CollaNote vs Microsoft OneNote: handwriting and PDF markup on iPad
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
Quick verdict
CollaNote offers 50+ pens and PDF markup but runs only on Apple devices. OneNote is free and also runs on Windows, Android and the web.
CollaNote is a handwriting app for iPad, iPhone and Mac from Zauberberg Lab in Da Nang, Vietnam, with audio recording, translation, math solving and AI tools. Its free version caps pages after the first 60 days, and Lifetime Premium is a one-time $13.90 purchase on the US App Store. Notes sync through iCloud Drive only.
OneNote is Microsoft's digital notebook, around since 2003, organised into notebooks, sections and pages. It supports handwriting, document scanning, voice dictation and audio transcription. A Microsoft account is all you need, and notebooks live in OneDrive.
Head-to-head
CollaNote leads on 2, Microsoft OneNote on 4, 4 even
| Feature | CollaNote | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Devices it runs on[2],[12],[13] | iPad, iPhone and Mac only; the help center says there is no Android, Windows or web version. | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android (Android 9.0 or later). |
| → If you also use a Windows laptop or an Android phone, only OneNote can open your notes there. | ||
| Free version[6],[8] | No page cap for the first 60 days; then 10 pages and one recording per note, limited translations. Some pens, papers, stickers and planners need Premium. | Free with a Microsoft account; notebooks share the account's OneDrive storage. |
| → After 60 days, a long note on CollaNote's free version hits the 10-page cap; for OneNote, the limit the sources AppDuo read mention is OneDrive storage. | ||
| Paid plans for individuals[5],[6],[8] | Lifetime Premium, one-time: $13.90 on the US App Store, with promotional tiers from $6.95 to $9.69. No recurring fee. | OneNote needs no paid plan. For more storage: Microsoft 365 Basic at $19.99/year or $1.99/month (100 GB); Microsoft 365 Personal at $99.99/year or $9.99/month (1 TB, with Copilot). |
| → CollaNote charges once to lift feature limits; Microsoft charges on a recurring basis, but only for storage and Copilot, not for OneNote itself. | ||
| Pens and handwriting[1],[5],[12],[14] | 50+ pens and brushes, shape recognition; an AI pen since version 4.0.2 (December 2025) that needs Apple Pencil Pro. | Pen handwriting anywhere on a free-form page; per Wikipedia, The Verge reported new pen and ink gestures in November 2023. The sources AppDuo read list no Apple Pencil-specific features. |
| → For diagrams and colour-coded notes, CollaNote lists 50+ pens and brushes; the OneNote sources give no comparable count. | ||
| PDF and document markup[1],[5],[12],[13] | Annotate PDF, Word and PowerPoint files without altering the original; AI chat with documents. | The sources AppDuo read do not describe PDF annotation; the store listings mention scanning documents with text extraction. |
| → If your main job is marking up PDF handouts and slides, CollaNote is the one whose developer documents that workflow. | ||
| Audio while taking notes[1],[6],[12],[13] | Audio recording synced to handwriting; one recording per note on the free version. | Voice dictation and transcription of audio files; Copilot notebooks summarise meetings and classes (per Google Play). |
| → CollaNote ties audio to where you were writing; OneNote leans towards turning speech into text. | ||
| Sync and storage[2],[11],[13] | iCloud Drive only, across one Apple ID. Getting notes into Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive means exporting PDF or .cnote files by hand. | Through a Microsoft account and OneDrive. Microsoft says very large notebooks opened for the first time on iPad or iPhone can be slow or unstable; some Google Play reviews report sync failures on Android. |
| → OneNote syncs to Windows, Android and the web despite reported sync issues; CollaNote stops at iCloud. | ||
| Collaboration[3],[5],[12] | Collaboration after logging in; version 4.3.2 (August 2026) added Community Notes. The sources read do not detail how sharing works. | Collaboration is listed in the store descriptions; notebooks live in OneDrive. |
| → Anyone working with you in CollaNote needs an Apple device; with OneNote they can join from a browser. | ||
| Privacy[3],[13] | Works without logging in; pledges never to sell data. The policy effective 19 September 2021 says nothing on AI data, retention or account deletion. Uses Firebase, Google Analytics, Crashlytics and Google ML Kit. | Covered by Microsoft's Privacy Statement; notes sync through OneDrive. The sources read do not mention end-to-end encryption. |
| → CollaNote asks for less if you skip login, but its policy predates its AI features; neither side claims end-to-end encryption. | ||
| Product changes and stability[5],[9],[14] | Regular updates (5.1.1 on 4 November 2026). Some 2023–2024 App Store reviews report crashes or lost content when moving large blocks. | OneNote for Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025 and is read-only; Email to OneNote ended in March 2025. |
| → CollaNote's risk is bugs during editing; OneNote's is Microsoft changing or retiring apps and features. | ||
Choose CollaNote if…
- You only take notes on an iPad, iPhone or Mac
- You mostly write on PDF handouts and lecture slides
- You want flashcards, planners and math solving inside your notes app
- You own an Apple Pencil Pro and want the AI pen
Choose Microsoft OneNote if…
- You need your notes on a Windows laptop, an Android phone or in a browser
- You do not want to pay anything for a notes app
- You already use Word, Excel, Outlook and keep files in OneDrive
When notes need to leave the iPad
The first question is not which app writes better, but where you will open your notes. CollaNote stays inside Apple's ecosystem: it syncs through iCloud, and getting a note onto a Windows PC at school or work means exporting a file and copying it to Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive yourself. OneNote works the other way round: a notebook written on an iPad can be reopened in a browser or on Windows. Windows users have had to switch apps before, though: OneNote for Windows 10 is now read-only, so old content can be copied out but not edited or synced, and Microsoft points people to OneNote on Windows.
