What each one is good at
| Sticky notes | OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Short, temporary things you want in view | Long notes you organize and keep |
| Getting a note down | One shortcut, start typing | Pick a notebook, section and page |
| Organizing | Colors, search, archive | Notebooks, sections, pages, tags |
| On your phone | Depends on the app | Yes, free |
| Sharing | Usually not | Yes, share a notebook |
A simple rule
If you'll throw it away within a week, it's a sticky note. If you might look for it in a month, put it in OneNote.
What about Microsoft Sticky Notes?
Microsoft's Sticky Notes is now part of OneNote. Your sticky notes sync through your Microsoft account and show up in OneNote on your phone. If you already live in OneNote and Microsoft 365, that's convenient, and it's free.
The downsides: you can't lock a single sticky note, and the notes are stored in your Microsoft account. OneNote itself can password-protect a section, but that doesn't apply to Sticky Notes.
Where stickies.lol fits
stickies.lol (mine, $4.99 once) is only the sticky-notes half. It doesn't try to be a notebook. Notes wait in a thin strip at the edge of your screen, stay encrypted on your PC with no account, and private ones can be locked with a PIN. When a note grows into something you want to keep, copy it as Markdown or text and paste it into OneNote.
Try stickies.lol free for 7 days
Stickies is $4.99 once for up to 3 PCs. No subscription, no account, and your notes never leave your PC.