OneNote alternatives: how to get out, and where to go
Six destinations in detail, the right export for your device, and a seven-step migration plan.
Short answer: pick Obsidian if you want your notes as plain files you own, for free, with the only solid official OneNote importer around. Pick Notion if your notebooks run a team, knowing it has no OneNote import of its own. Pick Goodnotes if you mostly write with an Apple Pencil. Pick Joplin if you want open source that runs on Linux too. And if your notebooks are full of handwriting on a Windows tablet, staying on OneNote may be the smart call; we explain when.
Rankings are editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why people quit OneNote, even though it's free
OneNote does some things better than anyone: an endless canvas where text, screenshots and ink sit wherever you drop them, and pen support on Windows that most apps can't match. So people don't leave over missing features. They leave over sync, over an app being retired, and over the day they try to take their notes somewhere else. Here are six reasons, each one checked in 2026.
Sync that breaks at the worst moment
Microsoft keeps a whole support library of sync error codes: server timeouts, a server that's too busy, storage that's full. User forums tell the same story in plainer words: a section that stops updating, duplicate pages after a rename, edits that look saved on the laptop and never show up on the phone. It only has to happen once before a meeting for you to stop trusting it.
The Windows 10 app reached end of support
The old "OneNote for Windows 10" app reached end of support in 2025. Microsoft says it's for viewing only from then on and points everyone to OneNote, the Microsoft 365 version. A lot of people only notice when their pages stop syncing. If you're forced to switch apps anyway, it's a natural moment to ask whether to switch tools too.
Your export options depend on your device
A full notebook export only exists in OneNote for Windows (the Microsoft 365 app), as a .onepkg file, or in OneNote on the web for personal accounts, as a ZIP. On a Mac there's no full-notebook export at all, just one page at a time as PDF. The web version can't export a section or notebook to PDF either. Mac-only users need a workaround.
A file format only one app can read
.one files (a section) and .onepkg files (a notebook) only open properly in OneNote for Windows. Among the apps on this page, only Obsidian and Joplin can convert them. As long as your notes live in that format, you need Microsoft to read them, which is exactly what many people want to stop.
Slow and glitchy on the Mac
Mac users regularly describe OneNote as slower and buggier than on Windows: search that lags, long pages that load slowly, layouts that jump around. On macOS it feels like a guest. Apps built with the Mac in mind, like Apple Notes, Obsidian or UpNote, simply feel lighter there.
A free canvas with no structure
Typing anywhere on the page is fun for a year. After five, it gets in the way: no proper links between notes, no databases, no Markdown, and text boxes that overlap when you export. If you want to connect ideas or turn notes into a team knowledge base, OneNote wasn't built for that.
You're leaving because… go to…
The best OneNote alternative depends on what's pushing you out. Find your line; each card jumps to the full write-up below.
Your notes are files on your own drive. Sync becomes an add-on, not a single point of failure.
Your notebooks run a teamNotionShared pages, databases, permissions per person. Getting OneNote in takes a detour.
You write by hand on an iPadGoodnotesBuilt for the Apple Pencil. Old pages come in as PDFs you can write over.
You want open source, or you're on LinuxJoplinFree on every desktop including Linux, with a OneNote import in the menu.
You want simple, fast, and paid onceUpNoteA lightweight app on desktop and mobile with a lifetime license.
You're all-in on Apple and want to start freshApple NotesFree and already installed. Best if you only bring the essentials.
OneNote alternatives, app by app
For each app: why move there, who it's for, the catch, the real path for getting your OneNote notebooks in, and what it costs. Prices are the ones each vendor shows in 2026.
Obsidian: plain files you own, and the best OneNote importer
Our top pickWhy switch to Obsidian. It's the only alternative with a complete, official OneNote importer maintained by the company itself. Your notes become Markdown text files in normal folders on your drive. No server to wait on, and if Obsidian ever went away, any text editor could still open your notes.
Who it's for. People with years of notes who want to link them together (links, backlinks, a graph view), find things fast, and stop depending on one vendor.
Who it's not for. Teams that need ten people editing the same page live, and heavy pen users: OneNote ink doesn't come across as editable ink.