What you pay over a few years
CollaNote is unrestricted for the first 60 days, after which each note is capped at 10 pages, so anyone who keeps a whole course in one note will soon hit the limit. Lifetime Premium is a single payment of $13.90 at list price on the US App Store, sometimes discounted. CollaNote's help center and terms state no refund policy, and purchases go through Apple. OneNote charges nothing for the app itself. Costs only arrive when images and attachments fill your OneDrive storage or you want more Copilot use than the free allowance. For storage alone, Microsoft 365 Basic is $19.99 a year (about $1.67 a month on annual billing) and keeps renewing every year.
Large notebooks and known problems
Both struggle in different ways as notes grow. Microsoft's own support page says a very large notebook created on a PC or Mac can be slow and unstable when first opened and synced on iPad or iPhone; its workaround is to switch off automatic attachment sync and sync again. Some Google Play reviewers also say notes fail to sync on Android. For CollaNote, a number of App Store reviews from 2023–2024 describe crashes or lost content when dragging large blocks of text or drawings. Whichever app you pick, keep a separate backup of important notes.
AI tools and the data behind them
CollaNote has added AI features quickly: an AI assistant and calculator in version 3.0 (May 2024), document chat and offline AI stickers in 4.0.2, and sketch-to-image in 5.0 (September 2026). Its privacy policy, however, still dates from 2021 and does not say how data sent to these features is handled. On OneNote's side, Microsoft says Copilot can draft plans, generate ideas, create lists and organise information; heavier Copilot use requires a Microsoft 365 plan. OneNote data falls under Microsoft's general privacy statement.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Microsoft 365 trial charge me automatically?
It can. The one-month trial requires a credit card and turns into a 12-month paid subscription unless you cancel in time. OneNote itself needs no trial, since it is free.
Do both apps have a Vietnamese interface?
Yes. Vietnamese is among CollaNote's 31 interface languages on the App Store, and AppDuo's OneNote profile also lists Vietnamese among its interface languages.
How do users rate the two apps on the App Store?
On the US App Store, CollaNote holds 4.69/5 from about 15,300 ratings and OneNote 4.7/5 from over 1 million. On the Vietnamese App Store, CollaNote is at 4.65/5 from just over 6,000 ratings.
Who makes CollaNote?
Zauberberg Lab Company Limited, based in Da Nang, Vietnam. The first version reached the App Store on 7 January 2021. Support is by email, live chat with staff and a help center.
Sources
Numbers in the table refer to these sources, read on the dates shown.
- 1.Official website · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
- 2.Official help center · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
- 3.Official privacy policy & terms · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
- 4.Official news page · Vendor-provided · Nov 13, 2026
- 5.App Store listing (US) · store · Nov 13, 2026
- 6.App Store listing (Vietnam) · store · Nov 13, 2026
- 7.iTunes lookup API (US) · store · Nov 13, 2026
- 8.Official product page (Microsoft 365 OneNote) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
- 9.Microsoft Support: what is happening to OneNote for Windows 10 · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
- 10.Microsoft OneDrive plans and pricing · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
- 11.Microsoft Support: OneNote on iPad/iPhone large notebooks · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
- 12.App Store listing · store · Nov 10, 2026
- 13.Google Play listing · store · Nov 10, 2026
- 14.Wikipedia: Microsoft OneNote · Community-reported · Nov 10, 2026
- 15.The Register (2025-08-22) · press · Nov 10, 2026
Prepared by the AppDuo Editorial Team from the sources cited in this article. AI assists with organising and cross-checking data; editorial responsibility remains with AppDuo.
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