Thinkblot vs Microsoft OneNote
Pick OneNote if you work across Windows, Mac, the web, Android and Apple devices, co-edit with others, or already use Microsoft 365. With a paid plan, Copilot can read handwriting to summarise, draft to-do lists and rewrite, in the cloud.
Pick Thinkblot if you want your handwriting read on your device, and a tapped line to become a reminder in Apple Reminders or time on your calendar. There's no account and no Thinkblot server.
Last checked: 27 October 2026
Thinkblot and Microsoft OneNote, row by row.
| Thinkblot | OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone (including iPhone Duo), iPad with Apple Pencil, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro (the iPad app). iOS and iPadOS 27.1 or later. | Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, the web, Apple Vision Pro and Apple Watch. |
| Handwriting recognition | Read on your device. Fixing a misread word changes the text, never your ink. | Ink search and ink to text, documented mainly for Windows. We couldn't confirm the same on iPad. |
| What happens to a line you write | It stays ink. When Thinkblot can help, a small blot appears at the end of the line. Tap it, and the line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or time on your calendar. | It stays ink. Copilot can summarise it or draft a to-do list from it. |
| Tasks and reminders | A box in front of a line makes it a task. Tick the box on paper and it's done in Reminders too. Unticked tasks carry forward. | Copilot can draft to-do lists. Outlook task flags on Windows. |
| Maths | Write a sum and an equals sign, and the answer is written for you. Write “total” under a column and it adds itself. | Ink Math Assistant (solve, steps, graphs) with Microsoft 365, documented mostly for Windows. |
| Privacy, account and where data lives | No account and no Thinkblot server. Notebooks live on your devices and in your own iCloud. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first. | Copilot runs in the cloud. Its App Store label lists contact info, contacts, user content and location as linked. |
| Sync | Your own iCloud, through Apple's private CloudKit database, on the same Apple Account. | OneDrive, with real-time collaboration. |
| Export | PDF or Markdown. | — |
| Pricing model | Not out yet. Join the waitlist. | Free. Microsoft 365 subscriptions ($9.99 to $12.99 a month, as in-app purchases) add Copilot and Math Assistant. |
On a phone, scroll the table sideways.
Where each one is better.
- Every platform, including Windows, Android and the web.
- Real-time co-editing, and a place in Microsoft 365.
- Audio recording and dictation in 27 languages.
- Copilot summaries, Copilot Notebooks and audio overviews.
- Ticking a box on the page ticks it in Reminders.
- A tapped line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or calendar time.
- Handwriting is read on your device. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first.
- No account. Notebooks stay on your devices and your own iCloud.
Thinkblot vs OneNote, asked.
- Is Thinkblot a OneNote alternative?
- On iPhone and iPad, for handwritten plans, lists and journals, yes. If you need Windows, Android, the web or shared notebooks at work, OneNote does more.
- Does OneNote read handwriting on iPad?
- OneNote documents ink search and ink-to-text mainly for Windows, and we couldn't confirm the same on iPad. Thinkblot reads handwriting on iPhone and iPad, on the device.
- Can OneNote turn handwriting into a to-do list?
- With Microsoft 365, Copilot can draft to-do lists from notes. We found no automatic route from ink to Apple Reminders or Calendar. In Thinkblot, a box in front of a line makes it a task, and ticking it on paper ticks it in Reminders.
- Is Thinkblot on Windows?
- No. Thinkblot is for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro.
How do
you think?
Thinkblot is coming soon to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. One email the day it's out. That's all.
Join the waitlistClaims about Microsoft OneNote come only from its own pages, as they read on 27 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and may change.
Thinkblot facts come from the Thinkblot support page. Last checked: 27 October 2026.