Evernote Vs OneNote

Answer 2

Basically with something as central to your productivity as the application that stores all your notes, price should only be a factor if all other things are equal. In the case of OneNote, they're not asking for much - I got a (perfectly legal) system builder license for less than $ 25.
This already tells you I'm a OneNote fan (I think people either are fans or don't use OneNote at all). As such me personal recommendation is to go with OneNote. The possibility to write anywhere on the page, and the quick navigation makes it a completely irreplacable tool for me. It's not just a place for collecting stuff from other sources, and for quick notes. It's a tool but for thinking out in writing and, on my Windows tablet, in drawings. Oh, and search has improved quite a bit in OneNote 2010, so that I actually use it quite often now on my home machine.