The catch. Syncing between devices isn't part of the free app. Obsidian Sync is $4 a month billed yearly ($5 month to month). You can sync through your own storage instead, but that's yours to set up. And OneNote's free-form layout is gone: everything becomes text that reads top to bottom.
How to migrate. Install the Importer plugin from the community plugins, then pick OneNote. Two routes: sign in with your Microsoft account (online), or feed it .one and .onepkg files exported from OneNote for Windows (offline). Remove passwords from protected sections first or they get skipped. Notebooks other people shared with you aren't supported, the recycle bin isn't imported, and a work or school account may need your organization's approval. With a big archive, go one notebook at a time: people report hitting Microsoft's limits when they import everything at once. And if you ever want to move on from it, our guide to switching from Obsidian shows the way out.
Pricing. The app is free with no note limit. Sync is $4/month billed yearly, Publish is $8/month billed yearly ($10 monthly), and an optional commercial license is $50 a year.
- Free
- full app, no limits
- Paid
- Sync from $4/mo
- Best for
- big archives, linked notes
- Catch
- ink and free layout lost
Notion: when your notebooks become the team's workspace
Teams and databasesWhy switch to Notion. If your OneNote is a team wiki, a project tracker or a client log, Notion goes much further: any page can become a database you filter, sort and share, with permissions per person. Our full Notion review scores it 4.0 out of 5: 3.5 for ease of use, 4.0 for value for money, 4.5 for features and depth, 3.5 for customer support and 4.0 for integrations.
Who it's for. Teams and freelancers who want notes, tasks and docs in one place, and who are willing to rebuild their structure instead of copying the old one.
Who it's not for. Anyone who wants their notebooks back exactly as they were, section tabs and all. And anyone who writes by hand: Notion has no pen input.
The catch. To be straight with you: Notion has no official OneNote import. Its import list covers Word, HTML, PDF, Markdown and ZIP archives, but not OneNote. And once you work with others, you pay per member.
How to migrate. Two routes. One is Note Bridge, a third-party connector listed in Notion's integrations gallery and built by another company; it doesn't show a price and Notion doesn't maintain it, so run it on a small notebook first. The other is manual: export pages or sections to Word or PDF from OneNote for Windows, then import those files. Fine for a few dozen pages, painful beyond. For a large archive, a cleaner route is to go through Obsidian first (official import to Markdown), then bring that Markdown into Notion. Not sold on Notion for everything? See our list of Notion alternatives.
Pricing. Free to start, Plus at €11.50 per member per month and Business at €23.50, as listed on our review page.
- Free
- yes, to get started
- Paid
- Plus €11.50/member/mo
- Best for
- teams, projects, wikis
- Catch
- no official OneNote import
Goodnotes: if your OneNote is mostly handwriting
Pen firstWhy switch to Goodnotes. If you take notes by hand on a tablet, Markdown apps won't help you. Goodnotes is built around the pen: notebooks, PDF markup, a page designed for handwriting. It's the natural pick for students, teachers and consultants who scribble in meetings on an iPad, and it shows up again and again when people search for the best OneNote alternative for the Apple Pencil.
Who it's for. People who write more than they type, iPad and Apple Pencil first.
Who it's not for. People whose notes are mostly typed, and anyone using a pen on a Windows device: there, OneNote is usually still the better tool.
The catch. Goodnotes can't import OneNote. The request sits on its public ideas board with no answer yet. Your old pages arrive as PDFs and your OneNote ink becomes a picture: you can write on top of it, not edit it.
How to migrate. In OneNote for Windows, export each section to PDF (on a Mac, it's page by page). Import the PDFs into Goodnotes, one notebook per section. Only bring over what you actually reread; the rest can stay viewable in OneNote.
Pricing. On the US App Store, Goodnotes is $11.99 a year (Essential) or a $28.99 one-time purchase.
- One-time
- $28.99
- Paid
- $11.99/year (Essential)
- Best for
- iPad and Apple Pencil
- Catch
- no OneNote import
Joplin: open source, free, and OneNote in the import menu
Open sourceWhy switch to Joplin. Joplin is an open-source note app, free on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. That Linux line matters: OneNote has no desktop app there, so Joplin is one of the few serious answers for Linux users. Since version 3.2, released in 2025, it can import a OneNote notebook ZIP straight from its menu, and its developers said plainly that Microsoft has long made leaving OneNote hard.
