Choosing the Right Tool for macOS
The productivity app landscape offers many excellent options for macOS users. Notion, Evernote, OneNote, Apple Notes, and Obsidian each have unique strengths and ideal use cases. This comprehensive comparison helps you understand which tool best fits your workflow, whether you need simple note-taking, advanced databases, or local-first knowledge management.
We'll examine features, pricing, macOS integration, performance, and specific use cases for each platform. Understanding these differences will help you make an informed decision or optimize your multi-tool workflow.
Notion vs. Evernote
Both Notion and Evernote are established players in the productivity space, but they take fundamentally different approaches to organization and functionality.
Feature Comparison
Notion Strengths
Databases: Powerful relational databases with multiple views, formulas, and rollups. Evernote's basic tables can't match Notion's database sophistication.
Flexibility: Block-based system allows creating custom layouts and structures. Build anything from simple notes to complex project management systems.
Collaboration: Real-time editing, commenting, granular permissions, and workspace organization make team collaboration seamless.
Evernote Strengths
Web Clipper: Superior web clipping with full-page captures, article mode, and intelligent content extraction. Notion's clipper is more basic.
OCR & Search: Industry-leading OCR makes text in images and PDFs fully searchable. Better at finding content across large archives of scanned documents.
Mobile Capture: Better optimized for quick mobile capture with document scanning, audio notes, and faster mobile performance.
macOS Integration
- Notion: Native Apple Silicon support, smooth integration with macOS sharing, drag-and-drop from Finder, and good keyboard shortcut support. Can feel slightly slower on older Macs due to Electron framework.
- Evernote: Fully native macOS app with excellent performance, system-wide hotkeys for quick notes, Touch Bar support, and deep integration with macOS sharing. Generally faster on lower-end hardware.
Pricing Comparison
Notion Pricing:
- Free: Unlimited pages and blocks for individuals, limited sharing and version history
- Plus ($10/month): Unlimited file uploads, 30-day version history, advanced permissions
- Business ($18/user/month): Advanced features, SAML SSO, private teamspaces
- Enterprise: Custom pricing with advanced security and support
Evernote Pricing:
- Free: 60MB monthly upload limit, 25MB max note size, 2 devices
- Personal ($10.83/month): 10GB monthly upload, 200MB max note, unlimited devices
- Professional ($14.17/month): 20GB monthly upload, advanced search, task management
- Teams ($17.99/user/month): Team collaboration features, centralized billing
Best Use Cases
Choose Notion if you need:
- Advanced databases and relational data management
- Customizable project management systems
- Team wikis and documentation
- Flexible page layouts and visual organization
- Real-time collaboration on structured content
Choose Evernote if you need:
- Extensive web clipping and article archiving
- Document scanning and OCR functionality
- Fast mobile capture and quick notes
- Simple, reliable note organization with notebooks and tags
- Proven stability and data reliability over many years
Notion vs. Microsoft OneNote
OneNote offers a different paradigm with its freeform canvas approach, while Notion provides structured blocks and databases. Both are free for personal use but serve different needs.
Feature Comparison
Notion Advantages
Structure & Organization: Block-based system creates predictable, well-organized content. Databases enable sophisticated information management impossible in OneNote.
Templates & Reusability: Robust template system with database templates and template buttons streamlines recurring workflows.
Modern Interface: Clean, minimalist design with excellent typography and spacing. More visually appealing for creating documentation and wikis.
OneNote Advantages
Freeform Canvas: Place content anywhere on the page—text, images, drawings, tables. Perfect for brainstorming and visual thinking.
Inking & Drawing: Superior stylus and drawing support, especially on iPads and touchscreen devices. Handwriting recognition works excellently.
Microsoft Integration: Deep integration with Office 365, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft services. Better for Microsoft-centric workflows.
macOS Integration
- Notion: Purpose-built for modern workflows with good macOS integration, though Electron-based. Feels more Mac-like than OneNote in terms of design language.
- OneNote: Available as both Mac app and web version. Mac app can feel like a Windows port with different UI paradigms. Works better in the Microsoft ecosystem than standalone on Mac.
Pricing Comparison
- Notion: Free tier is generous for individuals. Paid plans start at $10/month for enhanced features and storage.
- OneNote: Completely free with basic Microsoft account. Premium features come with Microsoft 365 subscription ($6.99-$9.99/month for Personal/Family), which includes Office apps, making it excellent value.
Performance & Sync
- Notion: Requires internet for initial page loading but works offline once loaded. Sync is fast but dependent on connection quality.
- OneNote: Robust offline support with excellent sync through OneDrive. Can work completely offline and sync changes when connection returns.
