OneNote Replacement? A Few Options

Notebook image I’ve been looking for some way to replace OneNote. It’s not that I mind paying for the software — even to Microsoft. After all, I can graciously admit this is one program that they do EXTREMELY well. And, nothing else I’ve seen in the opensource world even comes close. I have reviewed a couple other paid TabletPC-centric notes programs (like Evernote). I didn’t like them as much. And, OneNote 2007 is far superior to the 2003 version of the same program.

I’d pay twice the list price for OneNote 2007 — if it were available in a version that would run on Linux. I know there is a “windows environment” option for Linux that permits users to run Windows programs, but the fact is I open it far too often to switch back and forth to access it. I want my perfect notes program at fingertip access.

My only complaints with OneNote? I would like:

a quicker launch time
a way to easily export entire pages or notebooks in bulk
it to run on Linux
it to be opensource so the community that uses it could help improve it

For these reasons, I’m still searching. Since I think others may be wondering, researching and weighing their own options here, I’m sharing my finds.

A few opensource Note-Taking Options (some Linux only) you may want to investigate:

Zim (a desktop wiki and outliner program)
TiddlyWiki (a reuseable non-linear personal web notebook) – which can also be run from a thumbdrive (called “Tiddlywiki on a Stick”)
Basket Notes – Looks great, but is Linux only
Newton– a desktop wiki for Gnome2 Linux
TomBoy – simple notetaking for Linux and Unix
FreeMind – free mind-mapping software
Keynote – an opensource (but currently abandoned) project with great reviews
WikidPad – Notes for windows and linux platforms

Paid Options you may consider:

MyBase – entire note taking and information management system, impressive at first glance – runs on Linux or Windows or Pocket PC
NoteStudio – I had to mention this one (was one of my favorite wiki-style programs when I used a Treo because it offered both Palm and Windows Desktop Platforms) and is what got me started on my love-affair with notes programs

A few online options:

stu.dicio.us – an online notes program geared for students
backpackit – online note taking and organization site
cl1p.net – online “clipping” service for using information across multiple computers
Google Notebook – an online note taking program from the makers of my favorite search engine
MyNoteIt – another student-oriented note taking online program

NOTE: I love note-taking software, but I shy away from anything that places my essential, private, business and personal information online. You, however, may not have those hangups 🙂
Other thoughts:

Personal Wiki – free and written for windows and mobile windows platforms

There is an amazing variety of open source note-taking options — from sticky notes to databases to wikis to text documents to mind-mapping to online versions to cross-platform straddling programs. It’s a personal decision, and a confusing one for those of us dedicating time and energy to finding the perfect open source, full featured note taking “silver bullet.”

(Note: Notebook image was taken from stock.xchng and from member scol22. )

22 Responses to "OneNote Replacement? A Few Options"

Carsons Post says:

April 12, 2007 at 9:56 am

I keep all my notes on a Tiddlywiki. I use a few of them now, and transfer them from WinXP to Ubuntu systems. I keep my important school notes backup/published at discourse.tiddlyspot.com. The Tiddlysnip extension integrates in Firefox to act sort of like Google Notebook. I can’t live without the silly things anymore. And the community is really helpful (google groups).

Like you I spent some time looking. I started with Google Notebook, Firefox Scrapbook extension, then went on to backpackit, BasKet notes, Zoho.com’s wiki. Tiddlywiki beat them by being so modifiable. The range of plugins is insane.
Justin says:

April 13, 2007 at 8:32 pm

I have yet to find a replacement for OneNote on Linux I like.
One feature I have yet to find in a replacement would be recording audio with notes attached to certain points in the audio file.
Angela Parker says:

September 23, 2007 at 7:32 am

I’m currently investigating Tomboy notes, Basket Notes and will then take a look at Zim desktop wiki as options. If none of these work, I’ll probably try a full-blown wiki again (and I’ll take your lead and try Tiddlywiki, Carsons.
Kruno says:

December 18, 2007 at 6:43 am

Zoho notebook (http://notebook.zoho.com) is excellent online option. It has very similar user interface and possibilities like OneNote 2007.
sol0 says:

April 8, 2008 at 6:02 am

Hi,

You should have a look at this site, you may browse the site because there is some other articles about it too.

http://wine-review.blogspot.com/2008/03/office-2007-on-linux-with-wine-install.html
kailas says:

May 2, 2009 at 8:30 am

hi! onenote is what’s keeping me tied to windows. has anyone concluded what would be a satisfactory replacement? i really like the drag & drop ness of screenshots and digital images (doesn’t seem like it’s available in online versions), as well as the ability to share notebooks on a network.
Geo says:

August 27, 2009 at 12:17 am

Hi! Onenote kept me tied to windows too. On Linux, I use TreeDBnotes 3.xx running in WINE. It runs quite well, and allowed me to move all my OneNote notes into over to linux.

