Today’s super dynamic B2B environment mandates everyone in the leadership to be more innovative to get things done! That’s where note-taking and task-management apps enter. These are productivity applications that help users organize and streamline their files and tasks.

But with the rise of these applications, there is one question that consumes time: which app to choose? There are many popular productivity apps including Evernote and OneNote, a lot of time goes by weighing in the pros and cons. While the popular opinion is to choose between Evernote and OneNote, there’s another important question: Evernote vs. OneNote? Or is it high time to move off New-Age Playbooks?

We understand the time and effort it takes to answer the question. So to make it easy for you, here is a detailed comparative analysis of the two note-taking apps. It offers you a detailed account of the strengths, weaknesses, and value propositions of these digital superpowers.

Along with the comparison, the article also touches on the topic of new horizons and see if these new apps offer something better than these titans.

Let’s start with an overview of the two products –

When we say top note-taking apps, we usually have two contenders fighting for the crown – OneNote and Evernote. While OneNote is a product from the digital solutions major Microsoft, Evernote is an independent product that brings powerful features to the table.

Microsoft launched OneNote in 2003, and it became a part of its Microsoft Office suite in 2007. Currently, OneNote is offered as a bundle with Windows 10 and 11. In addition to this, OneNote can also be used as a standalone product. On the other hand, Evernote was launched in 2008 by Evernote Corporation. From then on, the product has enjoyed a steady increase in its number of users.

Both the applications support majority of desktop and mobile operating systems (OSs). They sync well with your devices to provide you with a seamless experience. Both OneNote and Evernote offer a variety of features that make them ideal for taking notes, some of the features include note sharing and the ability to search for specific notes.

While both the apps look identical (feature-wise), there are some key differences between the two apps that may make one more suitable to address certain needs than the other. For instance, Evernote offers a comprehensive set of features such as the ability to create notebooks, add tags, and attach files to notes. On the other hand, Onenote is much simpler to use, it is a great app for taking quick notes or creating to-do lists. To get things done.

Let us now discuss each platform in detail –

OneNote: The Best Way to Get Organized

A product of Microsoft, OneNote is a full-blown application that focuses on making workflows easy to manage. The tool enhances your productivity in business by keeping track of your tasks and projects.

It comes packed with a host of useful features including the ability to create and share browsable notebooks and sync them with different platforms, including Windows PCs, Android devices, Macs, iPads and iPhones, and even the web.

What makes it more convenient and user-centric is the functional features it offers. Take its note-creation for instance. The tool offers a number of features for recording call audio and video, drawing, embedding spreadsheets, scanning images, and reviewing the edits of others. While the abilities of these features have slight differences based on the platform they are accessed on.

Most organizational heads appreciate OneNote’s basic, simple-to-use structure. You can use the platform to create individual notebooks and within each notebook, you may create different sections and section groups. This makes the platform a great option for organizing content with a logical structure. For instance, if you want to maintain and keep track of notes for the operations team, you can use OneNote and create an Operations Team notebook. Once this notebook is created, you can create section groups for each employee, and you may also add sub-sections and groups based on your need. Further, you can also have individual pages, within the section groups.

Another point that needs our attention is OneNote’s integration with the rest of the Microsoft 365 suite. It integrates very well with the rest of MS Suite which makes collaboration seamless. This quality is very important for enterprises that need teams to be working in collaboration. Take its integration with Microsoft Teams, for instance, OneNote integrates very well with this tool. Adding it to the Teams app helps keep everyone on the channel to make quick edits to the notes and access with assess them with ease.

Another feature that needs attention is the Web Clipping feature. OneNote has a browser add-on called OneNote Web Clipper. The add-on is compatible with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox. The functionality is usually the same for all browsers. Using the add-on, you can clip and save content from web pages. OneNote web clipper offers different options to save the content – you can clip the entire webpage, a specific section, or an article. Whatever you save is saved directly to OneNote.

However, this feature has certain shortcomings as well. For example, when you clip an article, only the link, headline, and subheadings of the article are copied. Also, the page that has been clipped is lost when the website takes the page down. So the web clipping option, though convenient, is just a glorified version of bookmarking.

Now that we have seen the features of OneNote, let us now discuss the benefits of OneNote –

OneNote – Benefits

Easy navigation and organization of notes	The basic structure and navigation of OneNote make it quite easy and convenient to use so you don’t have to spend a lot of time understanding how to use the features.
Secure storage of information	With OneNote, you can be assured that all the sensitive information stored on the notebooks is secure and password protected.
Easy access	Along with compatibility with all major OSs and mobile and web platforms, OneNote synchronizes perfectly across multiple devices. This means anytime, anywhere accessibility.
Cloud storage	OneNote stores all the information, notebooks, and support documents, on the cloud. This enhances accessibility and better collaboration for teams.
Supports a wide array of multimedia formats	OneNote supports a wide variety of text, images, and even audio files, all of these can be embedded into your notebooks. It also has a feature to scan handwriting and rewrite them in your notebook.

