Which note taking app is right for you? That is going to depend on what your needs are. What you should know, though, is that I use both simultaneously. They both have strengths, and they both have weaknesses. So something that is a deal breaker for me in one application, may be perfectly fine for you.
Why I Use OneNote
My tablet is a Lenovo ThinkPad 10, which comes with a stylus. I adore using my stylus. It gives me the feel of writing on a piece of paper, without that pesky actual paper that I have to find a place to store. This is the main reason I prefer OneNote for everyday note taking. It’s much quicker than using the onscreen keyboard on a tablet, and allows me the freedom to draw out the notes as well, like if I need to draw a timeline for something, or I’m trying to take notes of a diagram.
I also love the organization of OneNote. I recently attended a conference for Women that I wanted to take notes during. I opened the notebook I have titled Personal. I created a new section called Time Out for Women (which was the name of the conference I was attending). Inside my new section, I created a new page for each presenter, so I could keep the notes super organized and I could find them again later.
In OneNote I can use my stylus, or I can screenshot an image and insert it into a note, or use the keyboard and type, or a plethora of other items you can insert into the page to create an awesome looking note.
OneNote is where I put projects together. Especially projects that have various aspects that I need to create or keep track of. It’s the closest thing to a paper notebook that you can find for your devices.
Why I Use Evernote
Now that I’ve explained all the fantastic things you can do with OneNote… why could I possibly need Evernote? Evernote is a perfect bookshelf. The Evernote web clipper is far superior to OneNote’s web clipper. What that means, is when I find an article online that I want to keep forever and read again or refer back to over and over again, I will clip it via a bookmarklet in my web browser. This will bring the text of the article, and any images, along with the referring link (in case I need to click it and view it on the actual website again in the future).
I use both Evernote and OneNote side by side when working on a project. Research located on the right in Evernote, project notes and work on the left in OneNote.
Using them side by side is truly the best of both worlds for me! Evernote has a ton of screenshots of magazine articles I grab from my Next Issue app, so I can keep the articles I want to refer back to in a handy searchable location. OneNote is my on the go note taking and project handling productivity tool! Which one is right for you? Or will you start to use them both simultaneously like I do??
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That makes sense Sarah. I like being able to pigeonhole where I put a note or source, so I’ll know where to retrieve it later. Thanks for the great demo.