In this post, I will compare Microsoft’s OneNote with Evernote. Under normal circumstances, I would be too poor to compare Microsoft Office OneNote to Evernote. Given the low startup cost of Evernote, FREE, I would have started with it and kept using it. I have been able to get a copy of Microsoft Office OneNote through my job. So, due to a strange coincidence, I have the opportunity to try both services at the same time, for the first time.
Microsoft Office OneNote
What I love about OneNote is that you can click your mouse anywhere on the page and start typing. Just as you would write notes on a paper, OneNote allows you to group your thoughts anywhere on “the page”. You can also add photos of voice files to your notes. The upside is that OneNote can search your photos and audio for written or spoken words. I think that the Windows Tablet version also allows you to search handwritten notes on the “page”. Overall, OneNote is a very powerful way to keep tabs on all your notes on certain topics.
Perhaps the most powerful part of OneNote is how it ties into Microsoft Office. Being a Microsoft product has its advantages when it comes to compatibility with Word, Excel, and Outlook. Furthermore, OneNote lends itself to sharing through Microsoft SharePoint. Not only are you able to keep notes in a more natural style, you also have the ability to use those notes to collaborate. There are even more features for sharing your work that involve live interaction. When it comes to the enterprise setting, OneNote is one great addition to the Microsoft Office Suite.
Evernote
Evernote, has some of the same functions as Microsoft OneNote. For example, you can search handwritten notes and audio notes. This is definitely handy for both. Of course, you can also simply type notes and upload them to Evernote. The main distinction between the two is that Evernote resides on the web while OneNote resides on your computer. For this reason, there is a bit of a tradeoff. For example, you cannot write anywhere on the page. You can only write notes like you would in a regular text file. In short, Evernote is not as rich as OneNote is when it comes to features and integration with other products.
Despite the lack of richness, Evernote excels (no pun intended) in its universal access. Currently, you can access Evernote from a PC, a Mac, Windows Mobile devices, and even the iPhone. What you give up in feature richness you gain in accessibilty. Whereas OneNote requires you to own the software to view the files, Evernote can be viewed from most standard web browsers. Given this universal accessibility, Evernote is not shareable without giving out your password. I think this can be explained with the intended user. OneNote, with its ties to the Microsoft Office Suite, obviously aims for use in the enterprise, but works well for the individual. Evernote seems to be geared towards the individual rather than a group.
Where Evernote Wins
I have to say that I really, really like OneNote’s features. If I were to spend a lot of my work time on a computer at the office, I would definitely be a OneNote man. Evernote, however, wins my heart because I am out of the office so much. Both OneNote and Evernote have mobile clients. I must add that both mobile clients are rather lame. They are both better suited to making entries rather than accessing existing notes. In other words, they are good for taking notes, not retrieving. Where Evernote comes out ahead in that the mobile client is extended with a mobile website where you can search your notes. If you enter your notes through the mobile site, you can even title and tag the notes. For somebody who is out of the office a great deal, it is great to have this ability to search, even if it is through a WAP site.
If you are a mobile professional who is constantly working out of a laptop, then you may very well be able to work with OneNote for your day to day information gathering. My current work environment involves heavy tools, ladders, and exposure to outdoor weather, hardly ideal for laptops. Therefore, my best option for keeping up with information is through my smartphone. In addition, in the time it takes for a laptop to boot up and run a note-taking application, I could be long done on a smartphone. Even handwritten notes on paper are easier to photograph and upload by phone than doing the same with a laptop.
Given my current circumstances, Evernote wins, followed by paper notes. In an enterprise environment, it would be OneNote, Evernote, and then paper.
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