Catchlight vs OneNote.
OneNote is a free, capable notebook that lives in OneDrive, under keys Microsoft holds. Catchlight keeps every note, task and reminder sealed on your device, with a key that belongs to you alone.
OneNote has been quietly excellent for two decades. Free, on every platform, brilliant with a stylus, and woven into Office. The trade is the one behind most Microsoft products, your notebooks live in Microsoft’s cloud, readable by Microsoft, and the app can’t actually remind you of anything on your phone.
At a glance. The short version.
| Catchlight | OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | None. Ever. | Microsoft account |
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes, on device, always | No, Microsoft holds the keys |
| Where data lives | Your device, optional folder you own | OneDrive |
| Notes, tasks & reminders | One unified Take, with notifications | Notes with checkboxes, no reminders on mobile |
| Locking things down | Everything, by default | Password per section, titles stay visible |
| Price | One flat ~£14.99/yr | Free, more with Microsoft 365 |
| Verify the privacy | Read the source on GitHub | Trust the policy |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18+), more planned | Windows, Mac, web, iOS, Android |
OneNote handling verified July 2026. Cloud notebooks live in OneDrive where Microsoft holds the encryption keys, and timed reminders exist only through Outlook on the classic Windows desktop app. Catchlight is pre-launch, its feature set is subject to change.
The honest bit. Is OneNote private?
Your notebooks sync through OneDrive, encrypted in transit and on Microsoft’s servers, with Microsoft holding the keys. That means Microsoft can access them, and can be compelled to. There’s a password option for individual sections, and it’s better than nothing, but it covers the page content only. Section names stay visible, recordings on a page aren’t protected at all, and locked sections drop out of search.
Catchlight doesn’t have a partially locked state. Every Take is encrypted on your device with a 12-word Privacy Phrase only you hold, titles, content, everything, and there’s no account and no cloud of ours behind it.
The reminder gap. A notebook that never taps you on the shoulder.
OneNote can tag a line as a to-do, but the checkbox is all you get. Timed reminders only exist through the Outlook tasks integration, and that lives solely in the classic desktop app on Windows. On your iPhone, your Mac or the web, OneNote simply can’t remind you of anything.
In Catchlight the reminder is part of the note. One Take can be a note, a task and a reminder at once, and when the time comes your phone tells you, with the note right there.
Being fair. Where OneNote is the better choice.
OneNote is the better choice if you want a free notebook on every platform, you draw or hand-write with a stylus, or you share notebooks with a team inside the Microsoft world. As a big, free, everywhere notebook it’s hard to argue with.
Where Catchlight is the better choice.
Catchlight is the better choice if your notes are personal rather than shared, you’d rather no company could read them, and you want the note and its reminder to be one private thing instead of a checkbox that never rings.
Quick answers. Common questions.
Is OneNote end-to-end encrypted?
No. Notebooks live in OneDrive, encrypted in transit and at rest, but Microsoft holds the keys and can access them. Password-protected sections encrypt page content only, titles stay visible and recordings aren’t covered. Catchlight encrypts everything on your device by default.
Can OneNote remind me about my notes?
Only via Outlook tasks in the classic Windows desktop app. On iPhone, Mac and the web there are no reminders at all. In Catchlight, add a time to a Take and your phone notifies you.
Does Catchlight need an account, like OneNote?
OneNote needs a Microsoft account. Catchlight needs no account, no email and no sign-up, a 12-word Privacy Phrase on first launch is your key.
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