Opensidian vs OneNote

Microsoft OneNote organises notes in notebooks, and every version of it gives access to cloud-connected notebooks. Opensidian keeps notes as markdown files in a folder on your disk and connects them with [[wikilinks]], backlinks, tags and a graph view.

Differences

• Storage. OneNote notebooks are cloud-connected; Microsoft says the OneNote desktop app on Windows is the only version that also supports local notebook storage on the PC's hard drive. Opensidian notes are always plain files on your disk.
• Format. Opensidian uses markdown, which any text editor can open. OneNote exports a notebook as a OneNote notebook that you open again in the OneNote Windows app.
• Platforms. OneNote has versions for Windows, Mac, the web, iOS and Android. Opensidian release builds are Linux x86_64 only.
• Price. All supported OneNote versions are free to download and use, and some premium features need a Microsoft 365 subscription. Opensidian costs nothing and is non-profit.
• Licence. Opensidian is open source under GPL-3.0-or-later.
• Sharing and ink. OneNote lets you share and collaborate with others, and OneNote for iPad has inking and drawing tools. Opensidian has no shared editing.
• Sync. Opensidian has no sync service of its own; you sync the folder with a tool you choose.

When OneNote is the better choice

If you take notes on Windows, Mac, a phone or a tablet, OneNote runs there and Opensidian does not. If you write by hand with a pen or share notebooks with others, OneNote has those features and Opensidian does not.

When Opensidian fits

If you want notes as plain markdown files that stay readable without any particular app, Opensidian fits. It also fits if you are on Linux and want open-source software.

Moving from OneNote to Opensidian

Opensidian has no OneNote importer. OneNote's own export, available in OneNote for the web for notebooks on a personal OneDrive account, produces a OneNote notebook, not markdown. What works today is copying the text of the pages you need into markdown files in a folder and opening that folder in Opensidian.

More comparisons

All comparisons · Google Docs · Obsidian · Logseq · Tangent · FAQ · Security · Install Opensidian

OneNote is a trademark of its owner; opensidian is not affiliated with it.