Who it's for. People who want a free, open tool, Markdown notes, and a choice of sync: Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or a server of your own.
Who it's not for. Anyone who wants a polished interface with zero setup. Joplin is practical, not pretty. And anyone expecting a flawless import on the first try.
The catch. The OneNote importer is young. On the official forum, users describe repeated failures across several versions with a ZIP file, and whole sections blocked by one broken page until a fix shipped. When the ZIP route fails, the maintainer recommends exporting .one files from OneNote for Windows instead.
How to migrate. Export your notebook as a ZIP from OneNote on the web (personal accounts only), then in Joplin: File, Import, "ZIP - OneNote Notebook". Start with a small notebook to see the result. If it fails, use the .one export from OneNote for Windows. Leave OneNote untouched until everything checks out.
Pricing. The app is free. Joplin Cloud is listed in euros: €2.99 a month for Basic (2 GB), €5.99 for Pro (30 GB) and €7.99 per user for Teams.
- Free
- full app, open source
- Paid
- Cloud from €2.99/mo
- Best for
- Linux, open source
- Catch
- OneNote import still fragile
UpNote: simple, quick, and a one-time price
Lifetime licenseWhy switch to UpNote. UpNote does a few things and does them fast: typed notes, notebooks, tags, sync between desktop and phone. It wins over people who find OneNote too heavy and Obsidian too technical.
Who it's for. Anyone who wants a light app on desktop and mobile and would rather pay once than every month.
Who it's not for. Teams (there's no real collaboration), people bringing over a huge archive, and pen users.
The catch. The free plan stops at 50 notes, so it's a trial, not a plan. On imports, UpNote doesn't read OneNote directly: its importer takes Evernote, Apple Notes, Google Keep, Markdown and HTML, among others, but no OneNote format.
How to migrate. Go through Obsidian: import your OneNote notebook with its official importer, which gives you a folder of Markdown files, then bring that folder into UpNote with its Markdown import. Start with a single section and check images, tables and lists before going further.
Pricing. $1.99 a month, or $39.99 for a lifetime license.
- Free
- 50 notes
- Paid
- $39.99 lifetime
- Best for
- typed notes, any device
- Catch
- no direct OneNote import
Apple Notes: a fresh start on Mac and iPhone
Free on AppleWhy switch to Apple Notes. It's already on your Mac, iPhone and iPad, it syncs over iCloud with no setup, and it handles folders, checklists, tables, sketches and scanned documents. For Mac users tired of OneNote's lag, it's an instant relief.
Who it's for. People who live in Apple's world and use notes for lists, ideas and short documents.
Who it's not for. Anyone on Windows or Android: outside Apple devices, Notes only works through the iCloud website. And anyone who needs hundreds of OneNote pages moved over.
The catch. There's no direct path from OneNote. On the Mac, Notes imports plain text, RTF, HTML, Evernote (.enex) and Markdown files, but no OneNote format.
How to migrate. For a handful of pages, copy and paste. For more, convert first: import into Obsidian to get Markdown, then bring those files into Notes with File, Import to Notes. It's really the right option if you want to start almost from scratch and keep only what matters.
Pricing. Free with any Apple device, within your iCloud storage.
- Free
- yes, on Apple devices
- Paid
- no Notes subscription
- Best for
- Mac, iPhone, short notes
- Catch
- no OneNote import
The 6 alternatives side by side
Our default: Obsidian for one person with lots of typed notes, Notion for a team, Goodnotes for the pen. The column that really matters is the second one: how your notebooks get in. A perfect app with no import path can cost you weeks of copy and paste.