Evernote: Get things done with ease

One platform to rule them all! This is one of the most common sentences used to describe Evernote. Developed by the Evernote Corporation, Evernote is designed for taking notes and helping to manage tasks. In comparison to OneNote, Evernote offers several advanced and powerful features that give it an edge over OneNote.

For starters, Evernote offers a host of basic functionalities for note-taking. They include note creation, organizing, and syncing notes among different platforms, including Windows, iOS, Android, and the web. Most users find its interface more friendly and colorful.

The latest version of Evernote offers a very functional and colorful home screen interface that showcases useful quick-access widgets to notebooks, notes, recent images, and more. Additionally, the platform also offers several convenient ways to create and view notes and notebooks.

And if you are someone who gets overwhelmed seeing so many widgets and features, then don’t worry! Evernote is fully customizable. You can either add or remove widgets according to your convenience. Additionally, the platform also has a quick search feature that helps find what you want. The application has the option to scroll and see all the saved notebooks as a list, and you can browse inside the notebooks. Further, you can make the search easier by adding tags when you write it or capture them.

While Evernote doesn’t have as many note-taking features as OneNote, the tools are quite amazing. It offers text formatting tools, and the ability to embed files, tables, and pictures in notes. Additionally, it has an electronic ink tool that can be used to write on touch devices. Further, you can also use audio and video to record notes.

Evernote is also known for its integrations. For instance, it connects well with Google Calendar giving you the ability to browse your schedule and create notes based on your meeting schedule. Further, Evernote can also be connected to Google Drive and other data management platforms for easier collaboration.

Of all the amazing features that Evernote brings to the table is its Web Clipping tool. This tool does keep it apart from other note-taking applications. Just like OneNote’s clipping tool, Evernote’s clipping tool works as a browser add-on. Upon signing into the extension, you can capture an entire webpage, an article without any ads, just the graphic details of an article, bookmark the page or just take a screenshot of the page. Further, after the clipping, you may also customize them by adding notes, adding tags, and highlighting specific points. And, you may also share the clips using the share option.

While the extension works on different browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Firefox, and Safari; the tool’s features vary from browser to browser. Most users say that the features work exceptionally with Edge and Chrome.

Let us now discuss some of the benefits of Evernote:

Evernote – Benefits

Effective clipping for faster work	Evernote’s clipping tool lets you add text and descriptions to the clipped content which can also be shared. Thus, your job is faster and more efficient.
Quick and efficient search	Have too many notes and have little time to skim through all to find what you want? Don’t worry. Evernote’s search option saves you a lot of time and effort. Just enter the name and the feature brings the note to you.
Anytime, anywhere accessibility	With Evernote, it is possible to sync your notes and notebooks with all your devices. Further, you can also work on them offline.

Evernote vs OneNote: Analysis

Both OneNote and Evernote are exceptional and they do have some amazing features that current day organizations can use and ensure seamless workflows.

Evernote sure is an excellent choice for businesses that need a powerful and advanced tool to get things done, handle deadlines, and organize business ideas in a clutter-free manner. The platform has several functional features that address most of today’s business needs.

OneNote too is a power-packed note-taking tool and its biggest advantage is its support for Microsoft Office products. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses that use Microsoft Suite regularly (or have a subscription to it).

Why It’s time to start using New-Age Playbooks?

Coming to New Age Playbooks, there are a number of new-age playbooks that have entered the play and have gained traction too. These new-age playbooks have a very unique approach to productivity – the main reason for their growing popularity. Making the most of technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to take care of your tasks and organize your workflows. They also make good use of automation to get things done with ease. Apart from that, new-age playbooks aren’t only about handling tasks, these tools go beyond that and integrate with other tools and platforms and make work much easier and more efficient.

Personalization is yet another aspect that these playbooks ace in. Rather than telling you what and how to organize things, the new-age playbooks offer personalization where in they let you control everything. For instance, some of the new age playbooks enable you to choose how you view the notes or how you section them. This way, you are in control of everything and can work according to your preference.

Now, let us discuss some of the benefits that these new-age playbooks have to offer –

Benefits of Using New Age Playbooks

There are a number of reasons that may want you to switch to new-age playbooks. Here are a few benefits:

• They’re more user-friendly and intuitive.
• They offer more features and functionality than traditional playbooks.
• They’re constantly being updated with new features and improvements.
• They make it easy to collaborate with others on your team.
• They’re available on multiple platforms, so you can access them from anywhere.
• They make it easier to run multiple plays at once.
• They’re more customizable and can be tailored to fit your team’s specific strategy.
• They allow you to easily store and manage your data in one place, making it easy to analyze and make changes quickly.

Parting Thoughts

To close it, what playbook you choose is really up to your productivity needs. However, I hope that the comparative analysis has helped you weigh down the pros and cons of the two titans. However, one piece of advice is to check out the new-age playbooks emerging in the market. These tools have a lot of potential and can help you gain a newer perspective on your business.

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