memlow
Memlow and OneNote

A simpler OneNote alternative

OneNote is a big digital notebook with sections, pages and pen ink, tied to Microsoft 365. Memlow is a smaller, free OneNote alternative for typed notes, checklists and reminders, with no AI and nothing to install on the web.

Try Memlow free Get the Android app
  • Free
  • No AI
  • Encrypted backups
  • Facts checked October 2026
A Memlow note in the browser: a trip plan on notebook paper with a packing checklist
In short
  • Choose Memlow if you write typed notes and lists, want reminders on single items, a PIN on single notes, and an app with no AI.
  • Stay with OneNote if you write with a pen, use an iPhone, iPad or Mac app, or live in Microsoft 365 and Outlook.
  • There's no OneNote importer, so moving means copying across the pages you still need.

Memlow and OneNote side by side

What we say about OneNote comes from its own help pages, pricing and policies, checked in October 2026. The small numbers link to the sources under the table.

MemlowOneNote
PriceFree. A few ads in the Android app, none on the webFree to download and use. Some premium features need Microsoft 365 or Office 20191
Phones and computersAndroid 8.0 or newer, and the webWindows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web2
Handwriting and drawingNo. Typed notes, lists, photos and voice notesInking and drawing tools (Microsoft names them for the iPad app)1
Where notes are keptOn your phone or in your browser; backups in your own DriveCloud-connected. Only the Windows desktop app keeps notebooks on the PC1
Locking notesA PIN on one note or the whole app; folders and fingerprint on AndroidA password on a section, in the desktop app and on iPhone and iPad (128-bit AES)3 4
AINoneCopilot in OneNote, with an eligible Microsoft 365 or Copilot licence5 9
RemindersOn a note or one list item, repeating, with a Tasks viewOutlook tasks with reminders, from the desktop app6
SharingShared notebooks, teams and links, encrypted end to endNotebooks in OneDrive or SharePoint, as can edit or can view. Single pages can't be shared7
Take your notes outMarkdown, text, PDF or a backup fileExport a notebook from OneNote for the web as a file for the Windows app8

Sources, checked October 2026

  1. Microsoft Support: What's the difference between the OneNote versions?
  2. Microsoft Support: How to download OneNote
  3. Microsoft Support: Protect your notes with a password
  4. Microsoft Support: Protect notes with a password in OneNote for iPad or iPhone
  5. Microsoft Support: Welcome to Copilot in OneNote
  6. Microsoft Support: Create Outlook tasks in OneNote
  7. Microsoft Support: How to share a OneNote notebook
  8. Microsoft Support: Export OneNote notebooks
  9. Microsoft: Copilot is now included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family (16 January 2025)

Where OneNote is better (inking, notebooks, Office)

  • You can write and draw with a pen. Memlow has no handwriting or drawing at all.
  • It runs on Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad as well as Android and the web. Memlow has no iPhone, iPad or desktop app.
  • Notebooks, sections and pages let you lay out a whole binder of material, and a page is a free canvas you can type anywhere on.
  • It works with Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint and the rest of Microsoft 365, which matters if your school or office runs on them.

Where Memlow is different

  • It's simpler. A note is a page you type into, with checklists, tables, toggles and photos, and nothing to learn first.
  • Reminders live in the note. Put one on a single checklist item, make it repeat, and see every dated item in Tasks.
  • Your notes stay on your phone or in your browser, and backups to your own Google Drive are encrypted with your password.
  • Lock one note with a PIN. A lock keeps people out of a note on your device; it isn't encryption.
  • There's no AI anywhere. Nothing summarises or rewrites your notes.
  • There's more around the notes: Goals with streaks, Memlow Sheets with charts, 75 themes, and Urdu in Nastaliq with the app right to left.

Who should stay with OneNote

Stay with OneNote if you take handwritten notes on a tablet, if your class or company shares OneNote notebooks, or if you need an app on an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Memlow suits someone whose notes are typed: lists, plans, lecture notes and reminders, on an Android phone and a computer's browser.

How to move from OneNote

There's no OneNote importer in Memlow, so bring across the pages you still use:

  1. Open app.memlow.com on your computer, or the Android app.
  2. Copy a page's text from OneNote and paste it into a new Memlow note. Make a folder for each OneNote notebook you're moving.
  3. Turn lists into checklists with [ ] and a space, add reminders back, and turn on Google Drive backup.

Ink and drawings don't come across; keep them in OneNote, or as photos in a note. Notes you already have as text or Markdown files can be dropped onto app.memlow.com, one note per file. See Bring in notes from text or Markdown files.

Questions

Questions people ask

Something else? Look in the Help Center or write to [email protected].

Is Memlow a free OneNote alternative?

Yes. Memlow is free with no paid plan. The Android app shows a few ads; the web app has none.

Can I write with a pen in Memlow?

No. Memlow is for typed notes, lists, photos and voice notes. If you need handwriting, OneNote is the better choice.

Can I import my OneNote notebooks?

Not directly: there's no OneNote importer. Copy across the pages you need, or drop text and Markdown files onto the web app.

Does Memlow have notebooks and sections like OneNote?

It has folders, which can be shared as notebooks, plus tags, pins and links between notes. There are no sections or free-form pages.

Does Memlow work on an iPhone?

There's no iPhone app. The web app runs in a browser, but we haven't tested it in Safari on an iPhone, so we can't promise it works well there.

Help with moving and starting out

Help Center
Bring in notes from text or Markdown files Get started with Memlow: your first week Set, repeat and snooze reminders Folders, tags, pins and archive
Online notepadA free online notepad that saves as you typeMemlow is a free online notepad: open app.memlow.com and start writing. There's nothing to install, and every word is saved in your browser as you type it.Read more To do list appA free to do list app, on your phone and in your browserWrite what needs doing, tick it off, and let Memlow remind you about the rest. Every dated task from every note waits in one list, on Android and on the web.Read more Phone and computerThe same notes on your Android phone and your computerWrite on your laptop, read it on your phone. Memlow is a free notes app for PC and Android. The web app and the phone app keep the same notes in step through your own Google Drive, encrypted on the way.Read more
Other comparisons: Memlow and Google Keep Memlow and Evernote Memlow and Notion Memlow and Samsung Notes Memlow and Google Sheets Memlow and Todoist

Try it with your own notes.

Memlow is free, with no AI. Open it in your browser in a second, or get the Android app.

Start writing free The Android app
Memlow's notes: colourful cards with checklists, reminders and folders