What about Evernote? We don't rank it here: its free plan is very limited and it no longer imports OneNote. If you're coming from Evernote instead, read our guide to switching from Evernote.
| Free and pricing | Import from OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| OneNoteWhere you start | Free with a Microsoft account (5 GB); Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr | Full .onepkg export on Windows, ZIP on the web (personal accounts), page-by-page PDF on Mac |
| ObsidianLocal files | Free app; Sync $4/mo billed yearly | Official importer: Microsoft account or .one/.onepkg files |
| NotionTeams | Free; Plus €11.50, Business €23.50 per member per month | No official import: third-party connector or Word/PDF |
| GoodnotesPen | $11.99/yr (Essential) or $28.99 once (US App Store) | None: PDFs to write over, ink becomes an image |
| JoplinOpen source | Free app; Cloud from €2.99/mo | Built-in ZIP import since 2025, still fragile; .one fallback |
| UpNoteLifetime | 50 free notes; $1.99/mo or $39.99 lifetime | None direct: Markdown via Obsidian |
| Apple NotesApple | Free on Apple devices | None: copy and paste, or Markdown via Obsidian |
Entry prices shown by each vendor in 2026, subject to change. Always check before you pay.
Move off OneNote in seven steps
Order matters, and step two is the one everybody skips: figuring out how your OneNote can actually get out. Everything else depends on it.
List every notebook you have
Step 1Write down each notebook, where it lives (personal OneDrive, work or school OneDrive, SharePoint, local drive), roughly how big it is, and whether you own it or someone shared it with you. Flag password-protected sections and pages full of handwriting.
Then be honest about what you need: notes you still reread, notes you keep just in case, notes that can go. Most people find that half their pages haven't been opened in years. Those can stay in OneNote, viewable, without being migrated at all.
- Time
- about an hour
- Output
- a sorted list of notebooks
Find your exit for your device and account
Step 2This is the step that decides everything. Four cases:
- Windows PC with OneNote (Microsoft 365): File, Export, then notebook as .onepkg or section as .one. The most complete exit.
- Personal Microsoft account: OneNote on the web can export a notebook as a ZIP. If it's too big, Microsoft suggests splitting it.
- Mac only: no full-notebook export, just page-by-page PDFs. The practical answer is Obsidian's importer signed in to your Microsoft account, which reads your notes online with no file needed.
- Work or school account: web export doesn't work for work or school OneDrive or SharePoint. Use OneNote for Windows, or ask IT for the approval an importer needs.
The old Windows 10 app can't export .one or .onepkg files: install the Microsoft 365 version of OneNote before exporting.
- Full exit
- Windows, Microsoft 365
- Trap
- work accounts can't use web export
Prepare notebooks before exporting
Step 3Remove passwords from protected sections: importers skip them without much warning. Let everything sync and wait until OneNote shows no errors, or you'll export an incomplete copy. Empty what you don't want from the recycle bin; it isn't imported anyway.
For a notebook someone shared with you, ask the owner to export it, or copy its sections into a notebook you own: importers don't support shared notebooks.
- Remove
- section passwords
- Check
- zero sync errors
Run a pilot on a small notebook
Step 4Pick a short but typical notebook: a few pages with text, images, a table, a checklist, some ink. Import it alone into your new app. Compare it page by page with the original.
Ten minutes of pilot tells you what you'll lose on the whole archive: broken image links, flattened tables, ink turned into pictures. Far better to see it on twenty pages than on two thousand.
- Ideal size
- 10 to 30 pages
- Compare
- images, tables, ink
Import one notebook at a time
Step 5Don't do it all at once. Big archives hit Microsoft's connection limits, and an import that stalls halfway is a pain to resume. One notebook at a time, starting with the ones you open every week.
In Obsidian, notebooks arrive as folders of Markdown files with their images alongside. Keep that structure at first, even if it's not perfect; reorganize once everything has landed.
- Pace
- one notebook at a time
- Order
- most used first
Check and repair the damage
Step 6Search the new app for keywords from notes you know well. Open a dozen pages at random. Most common damage: broken image links, formatting that needs a cleanup, tables turned into plain text. Fix them as you reopen notes rather than all in one go.
Pages that came in empty or cut off usually point to a section that was still protected or a page with an error: export that section again on its own.
- Method
- search and spot checks
- Repair
- as you go
Keep OneNote read-only for a few months
Step 7Don't delete anything. Leave your notebooks on OneDrive and keep the exported .onepkg or ZIP files on a drive you control. The day you can't find a note, you'll know where to look.
After three to six months without opening OneNote, you can uninstall it. Keep the export files longer: they're your only faithful copy of the original layout.
