For a long time, Microsoft OneNote was my default note-taking app. It had everything, like my work stuff, research topics, random ideas, half-finished plans, and whatnot. I wasn’t obsessed with OneNote, but it grabbed a permanent spot in my digital life. It synced across my devices and felt good enough. However, that’s not the case anymore. Over time, smaller frustrations piled up. I realized that I was spending more time managing my notes rather than actually using them. That was the time I started looking for some worthy alternatives. Surprisingly, I didn’t have to look far.
Problems that pushed me away from OneNote
When the friction outweighed the value
One of the strongest suits of OneNote is its flexibility with a free-form, infinite canvas. When I first got my hands on OneNote, its free-form canvas felt liberating. I could put my text anywhere, paste or drop images, and design pages the way I want. With time, I had notes with hundreds of pages across multiple notebooks. That time, OneNote’s freedom turned into friction.
I was struggling to find information. Yes, I had tagged my notes, but it didn’t offer a lot of help, and searching felt underpowered too. Since OneNote doesn’t encourage you to follow a consistent structure, my notes were scattered in a way that didn’t make any sense months later. Sometimes, I also faced syncing issues. When I opened OneNote on another device, I would find missing changes and duplicate pages that I didn’t remember. And nothing annoys you more about a notes app than wondering why your recent edits haven’t been saved.
Then, there are performance issues. As my notebooks grew heavier, OneNote started feeling a little sluggish. This was especially noticeable when I was using an older device. I could feel the delay when opening larger notebooks, and the quick capture functionality was no longer quick.
Together, these problems made me realize that OneNote is no longer for me.
What I wanted from a notes app
Structured, flexible, and built to scale
Before I started looking for alternatives, I took a moment to figure out exactly what I want from a notes app. After all, there are several good note-taking apps available today. I took some time and narrowed down my options.
- First and foremost, I expect my notes app to sync reliably across my devices.
- The notes app should offer me a structure when I need it, while giving me flexibility when I want.
- I don’t want an app that just stores my ideas. Rather, it should give me a way to connect my ideas.
- Of course, strong search and organization tools are non-negotiable.
- Finally, I don’t want my notes to stay as static pages. I want an app that gives me the freedom to transform my notes into projects over time.
Most importantly, I wanted a note-taking system that’s scalable. As my notes grow complex, the app shouldn’t start feeling sluggish or collapse under its own weight.
That’s when I gave Notion a serious try.
Why Notion clicked almost instantly
My workflow finally made sense
I had already installed Notion on my computer and smartphone for work purposes. One of my previous companies used Notion as its primary platform for assigning and tracking work. That time, I used to feel that Notion was quite boring. When I was frustrated with OneNote, I decided to try Notion again, this time for all my personal and work-related note-taking needs. Notion didn’t win me over with any of its flashy features. It grabbed a permanent spot because it’s a capable app that helps you stay organized.
Instead of endless pages floating in digital space, Notion focuses on blocks, databases, and relationships. At first, it felt quite rigid with too much structure, but within a few days I started liking it. I could link my meeting notes directly to my project. I could store my research ideas with tags, status fields, and dates. Also, I could move my topics from brain dump to in progress without worrying about duplicating or losing them. In short, my notes were no longer isolated pages; rather they started feeling a part of an organized system.
Since all of my notes were neatly organized, searching became a lot easier and more powerful. Also, I could pick a template and even create a new one when I needed it. While I’m not a huge fan of AI apps, I find Notion AI to be one of the rare AI tools that are actually essential. Another big win for me is seamless syncing across platforms. Notion feels the same on desktop, mobile, and the web. I don’t have to think about which version I’m using or whether my edits will be synced properly. All of my changes are reflected consistently across my devices.
In short, OneNote felt like a digital notebook, whereas Notion gives me a feel of a capable workspace.
Some trade-offs that are worth considering
Notion isn’t perfect
I won’t say Notion is completely flawless, or that it’s made for everyone. When you use Notion for the first time, the interface and setup might feel overwhelming. You might find a blank canvas quite daunting and need a considerable amount of time to build a workspace from scratch. That means it involves a learning curve and effort to design a system that truly pays you off. If you just want a free space to dump your ideas or jot down notes without thinking about organization, OneNote might feel a better choice.
The second trade-off is speed. If you want offline access or instant scribbling freedom, OneNote is a clear winner. If you rely on handwritten notes or want a note-taking system that opens instantly without any friction, you might find Notion to be a bit slower.
While Notion is flexible and powerful, it can also be overwhelming for some users. You might tend to over-optimize things, tweak endlessly, or get obsessed with building a perfect system instead of using it.
If you’re planning to make a switch, you must consider these trade-offs.
This tiny app pins my to-do list to my lock screen, and I’m obsessed
This app puts notes on the lock screen—and that single change makes it surprisingly effective.
Choosing the tool that matches how I work now
I didn’t leave OneNote because I wanted a better app in every possible way. Rather, I wanted an app that matched how I work now, and not how I used to work years ago. If you prefer casual note-taking, rely heavily on handwritten notes, and have deep integration with the Microsoft system, OneNote is still a solid option. On the flip side, if you’re someone like me who craves structured thinking, connected ideas, and long-term organization, Notion would definitely make more sense.
Notion is a versatile all-in-one productivity software that functions as a connected workspace for thinking, writing, planning, and organizing everything that matters, whether for personal use, teams, or businesses. It combines note-taking, knowledge management, task and project tracking, databases, wikis, and workflows into a single customizable platform. Users can create documents, manage projects, track tasks, and build dynamic databases with drag-and-drop ease, thanks to over 50 content block types.
