Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OneNote VS MediaWiki

Compare OneNote VS MediaWiki and see what are their differences

OneNote logo OneNote

Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.

MediaWiki logo MediaWiki

MediaWiki is a free software wiki package written in PHP, originally for use on Wikipedia.
  • OneNote Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-18
  • MediaWiki Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23

OneNote features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Accessibility
    OneNote is available on various platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and through web browsers, providing seamless access to notes from any device.
  • Collaboration Features
    OneNote allows real-time collaboration, enabling multiple users to work on the same notebook simultaneously and see changes in real-time.
  • Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
    As part of the Microsoft Office Suite, OneNote integrates well with other Microsoft products like Word, Excel, and Outlook, enhancing productivity.
  • Flexible Organization
    OneNote offers a flexible structure for organizing notes, including notebooks, sections, and individual pages, allowing for customizable workflows.
  • Rich Media Support
    Users can insert various types of media into their notes, including images, audio recordings, video clips, and even web links.
  • Handwriting and Drawing Support
    OneNote supports handwriting and drawing using touchscreens and stylus pens, which is particularly useful for tablet and touch device users.

Possible disadvantages of OneNote

  • Complexity for New Users
    The versatile features and flexible structure of OneNote can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a learning curve to utilize effectively.
  • Storage Limitations
    Notes are stored in OneDrive, which comes with a limited amount of free storage. Users may need to purchase additional storage if they exceed this limit.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues, especially with large notebooks or when working offline, which can impact productivity.
  • Limited Export Options
    OneNote offers limited options for exporting notes, making it difficult to transfer data to other note-taking applications or formats.
  • Inconsistent Features Across Platforms
    Not all features are available across all platforms, leading to a fragmented experience when switching between devices.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are concerns about data privacy and security, particularly for sensitive information stored in OneNote.

MediaWiki features and specs

  • Open Source
    MediaWiki is free and open-source software, allowing users to modify the source code to fit their specific needs without incurring licensing fees.
  • Scalable
    MediaWiki is designed to handle large-scale projects, making it suitable for enterprise-level documentation as well as large communal knowledge bases like Wikipedia.
  • Version Control
    Each edit in MediaWiki is stored, allowing users to track changes, revert to previous versions, and see the edit history, which is crucial for collaborative environments.
  • Extensive Documentation
    MediaWiki comes with comprehensive documentation, making it easier for developers and users to get started and troubleshoot any issues that arise.
  • Multilingual Support
    MediaWiki supports multiple languages, enabling the creation of content in various languages, useful for global organizations.
  • Extensible
    MediaWiki is highly extensible via plugins and extensions, allowing users to add functionalities tailored to their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of MediaWiki

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and configuring MediaWiki can be complex and time-consuming, potentially requiring technical expertise.
  • Maintenance
    MediaWiki requires regular maintenance, including updates, backups, and performance tuning, which can be resource-intensive.
  • Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with wikis or MediaWiki syntax, the learning curve can be steep, requiring training or time to become proficient.
  • Performance
    MediaWiki can become resource-intensive as the database grows, potentially requiring robust server resources to maintain performance.
  • Limited Features Out-of-the-Box
    While highly extensible, the core installation of MediaWiki has limited features, requiring additional plugins to add necessary functionalities.
  • Security Vulnerabilities
    As with any widely-used software, MediaWiki may be targeted for security vulnerabilities, necessitating regular updates and security patches.

Analysis of OneNote

Overall verdict

  • OneNote is generally considered a good tool for note-taking and organization, especially for users who are already within the Microsoft ecosystem. Its wide array of features makes it suitable for students, professionals, and anyone in need of a comprehensive digital notebook.

Why this product is good

  • OneNote is praised for its versatility and flexibility. It offers a robust platform for note-taking that supports multimedia inputs such as text, images, audio, and video, which can be organized within notebooks and sections. OneNote integrates well with other Microsoft Office products, enabling easy sharing and collaboration. Its cross-platform availability ensures that your notes are accessible from various devices, and its cloud synchronization simplifies accessing and updating notes on the go.

Recommended for

  • Students looking for a digital notebook to organize lecture notes and study materials.
  • Professionals who need a tool for meeting notes, project planning, and collaboration.
  • Individuals seeking a versatile note-taking application that supports a variety of media and formats.
  • Users who prefer cross-platform access to their notes and seamless integration with Microsoft Office products.

Analysis of MediaWiki

Overall verdict

  • MediaWiki is a highly effective platform for creating and managing collaborative and information-centric websites. Its stability, scalability, and active community support make it a solid choice for individuals and organizations seeking a comprehensive wiki solution.

Why this product is good

  • MediaWiki is a robust, open-source wiki platform originally developed for Wikipedia. Its extensibility and large collection of modules allow users to customize and expand their wikis according to specific needs. The wide community and comprehensive documentation make it approachable for developers and administrators seeking a reliable content management system. Furthermore, MediaWiki’s strong version control and permission system are advantageous for collaborative environments, ensuring that information is managed efficiently and securely.

