Often the best ideas come when you least expect it. Rushing from meeting to meeting, or making the most of the commute, it is important to have somewhere to note down your thoughts, ideas or to-dos in an easily accessible place you can refer to later.
Although we love a good notebook and a paper diary, these days we all have a pocket organiser at our fingertips every day: our smartphones.
There’s a whole host of productivity apps out there that promise to make us more efficient and better organised, but what’s the best one for you and your business? Let’s take a look at the two top competitors on the market with an in-depth review of Evernote vs OneNote to help you decide which one makes the best sense for you, whether you’re working from home, making use of a coworking space, or commuting to a satellite office.
Evernote
Evernote proudly claims to “make modern life manageable by letting you easily collect and find everything that matters”. It works like a digital filing cabinet, and with one click you can save articles, make audio notes, take notes with your phone camera and even use it as a blogging platform as you can share your notes quickly and easily through Facebook.
The interface works well across most devices and can also be used on a desktop, so you can use Evernote wherever you are. Even if you switch between different operating systems, for example using an iPhone but a Windows computer or an Android phone but a MacBook, you’ll be able to use the app across all your devices without any issues.
Evernote is crisp, clean and modern, with aesthetics that are hard to beat, making it a good choice for start-ups needing a functional, easy-to-use interface that will keep them on track towards hitting their goals. It integrates with products you’re already using, including Google Drive, Slack, Outlook, Gmail and Microsoft Teams, so it should slot right into your existing tech stack.
There are various plans available, including a professional plan. This option, priced at £7.49 a month, is a step up from the free version and is ideal for entrepreneurs. It gives much more data, syncs unlimited devices and has many other benefits over the free version. Alternatively, if you have a bigger team, go for the teams plan for £10.99 a month. This allows users to sync their notes and schedules, keeping everything in one place so you can work smarter and faster.
When the popular Springpad ceased operating in 2014, it allowed its users to transfer all their data to Evernote, and that won it plenty of new fans, many of whom stuck around with the new note-taking system. That partly explains why it currently has 250 million users, but it’s a solid, reliable app that stands on its own pachyderm feet.
OneNote
If you already work within the Office ecosystem (using Word and Excel rather than Google Docs and Sheets, for example), then OneNote could be the perfect option for you. It works seamlessly with other Office products, so you can easily pull out notes from your Outlook emails, or insert an Excel table into your notes. If you use Office or Windows already, you’ll likely already have OneNote – so is it worth also investing in another note-taking app, like Evernote?
Like Evernote, OneNote can be used on any platform, and it can be used across platforms and devices as well. Start writing notes on your commute and then pull up your notes on your desktop when you arrive at your office space. If you use a stylus, you can even draw or scrawl notes in the phone app – or if you prefer doing things the old-fashioned way, you can convert handwritten notes into text on OneNote.
One of the big benefits of OneNote is that it offers more features for free than its competitors. Whilst Evernote does have a free version, to make the most of the app, you need to subscribe to one of the paid-for options. OneNote, on the other hand, is free (although there are some extra features available if you have an Office subscription). That makes it a great choice for those just getting started in business looking to reduce overheads.
Where it pales in comparison to Evernote, though, is the options for sharing and collaboration, and the web clipper also isn’t as functional as the one on Evernote. If sharing notes between team members is key for your business, you may want to look at Evernote’s team subscription instead. However, if you’re happy for everyone to take notes individually and share notes using a different method, then OneNote is a fantastic, low-cost option.
Living in the age of information may be insightful but it can easily become overwhelming. Hopefully, you’ll now have a better idea of which tool works best for your needs, so you can see your productivity and quality of ideas reaching new heights whilst you focus on finding the perfect office space for your business.
