Last updated: 5 Dec 2020 | Reading time: 4 minutes | Watching time: 4 minutes
Two note-taking services, Samsung Notes and OneNote are powerful apps to save notes on the go. How do both compare? What features make them different? The blog post covers the two and explores Samsung Notes vs OneNote.
Table of contents
Samsung Notes
The official note-taking app from Samsung, the app is installed on all the Samsung devices. The app can do a lot more than other note-taking apps. One downside of Samsung Notes is the app is not available on other platforms.
An app for the desktop is available, but Samsung hasn’t developed it, nor it syncs with the mobile app. XDA Developers develop the software, and the interface is similar. Furthermore, the software can open the mobile app (.SDOC) notes.
Microsoft OneNote
A part of Office apps, OneNote is a classic note-taking app from Microsoft. It has been in the Office family for a long time. The app is available on multiple platforms, and it syncs with all the data. The app is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and browser. On the browser, users can go to https://onenote.com/ to access the notes. The mobile app offers limited features compared to the desktop.
Related: OneNote vs. Notion (2020) | The Ultimate Comparison
Samsung Notes vs. OneNote
Tools
Regarding tools, both are close. If OneNote mobile had offered the same features as the desktop, this round would have been one-sided. But for now, that’s only possible in a perfect world. Let’s compare the tools both offer on the mobile app. The features in green suggest that the competitor does not offer that tool.
| Samsung Notes (mobile) | OneNote (mobile) |
|---|---|
| Checklist Numbered list Bullet list Change text size (default, normal, and large) Align text Underline text Italics Bold text Attach image Attach audio Record audio Drawing Undo Redo Password protection Convert drawing into text Recycle bin Import data from a phone, Samsung account, and Google Drive Add-ons (Neat Shapes and Easy writing pad) Reminder (Samsung reminders) | Checklist Numbered list Bullet list Highlight text Underline text Italics Bold text Strike-through text Add link Attach image Attach audio Record audio Attach documents and files Drawing Undo Redo Limit image sync OneNote badge |
Overall, there is a difference between one element in favour of OneNote. One more thing worth adding here is that when the device is locked, and the display is off on Note devices, Samsung Notes automatically opens a new page to draw if you take the stylus out.
Anyway, apart from the above tools, OneNote desktop offers some more tools:
- Password protect notes
- Assistant
- Dictate
- Meeting details
- Math equations
- Table
- Text colour
- Embed pictures
- Embed videos
- Add shapes
- Translate the text
- Auto calculations
- Restore deleted pages
- Add code
- Add quotes
Those tools make OneNote one of the powerful note-taking services available for free.
Sharing and exporting
The next round of this Samsung Note vs OneNote comparison is about the sharing tools. Samsung Notes allows sharing file, but it does not offer to add anyone to collaborate. One can share in Samsung Notes (.SDOC), Microsoft Word, PDF, image file, and text file formats.
Microsoft OneNote desktop comes with options to send a link with the view and edit permission and send the text as a copy. The mobile app does not offer to add anyone to collaborate, and it supports sharing the note as PDF and plain text.
Related: Samsung Notes vs. Google Keep | Which One is for You?
Android Widgets
Widgets are a part of this comparison. Both apps offer some and let’s look at each.
Samsung Notes comes with three widgets:
- Create a note widget, which comes with the text, draw, image, and microphone options
- Shortcuts and show notes widget do the same job. It is the matter of the size each occupies on the home screen.
Microsoft OneNote, on the other hand, offers five widgets:
- The bar widget for creating a new photo, audio, or text note
- A 3×2 widget is for viewing the recent notes.
- Other three widgets are for creating audio, text, and photo notes separately.
Related: Google Keep vs. OneNote | Which One is the Best in 2020?
Video
Still not sure? The video covers Samsung Note vs OneNote, and you get to see both in action.
Which one is for you?
Even though Microsoft OneNote is more popular, if you only need a note-taking app for the smartphone, you don’t need to install a separate app. Samsung Notes is already packed with great tools. For a user who requires to access notes on other platforms as well, OneNote is the ideal choice.
Wrap up
The article Samsung Notes vs. OneNote compared the essential topics. I hope the information was useful. Which one are you going to use? Share your views with us, so the visitors can easily choose between the two. Thanks for reading and subscribe to the newsletter for future updates.
