vs
Microsoft OneNote vs Obsidian
Microsoft OneNote scores higher overall (8.2 vs 7.9), but the right pick depends on what you need.
Choose Microsoft OneNote if…
Students and Microsoft 365 users who want free notes with optional Copilot
8.2/10★★★★★Full review →Choose Obsidian if…
Power users who want local, private notes and full control over which AI they use
7.9/10★★★★★Full review →Side by side
| Microsoft OneNote | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.2/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 10 | #5 of 10 |
| Price | Freemium · from $9.99/month | Freemium · from $4/month |
| Free version | OneNote is free with 5GB of OneDrive storage | The full app is free for personal use |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Other |
| Made by | Microsoft | Dynalist Inc. |
| Note quality | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Ease of use | 8 | 6 |
| Features | 8 | 7.5 |
| Value for money | 8.5 | 9.5 |
| Platforms | 10 | 10 |
Microsoft OneNote: what the AI does
- Copilot in the OneNote desktop app (Microsoft 365)
- Copilot Notebooks for AI chat over your files
- Voice transcription
- Quick Capture of text, voice, ink or images
- Free app on every platform
- Excellent digital ink and freeform canvas
- Copilot comes with a Microsoft 365 plan many people already have
- Copilot requires a paid Microsoft 365 plan
- Freeform pages can get messy and feel corporate
Obsidian: what the AI does
- Chat with your vault via the Copilot plugin
- Semantic search by meaning
- Automatic related-note suggestions
- Choice of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or local models
- Free and fully local, with no lock-in
- Pick any AI model, including local ones
- Huge plugin ecosystem
- Apps on every major platform
- No built-in AI; setup depends on third-party plugins
- Steep learning curve
- Sync between devices costs extra or needs a workaround