I’m using Simplenote from long back and I feel it is one of the strong contenders to One Note in terms of features and minimalist design. There are no formatting toolbars, no adjusting the margins, it is just you and your writing workflow. Simplenote is an essential app which has many powerful characteristics with an uncluttered interface. There are several factors that should be considered before selecting an alternative to a popular app. Simplenote is my all time favorite note-taking app available for all platforms. I’ve tested all the below-suggested apps on my PC and I feel these are the best alternatives to the OneNote. I’ve handpicked a few alternatives which are more powerful than OneNote in terms of usability and simplicity. So, these are the main concerns for me to look at Microsoft OneNote alternatives. For old laptop or desktop users, the OneNote consumes high system resources and the machine will stop responding or lag sometimes. It is a bit complicated for the first time users. Another issue with the OneNote is its usability. Also, the OneNote service requires a Microsoft account to start with.