Recommended for

  • Organizations needing robust documentation platforms
  • Communities aiming to develop collaborative knowledge bases
  • Developers seeking a highly customizable and extensible CMS
  • Educational institutions requiring structured content management

OneNote videos

Notability vs OneNote: 2019 comparison

More videos:

  • Review - 5 Reasons OneNote is Better than Notability | iPad Pro Note taking (2019)
  • Tutorial - Microsoft OneNote Tutorial

MediaWiki videos

Using A Self Hosted MediaWiki As A Private Documentation Server with Visual Editor

More videos:

  • Review - MediaWiki vs. Confluence

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OneNote and MediaWiki)
Note Taking
92 92%
8% 8
WiKis
0 0%
100% 100
Task Management
100 100%
0% 0
Todos
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OneNote and MediaWiki

OneNote Reviews

  1. I use it daily

    For me it is a convenient and compact tool in which I can put all my ideas, goals, thoughts


11 Best Google Keeps Alternatives for 2024
Microsoft OneNote is free to use. As long as you have a Microsoft account, you can use Microsoft OneNote.
Source: upbase.io
20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
OneNote is a free note-taking app available to anyone with a Microsoft account. Although handy, OneNote has a laid-back interface and is not as intuitive. However, OneNote has several note-worthy features, including voice notes, text translation, sticky notes, and handwritten notes.
Source: clickup.com
8 Best Free Google Keep Notes Alternatives for Easy Note-Taking
OneNote, a free app from Microsoft, offers a comprehensive note-taking experience. It supports various media types, including text, images, voice recordings, and links. You can categorize notes into sections and notebooks, share them with others, and collaborate. OneNote also includes support for rich text and checklists. It's available on all major platforms and comes with...
The 6 best note-taking apps in 2024
With OneNote's Zapier integration, you can automate OneNote to eliminate the hassle of moving information between apps. For example, Zapier can automatically create new notes in OneNote whenever you have a new task, note, or calendar event in another app. Learn more about how to automate OneNote, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Source: zapier.com
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
In fact, like Evernote, OneNote has had so many different abilities added that it can become a bit overwhelming. For example, when I wanted to find out whether I could extract text from a photo, I went to OneNote’s “Tell me” icon, which, if it can’t find an immediate answer to your question, offers a smart lookup link. When “extract text” didn’t come up with anything, I...

MediaWiki Reviews

Top 12 Self-hosted Wiki Engines for 2024: A Comprehensive Guide
Released in 2002, MediaWiki replaced the initial UseModWiki software used by Wikipedia. It evolved with Wikipedia's growth, introducing features like namespaces, watchlists, and user talk pages. It's been adopted by many organizations for their wikis due to its robust and scalable nature.
Source: medevel.com
The 10 Best Self-hosted Wiki Software for Linux System
MediaWiki is an outstanding self-hosted Wiki software for editing rich multimedia and developing collaborative projects. It is based on the Open Source Technology Project (OST), which allows the distribution of software modules. The main difference between MediaWiki and other wiki software is that MediaWiki uses a lightweight wiki markup, which is easier to learn in the...
Best 11 Open-source Free Wiki Engines for teams and enterprise in 2022
MediaWiki is an open-source Wiki engine that runs Wikipedia. It is the oldest system in the list and some may consider it the king of Wiki engines. It supports almost all available languages as it is easy to install and use.
Source: medevel.com
The Best 20 Wiki Software For Your Business& Internal Knowledge for 2022
MediaWiki is a free wiki software that runs platforms like Wikipedia and Wiktionary. It helps in collecting and managing knowledge and making it available to your target audience. Customizable and reliable, this wiki tool requires server maintenance and installation. The best part about MediaWiki is that it provides translation services that help you localize the wiki in...
17 open source wiki engine/software
MediaWiki is a free and open source server based wiki engine written in PHP developed by Wikipedia. MediaWiki is an extremely powerful, scalable software and a feature-rich wiki implementation, that uses PHP to process and display data stored in its MySQL database. Pages use MediaWiki’s wiki-text format, so that users without knowledge of XHTML or CSS can edit pages easily...

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OneNote and MediaWiki, you can also consider the following products

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

DokuWiki - DokuWiki is a simple to use and highly versatile Open Source wiki software that doesn't require a database.

Google Keep - Capture notes, share them with others, and access them from your computer, phone or tablet. Free with a Google account.

TiddlyWiki - a non-linear personal web notebook

Joplin - Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. The notes are searchable, tagged and modified either from the applications directly or from your own text editor.

Wiki.js - An open source, modern and powerful wiki app built on Node.js, Git, and Markdown.