Self-Hosted Alternatives to OneNote

Why Replace OneNote?

Microsoft ecosystem dependency. OneNote stores data in OneDrive. Your notes are tied to your Microsoft account. If Microsoft changes OneDrive storage limits, pricing, or policies, your notes are affected.

Privacy. Notes stored in OneDrive are accessible to Microsoft per their terms of service. For personal journals, business notes, or sensitive information, this is a concern.

Format lock-in. OneNote uses a proprietary format that doesn’t export cleanly. Converting OneNote sections to standard formats (Markdown, HTML) is painful and lossy. The longer you use it, the harder migration becomes.

Feature stagnation. OneNote’s development has slowed significantly. Windows users lost the desktop app in favor of the UWP version, then got a “new OneNote” that merged the two. Features have been removed and re-added inconsistently.

Cost. OneNote is “free” but requires OneDrive for sync. The free OneDrive tier (5 GB) fills up quickly with embedded images and attachments. Microsoft 365 Personal ($70/year) or Family ($100/year) is needed for meaningful storage.

Best Alternatives

Joplin — Best Direct Replacement

Joplin’s notebook-and-note structure is the closest match to OneNote’s organizational model. Notes support rich formatting, attachments, and to-do lists. Native mobile apps for iOS and Android. End-to-end encryption for private notes. Joplin Server provides self-hosted sync.

Best for: OneNote users who want a similar organizational structure with self-hosted sync.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Joplin Server]

Trilium Notes — Best for Knowledge Bases

Trilium offers deep hierarchical organization that goes beyond OneNote’s notebooks and sections. Note cloning, relation maps, and built-in scripting make it a personal knowledge management system. Best for users who want more organizational power than OneNote provides.

Best for: Power users building interconnected knowledge bases.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Trilium Notes]

BookStack — Best for Shared Notes

If you use OneNote for team notebooks, BookStack’s structured hierarchy (Shelves → Books → Chapters → Pages) provides a better-organized alternative with proper access control, built-in authentication, and a clean reading experience.

Best for: Teams replacing shared OneNote notebooks.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host BookStack]

SiYuan — Best for Visual Organization

SiYuan’s block-based editor with bidirectional links and graph view provides a more modern note-taking experience than OneNote. The WYSIWYG editor feels familiar to OneNote users who prefer visual editing over Markdown.

Best for: Visual thinkers who want a WYSIWYG editor with modern knowledge management features.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host SiYuan]

Migration Guide

From OneNote to Joplin

1. Export from OneNote: On Windows, use the OneNote desktop app → File → Export → choose sections or notebooks → save as .onepkg or print to PDF
2. Alternative: Use Microsoft’s OneNote export to .mht or copy-paste content section by section
3. In Joplin, create matching notebooks and import or paste content
4. Manually clean up formatting — OneNote’s freeform canvas doesn’t map perfectly to linear Markdown

Note: OneNote migration is inherently messy because its freeform canvas (place text anywhere on the page) doesn’t have a direct equivalent in any self-hosted tool. Budget extra time for cleanup.

From OneNote to BookStack

1. Export OneNote sections as PDF or copy content
2. Create matching Shelves/Books/Chapters in BookStack
3. Paste or recreate content in BookStack’s WYSIWYG editor
4. Re-create internal links between pages

Migration Tips

• OneNote’s freeform canvas doesn’t migrate. If you use OneNote’s ability to place text boxes anywhere on a page, this layout is lost in every alternative. Content becomes linear.
• Embedded files and images may need manual handling. OneNote’s embedded files sometimes don’t export cleanly.
• Handwritten notes don’t transfer. If you use OneNote for handwriting (tablet/stylus), no self-hosted alternative supports this natively.
• Migrate incrementally. Don’t try to move everything at once. Start with your most-used notebooks and migrate gradually.

Cost Comparison

What You Give Up

• Freeform canvas. OneNote’s ability to place content anywhere on a page is unique. No self-hosted alternative replicates this. Notes become linear documents.
• Handwriting and ink support. OneNote’s stylus and handwriting recognition is a core feature for tablet users. Self-hosted alternatives don’t support handwritten notes.
• Microsoft ecosystem integration. OneNote integrates with Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 apps. Self-hosted tools are standalone.
• Automatic OCR. OneNote searches text within images and handwritten notes. Self-hosted alternatives don’t offer this.
• Audio recording. OneNote can record audio linked to notes. No self-hosted alternative has this built in.
• Easy sharing. OneNote’s share-via-link is seamless for Microsoft 365 users. Self-hosted alternatives require more setup for sharing.

Related

• Best Self-Hosted Note Taking
• Trilium vs Joplin
• How to Self-Host Joplin Server
• How to Self-Host Trilium Notes
• How to Self-Host BookStack
• How to Self-Host SiYuan
• Replace Evernote
• Replace Notion
• Docker Compose Basics