It lacks some of the functions of OneNote, but its really quite good. Other options include using MyBase (very good reputation and functions) in WINE,
TreePadSAFE also runs well in Wine, but it didn’t maintain formatting very well when I tried it last time.
john says:

September 12, 2009 at 11:07 pm

Hi
I also like OneNote but have just started using it on a tablet PC. It has way more features than I will ever need.

I have found an open source program called LightScreen which will clip, copy and paste to Open Office documents. For me this is about 90 percent of what I need One Note to do.

All I really want is muiltiplatform that will take lightscreen clips and allow tablet PC scribbles.
Angela Parker says:

September 21, 2009 at 10:21 pm

I’ll have to check that one out, John. Thanks for sharing!
Pawsan says:

February 10, 2011 at 3:04 pm

Hi i was looking for OneNote replacement and I found BasKet http://www.linux.com/archive/feed/58526. It is very close to MS solution.
Daniel says:

March 26, 2011 at 11:44 pm

Might be a little late posting this here but, if you can use the information, ,more power to you. Good Luck!
I have been looking for a MS Onenote replacement, here is what I have come across…
Keynote nf
http://code.google.com/p/keynote-nf/
last update June 2010, project as far as I know still open.

TreeDBNotes free and paid edition available.
http://www.mytreedb.com/treedbnotes_free.html
I am using the free version of this for months now, works great.

There are money other options free and paid, some more complex than others.
If you are looking for something a bit more complex can try Xmind free version works well and comes in all flavors.
http://www.xmind.net/

Hope this helps everyone….
John says:

June 4, 2011 at 12:37 pm

I also use the TreeDBNotes (http://www.mytreedb.com/treedbnotes_pro.html).
This program is an “all in one”. Notes, Contacts, Passwords and Task manager. Compact and portable.

Previously, I used Keynote, but there were some problems.
Angela Allen says:

June 7, 2011 at 11:23 am

I’ll have to go check that out, John. Thanks for the info!
Frank says:

October 21, 2011 at 8:53 am

I am new to linux, and like you guys, I’m looking for a replacement for One Note. What I want most from it is the ability to scan a document, write over it, then publish it to a pdf file. Just those few functions. Does anyone know of an app that will do this?
Christa says:

February 9, 2012 at 3:03 pm

hi guys,
this is such a great thread! thanks so much for sharing… i also love the fact that this post originated in ’07 and it’s still going!
Geo says:

February 9, 2012 at 10:28 pm

Linux.. how I miss it! I am a Linux convert, forced to use Windows now simply because too many crucial applications I needed for work would run on Windows only.

Now- to the note-taking issue: I was using TreeDBNotes on Linux in Wine. It worked very well and has a very nice feature-set, but the developer showed no interest at all in Linux. Recently I have switched to MyBase, then after a few weeks, gave up on it and switched to MyInfo, seemingly more powerful, feature-rich application. I’m not sure if it will run in Linux. Give it a try in WINE and see how it runs! If it or myBase will not work, then TreeDBnotes is certainly powerful, capable, convenient and inexpensive.
origiz says:

April 14, 2012 at 11:26 pm

If you are using Linux, it has a large number of onenote like software. Do check out the following article –

http://tinyurl.com/yj9gdms
Angela Allen says:

May 19, 2012 at 9:00 am

I’ve switched away from Linux at this point, but that’s a great article and covers many of the OneNote alternatives I tried. At this point in time, I’m using Evernote. The primary reason I like it is the multi-platform sync option. I keep a copy of it on my MacBook Pro, my iMac, my Android phone, my iPad and my Kindle Fire. It works seamlessly on all my devices.
Sido says:

June 26, 2013 at 2:14 pm

This thread has been going since 2007. And here we are in 2013.
I bought the Student Office 2007 back in 2010 – €79 for 3 licences and have used all three up.

I bought the Office 2007 package for Word & Excel – and used One Note out of curiosity – that’s how they get you hooked.

I’ve bought this new laptop. And One Note is the only software I don’t seem to be able to find a substitute for.
Angela Allen says:

July 22, 2013 at 4:59 pm

Hi Sido –

I’ve actually started using Evernote for everything (mainly because of the quality of the cloud-based sync with all my devices). It’s not as awesome as OneNote was, but it’s a good choice. I found that the gui (graphic user interface) was more pleasing in OneNote. I’m getting better at working with Evernote and the more I learn about the features, the more I like it. You may want to give it a shot.
Sukruti Bansal says:

September 13, 2014 at 12:19 am

Hi! I recently started using Linux, until which I used to work on Windows. I used to rely heavily on OneNote for writing almost everything. Now that I have switched to Linux, I cannot understand what to substitute OneNote with. I do not wish to use Wine due to some disadvantages I have heard about it. What do you think is the closest substitute for OneNote on Linux, something that could perhaps also have some features for adding themes, colours, etc. to the pages?
Angela Allen says:

September 19, 2014 at 10:05 pm

I think the easiest way around the Linux issue is to go with browser-based Evernote. Give it a try. I won’t be as flexible with themes and colors, but you might like it. Prepare yourself, however, it will be quite a bit different from OneNote. It’s what I use now. 🙂

OneNote Replacement? A Few Options

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