Katav vs OneNote
OneNote has 20 years of polish, freeform canvas, and pen support no one else matches. Katav trades canvas freedom for a tighter study workflow with AI by default.
Katav
AI-powered study workspace for students
OneNote
by Microsoft
OneNote is hard to beat as a general note-taking app — free, infinite canvas, beautiful handwriting support, and tight Microsoft 365 integration. But it is a note app, not a study app. Katav gives you AI summaries, flashcards, study plans, and mock exams out of the box without paying for Microsoft 365 + Copilot.
When Katav fits better
You want AI summaries, flashcards, and study guides without paying extra for Copilot
You want notes organized by course and subject, not by notebooks you build manually
You record lectures and want transcription bundled in
You want a calendar of classes and a to-do list that AI can plan for you
You want a tool that was designed for students, not adapted from a general note app
When OneNote fits better
Handwriting and drawing matter to you — OneNote with a stylus is genuinely best in class
You want a true infinite canvas instead of a structured editor
You already pay for Microsoft 365 and want everything in one ecosystem
You need rock-solid offline support across desktop, web, and mobile
You want a single tool for work, personal life, and study — not just study
Feature-by-feature comparison
Based on publicly documented features as of May 2026. We do not include private beta features.
| Feature | Katav | OneNote |
|---|---|---|
Free tier OneNote is fully free with a Microsoft account | ||
Handwriting and drawing OneNote leads the entire market here | ||
Infinite freeform canvas | ||
AI summaries of notes OneNote requires Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription | ||
Auto-generated flashcards | ||
Mock exams / quizzes | ||
AI study plan | ||
Lecture recording OneNote can record audio but does not auto-transcribe | ||
Auto-transcription | ||
Course / subject / class hierarchy OneNote requires manual notebook/section structure | ||
Calendar + to-dos integrated Via Outlook/To Do, not native to OneNote | ||
Mobile apps | ||
Offline editing | ||
Microsoft 365 / Outlook integration |
Our honest verdict
If you live in Microsoft 365, love handwriting, or want maximum freedom on a blank canvas, stick with OneNote — there is no shame in that, it is a genuinely great app. If you want a tool that already knows you are a student and gives you study tools without an extra Copilot subscription, Katav saves you real time during exam season.
Monthly price compared
Prices shown are monthly. Katav is shown in your local currency (USD); competitor headline price is shown in USD as published in May 2026.
OneNote
Yes
OneNote is fully free with a Microsoft account$9.99
/mo
Want to try Katav for yourself?
Free plan available. No credit card required.