Best Use Cases
Choose Notion if you need:
- Structured project management and databases
- Team collaboration on documentation
- Interconnected information systems
- Modern, customizable workspace layouts
- Workflow automation and templates
Choose OneNote if you need:
- Freeform note-taking and brainstorming
- Handwriting and drawing capabilities
- Integration with Microsoft Office and Teams
- Strong offline functionality
- Completely free solution with generous storage
Notion vs. Apple Notes
Apple Notes comes free with macOS and offers tight system integration. Notion provides far more features but requires more setup and has a steeper learning curve.
Feature Comparison
Notion Capabilities
Advanced Features: Databases, relations, formulas, multiple views, embeds, and integrations create a complete workspace. Apple Notes is purely note-taking.
Team Collaboration: Real-time editing, comments, permissions, and workspace management. Apple Notes has basic sharing but limited collaboration features.
Customization: Build custom systems tailored to your workflow. Create anything from simple notes to complex project management systems.
Apple Notes Simplicity
Instant Access: Built into macOS and iOS with zero setup. Launch in seconds, search from Spotlight, create notes from anywhere with Quick Note.
System Integration: Deep integration with iOS/macOS features: Handoff, Siri, Shortcuts, Continuity, iCloud sync. Appears in system-wide search instantly.
Speed & Simplicity: Lightning-fast performance, minimal interface, no learning curve. Perfect for quick capture and simple organization.
macOS Integration
- Notion: Good macOS integration but can't match a first-party app. Share sheet works well, drag-and-drop functions properly, but no Siri integration or system-wide quick note feature.
- Apple Notes: Perfect macOS integration. Quick Note from corner hotspot, Siri commands ("Hey Siri, create a note"), Shortcuts automation, iCloud Keychain password notes, embedded maps, and instant Spotlight search.
Pricing
- Notion: Free for personal use with limitations, $10/month for Plus features.
- Apple Notes: Completely free, unlimited notes, only limited by iCloud storage (5GB free, 50GB for $0.99/month).
Privacy & Data
- Notion: Cloud-based with servers in US/EU. End-to-end encryption in transit but not at rest. Notion can technically access your data.
- Apple Notes: End-to-end encrypted notes option. Data stored in iCloud with Apple's privacy protections. Apple cannot access encrypted notes.
Organizational Features
Notion Organization:
- Hierarchical pages with unlimited nesting
- Databases with properties, filters, sorts, views
- Links between pages and databases
- Tags via database properties
- Favorites and custom sidebar organization
Apple Notes Organization:
- Folders with one level of subfolders
- Hashtags for flexible categorization
- Smart Folders based on tags or keywords
- Pinned notes for important items
- Shared folders for collaboration
Best Use Cases
Choose Notion if you need:
- Comprehensive project management
- Complex databases and data relationships
- Team collaboration and workspaces
- Custom workflows and templates
- All-in-one workspace replacing multiple apps
Choose Apple Notes if you need:
- Quick, simple note-taking without complexity
- Perfect macOS/iOS integration
- End-to-end encryption for sensitive notes
- Fast performance and offline reliability
- Zero cost solution that just works
- Handwriting and drawing on iPad
Notion vs. Obsidian
This comparison represents two different philosophies: Notion's cloud-based collaborative workspace versus Obsidian's local-first personal knowledge management. Both are powerful but serve different priorities.
Feature Comparison
Notion's Approach
Structured Databases: Relational databases with properties, views, and formulas enable sophisticated information management. Better for structured data and project management.
Collaboration-First: Built for teams with real-time editing, comments, permissions, and sharing. Excellent for documentation and team wikis.
All-in-One Platform: Notes, databases, wikis, task management, and calendars in one platform. Reduces app switching and creates cohesive workflows.
Obsidian's Philosophy
Local-First Markdown: All notes stored locally as plain Markdown files. You own your data completely, can access it with any text editor, and it's future-proof.
Linking & Graph View: Powerful bidirectional linking creates a true personal knowledge graph. Visual graph shows connections between ideas.
Extensibility: Hundreds of community plugins add functionality. Completely customizable with CSS themes. Open plugin API for developers.
Data Ownership & Privacy
- Notion: Data stored on Notion's servers (AWS). Requires internet for access. You can export data but it's not designed for local-first workflows. Notion has access to your unencrypted content.
- Obsidian: All data stored locally as plain text Markdown files. Complete ownership and control. No vendor lock-in. Works fully offline. Sync is optional and encrypted end-to-end.
macOS Integration
- Notion: Electron-based app with good but not native performance. Cloud-dependent features. Integrates well with macOS sharing and drag-and-drop.
