Well put,
@ExileInParadise.
For me, Campaign Logger is Twitter meets Wiki.
My Big Three
Speed + Accuracy. The automagic tagging means you never spell something wrong again (making search/filter 100% accurate) and autocomplete means taking notes and doing prep faster.
Instant Cross-Reference. The automagic tagging also instantly creates links (no right-clicking + copy + click to destination + paste any more => just type and tag as you go without breaking mental flow) and connects all your information together.
Want to see what an NPC said four sessions ago? Want to find out when the smith will be done the paladin's armor? Need to remember your plotline for Bob's rogue sub-plot? It's instantly there via search/filter because of the tagging.
Generators. We supply several and you can roll your own. Click, generate a name or plot seed, add to your note, keep going.
Other Comparisons
Campaign Logger is not yet as visual as OneNote and Evernote. You can display images and create charts and diagrams, but there's no image or PDF paste like in the other apps. We're looking at streamlining media management, and what I do is use MyInfo for media when necessary, but use Campaign Logger when images are hosted elsewhere, such as on my Google Drive or Dropbox.
I prefer Evernote over OneNote because the canvas paradigm of OneNote means I'm constantly re-arranging widgets in OneNote. As soon as I add something to the canvas, I have to rearrange everything that's overlapping or crowding stuff.
But Evernote really stuck me this year when they rebuilt the app, nerfing a whole bunch of features, without telling me. One update later and a whole bunch of workflows were instantly sabotaged. So I stopped my Evernote subscription and am looking at Joplin based on
@ExileInParadise recommendation.
Evernote and OneNote also have standalone apps for offline use. Campaign Logger will have offline use in the future. Thanks to modern browser features, we'll be able to log happily away without an internet connection, and the app will synch next time it connects. That feature is coming, but if you need offline access today, Evernote and OneNote can do that for you.
Evernote and OneNote both allow sharing with others. The share is fairly simple on your end, but can be a little tricky on the recipient's side if they are not familiar with the app of your choice. Sharing in Campaign Logger vNext is dead simple. Click the share icon for any entry and you get a URL for a "Stream" than contains everything you've shared from a Log. Your friends, players, or audience click the link and they instantly see all your shared stuff.
Evernote is releasing new features (trying to get feature parity with the old, better version mostly). And the OneNote developer tip is actively soliciting community feedback and making a few updates a year now.
Campaign Logger has feature voting. That means you get a voice in what we develop next.
@JochenL can speak to that more and paste links where and when voting occurs. But we're releasing new features, fixes, and enhancements every two weeks now via continuous deployments.
And we're here in the forums every day to personally help you.
Test Them Out
If I were starting from scratch, questing for an app to be my Campaign Bible or Source of Truth, I'd do the following:
Campaign Logger has a free trial. Register/login and check new version with all the shiny features out at
https://preview.campaign-logger.com/
Ready yourself to prepare for next session. Have some material in notebooks or in your head so you'll want to make at least 10-20 "notes".
Put that information into Evernote. Then OneNote. Then Campaign Logger.
Compare the experience in how much you connect stuff, if Generators were helpful, if finding stuff you've already written is easy.
Now multiply that by 100 if you'll create and reference a lot of information over time. x1000 if your campaign lasts a long time.
Do you cross-reference stuff a lot? Do you need a ton of images or just a few? Do you want very specific search or is bulk search ok? Do you like the browser experience or do you prefer something else? Did you want to share stuff or is it all just for you?
Try each app out and then you can make a well-informed decision.
/twocents
Cheers,
Johnn