- Keep
- .onepkg or ZIP exports
- Uninstall
- after 3 to 6 months
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a OneNote migration go wrong
The same accidents show up on the Obsidian, Joplin and Microsoft forums over and over. None of them is rare, and almost all can be avoided with a two-minute check before you export.
Exporting from the wrong device
The Mac app and the old Windows 10 app can't export .one or .onepkg files. People who learn that after giving up their PC end up going page by page. Confirm your exit before anything else.
Forgetting it's a work account
Web export is for personal accounts only, and importers can choke on work or school accounts. Users report the Obsidian import failing with a corporate Office 365 account and working with a personal one. Talk to IT before you start.
Leaving sections locked
A password-protected section isn't imported, and the importer doesn't always say so clearly. You think you got everything, and the missing notes are exactly the ones you considered sensitive.
Importing everything in one go
Thousands of pages at once is the surest way to hit Microsoft's limits or stall on one malformed page. And when it all lands in a heap, many people feel overwhelmed and give up. Go notebook by notebook.
Assuming your ink will follow
Outside OneNote, handwriting becomes an image at best and vanishes at worst. If your notes are mostly handwritten, choose a pen-first app or keep those notebooks in OneNote.
Deleting OneNote too soon
A broken image or a blank page can go unnoticed for weeks. As long as you keep your original notebooks and exports, every gap takes minutes to fix.
- Every notebook listed with its storage location and owner
- Your exit identified (Windows, web personal, Mac, work account)
- Microsoft 365 version of OneNote installed if exporting .onepkg
- Passwords removed from protected sections
- Sync finished with no errors showing
- Pilot run on a small notebook
- Import done one notebook at a time
- Export files kept on a drive you control
OneNote alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to OneNote?
Obsidian, if you type your notes: the app is free with no note limit and has an official OneNote importer. Joplin is the other free option, open source, with a built-in importer that's still a bit fragile. On Mac and iPhone, Apple Notes is free and already there. Our best note-taking apps roundup widens the field.
Is there a OneNote alternative for Linux?
Yes. Microsoft doesn't make a OneNote desktop app for Linux, so you're stuck with the web version. Joplin and Obsidian both run natively on Linux, and both can import OneNote notebooks. Tip: if you only have Linux, use Obsidian's importer with your Microsoft account, since you can't produce a .onepkg file without Windows.
What's the best OneNote alternative for iPad and Apple Pencil?
Goodnotes, for most people who write by hand. It's designed around the pen, handles PDF markup well, and costs $11.99 a year (Essential) or $28.99 once on the US App Store. Just know it can't import OneNote: your old pages come in as PDFs you can annotate, not as editable ink.
How do I export an entire OneNote notebook?
In OneNote for Windows (Microsoft 365): File, Export, choose Notebook and the .onepkg format. OneNote on the web also exports a notebook as a ZIP, but only for notebooks stored on a personal OneDrive. If the web export fails on a huge notebook, move some sections into a new notebook and export in two parts.
Can I export OneNote on a Mac?
Not a whole notebook: OneNote for Mac only exports one page at a time, as PDF. To get a full notebook out from a Mac, the easiest route is Obsidian's importer signed in to your Microsoft account. Otherwise, borrow a Windows PC long enough to export a .onepkg file.
Can Notion import OneNote?
Not officially: OneNote isn't on Notion's import list. There's a third-party connector, Note Bridge, and the manual route through Word or PDF exports. For a large archive, going through Obsidian first, which produces Markdown, and then importing that Markdown into Notion is usually cleaner.
What happens to OneNote for Windows 10 now?
It reached end of support in 2025, and Microsoft says it's for viewing only. Install the Microsoft 365 version of OneNote (free with a Microsoft account) and open your notebooks there; they live on OneDrive. First check the old app for sections still waiting to sync, because those edits only exist on that PC.
Should I really leave OneNote?
Not necessarily. OneNote isn't abandoned, it's still free, and it's excellent for pen input and marking up documents. If sync works for you and you don't need structure, moving years of notes often costs more than it gives back. Leave if one of the problems on this page truly bothers you, not on principle.
Can I connect OneNote to other tools instead of leaving?
Yes. If what you need is to push notes in or out automatically (create a page from a form, send meeting notes elsewhere), an automation tool can do it without migrating. Our page on the OneNote integration in Make shows what's possible.
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