- Obsidian: Also Electron but works with local files. Can open vault in Finder, use any text editor, or automate with shell scripts. Better for power users who use terminal and scripts.
Pricing Models
Notion Pricing:
- Free: Full features for individuals, limited collaboration
- Plus ($10/month): Enhanced collaboration and storage
- Business ($18/user/month): Advanced team features
- Cloud-based, pricing includes storage and infrastructure
Obsidian Pricing:
- Free: Full app features forever, no limitations on personal use
- Sync ($10/month): Optional encrypted sync service (can use iCloud/Dropbox instead)
- Publish ($20/month): Optional web publishing service
- Commercial ($50/year): License for business use
- Core app is free; pay only for optional services
Workflow & Use Cases
Notion excels at:
- Team collaboration and shared workspaces
- Project management with databases and multiple views
- Client-facing documentation and portals
- Structured information with properties and relations
- Task management with assignments and due dates
- Content calendars and publishing workflows
Obsidian excels at:
- Personal knowledge management (PKM) and Zettelkasten
- Academic research with citations and bidirectional links
- Long-form writing and manuscript development
- Building a personal wiki or second brain
- Privacy-sensitive note-taking
- Offline-first workflows
- Technical documentation with code blocks
Learning Curve & Complexity
- Notion: Moderate learning curve. Block-based editing is intuitive but databases require understanding. More approachable for non-technical users. Beautiful out of the box.
- Obsidian: Steeper initial learning curve. Requires understanding Markdown, linking syntax, and folder structures. More powerful once mastered. Requires customization to look polished.
Sync & Mobile
- Notion: Cloud sync is seamless and automatic. Excellent mobile apps with full feature parity. Works great across all devices immediately.
- Obsidian: Requires manual sync setup (iCloud, Dropbox, or paid Obsidian Sync). Mobile apps are functional but some plugins don't work on mobile. Sync can have conflicts if not careful.
Quick Comparison Table
At a glance comparison of key features across all platforms:
Feature Matrix:
- Databases: Notion (Excellent) | Evernote (Basic tables) | OneNote (Tables only) | Apple Notes (None) | Obsidian (Dataview plugin)
- Collaboration: Notion (Excellent) | Evernote (Good) | OneNote (Good) | Apple Notes (Basic) | Obsidian (Limited)
- Offline Access: Notion (Limited) | Evernote (Good) | OneNote (Excellent) | Apple Notes (Excellent) | Obsidian (Excellent)
- macOS Integration: Notion (Good) | Evernote (Excellent) | OneNote (Fair) | Apple Notes (Perfect) | Obsidian (Good)
- Learning Curve: Notion (Moderate) | Evernote (Low) | OneNote (Low) | Apple Notes (Very Low) | Obsidian (High)
- Free Tier: Notion (Generous) | Evernote (Limited) | OneNote (Full features) | Apple Notes (Full features) | Obsidian (Full features)
- Data Ownership: Notion (Cloud) | Evernote (Cloud) | OneNote (Cloud) | Apple Notes (Cloud) | Obsidian (Local files)
- Customization: Notion (High) | Evernote (Low) | OneNote (Moderate) | Apple Notes (Low) | Obsidian (Very High)
- Performance: Notion (Good) | Evernote (Excellent) | OneNote (Good) | Apple Notes (Excellent) | Obsidian (Excellent)
Hybrid Approaches
Many users don't limit themselves to one tool. Here are effective combinations:
Notion + Apple Notes
Use Apple Notes for quick capture, sensitive information, and simple personal notes. Use Notion for projects, databases, team collaboration, and structured information. This combines speed with power.
Notion + Obsidian
Use Notion for team projects, task management, and collaborative work. Use Obsidian for personal knowledge management, research notes, and long-form writing. Separates collaborative and personal thinking spaces.
Notion + Evernote
Use Evernote for web clipping, document scanning, and archival storage. Use Notion for active projects and structured workflows. Leverages Evernote's capture strength and Notion's organization power.
Making Your Decision
Choose based on your primary needs:
Choose Notion if:
- You need sophisticated databases and relational data
- Team collaboration is essential
- You want an all-in-one workspace
- You value flexibility and customization
- You're building wikis or documentation
- You need project management capabilities
Consider Alternatives if:
- Evernote: Web clipping and document archival are priorities
- OneNote: You need freeform canvas and drawing capabilities
- Apple Notes: Simplicity, speed, and privacy matter most
- Obsidian: Data ownership and local-first approach are crucial
The best choice depends on your specific workflow, privacy requirements, collaboration needs, and personal preferences. Many successful users combine multiple tools, using each for its strengths. Start with what solves your immediate problems, then expand or switch as your needs evolve.