Evernote Best Alternative



When note-taking app Evernote launched back in 2004, it was a bold, innovative software product that promised to help us remember… well, everything.

Zoho Notebook is a unique Evernote alternative, as it takes a novel approach to creating note types by using different note cards. Zoho offers different formatting for text notes, checklists, audio notes, photos, files, sketches, and smart notes with advanced formatting. I test out 7 note-taking apps and see if they can be Evernote alternatives. Check out my top picks and get started with these awesome apps today. Simplenote is an Evernote alternative application that supports markdown application. You can use this app for iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. There is no native Linux client for OneNote available, and most likely will never be created. Users can use the web based client, but a native app would be a better choice for those that use the app frequently.

In 2004, Evernote was in the enviable position of being first-to-market. Evernote was among the very first software products to offer native apps for Windows, OS X, Android, and iOS. It was one of the first tools to offer cloud syncing as a baseline feature. The earliest versions of Evernote were incredibly generous in terms of how much storage users were given for free.

Fast-forward to today. Evernote is still around, but it’s a shadow of its former self. It’s much more expensive than it used to be. Some legacy bugs and stability issues still haven’t been fixed. Even Evernote’s Business plan offers very little value for teams.

Now there are dozens of note-taking apps and organizational tools we can use to keep our digital lives in order. But which Evernote alternatives are worth looking at and which should you avoid?

That’s exactly what we’ll be looking at in this post.

Below, we explore three Evernote alternatives and offer a rundown of each. We’ve examined each tool’s strengths and weaknesses relative to Evernote. By the end of this post, you’ll have a much better idea of how these tools stack up and how they can help you organize your digital life.

Evernote Alternative #1: Bear

The first alternative to Evernote we’ll be looking at is Bear by app development studio Shiny Frog. Of the three Evernote alternatives we’ve reviewed, Bear is the “purest” note-taking app of them all.

The first thing you’ll probably notice about Bear is that it looks a lot like a mash-up of Slack and a generic email client. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the simplicity of Bear’s sleek, minimal UI––and its simplicity as a whole––is one of the app’s major selling points.

One of the biggest problems with Evernote in recent years is bloat. Bear was seemingly designed with this in mind. Bear might not have as many features as Evernote. But it runs a lot faster––so much faster that most long-time Evernote users will probably feel the difference immediately.

This is especially true on mobile. Bear’s mobile app, which is only available for iOS, feels a lot faster than Evernote. Its mobile UI is similarly quick, utilizing familiar slide-and-swipe gestures to sort, delete, and pin notes. The icons used throughout the app are intuitive and the app does a decent job of walking new users through its features.

One of the biggest differences between Bear and Evernote is Bear’s organizational structure. Unlike Evernote, which relies on the Notes/Notebooks schema, Bear favors a Slack-like hashtag system that organizes relevant items by hashtag. One of the most immediate benefits of hashtag organization is that one note can be saved across multiple relevant hashtags. Notes in Bear can also be assigned an unlimited number of tags.

Another of Bear’s handiest features is the ability to link between notes. This might not sound that impressive but it’s amazing how few tools offer this functionality. (Google Docs still doesn’t do this after fourteen years!) Bear’s linking works similarly to adding a hyperlink to a text document. Best of all, there’s no limit on how many links you can add between notes.

In terms of pricing, Bear’s free version is solid. Almost all of Bear’s core functionality is available without purchasing a Pro subscription. The one feature you may be tempted to pay for is the ability to sync Bear across multiple devices. This feature is not available in Bear’s free version, nor are Bear’s custom themes and export options. Generally, though, Bear’s free version will probably be enough for casual users.

Now that we’ve taken a look at Bear, let’s summarize the pros and cons.

Bear: Pros

Bear is a quick, lightweight note-taking app that looks and feels great. Here’s what we really liked about it:

  • Clean, elegant UI
  • Great mobile functionality
  • Flexible hashtag organization
  • Fast, responsive search function
  • Linking between notes

Bear: Cons

No software product is without its faults. Here’s where we thought Bear fell short:

  • Only available for iOS/OS X; no Android or Windows versions available
  • No sharing/collaboration features
  • No password protection/encryption options
  • No notifications or reminders for timely tasks

If you’re an Apple user, Bear is a lightweight, capable note-taking tool that offers much of the functionality of Evernote without the bloat. But it’s a shame that Android and Windows users have been left out in the cold.

Evernote Alternative #2: Notion

Some people might argue that comparing Evernote to Notion isn’t really fair. After all, Evernote is primarily a note-taking app aimed at individuals, whereas Notion is an all-in-one workspace designed for teams.

Although this is true, it’s also fair to say that––for better or worse––Evernote has become much more than a note-taking app since it launched in 2004. It’s also fair to say that Notion has become one of Evernote’s greatest competitors.

Notion is built on the idea of Blocks. Everything in a Notion workspace is a Block. Paragraphs of text, images, embedded spreadsheets or calendars, to-do lists––all of these elements can be added to a single Notion “page” as individual Blocks that make up a workspace. This concept of Blocks is what makes Notion so powerful. A Notion workspace can be whatever you need it to be.

The biggest difference between Evernote and Notion is that Notion was built for teams from the outset. Evernote tried––and largely failed––to make the leap from a personal tool aimed at consumers to a collaborative tool aimed at teams. Notion, however, was designed with teams in mind. Notion’s collaboration features are very strong. Items can be shared with and assigned to team members. Notifications can be set to alert multiple users of pending meetings, deadlines, or urgent tasks. Changes made to one Block can cascade throughout workspaces. In this way, Notion is closer to tools like Airtable that utilize relational databases than a mere note-taking application.

For all its strengths, Notion has two fundamental weaknesses. The first is its flexibility. Although Notion can do pretty much whatever you want it to, that flexibility can make Notion intimidating to newcomers. Even creating a simple note brings up half a dozen potential templates to choose from. This makes Notion less than ideal for taking quick notes in a hurry. The second drawback is Notion’s speed. Notion is a very powerful tool. Unfortunately, this means that the tool as a whole can feel sluggish at times. This can feel especially painful on mobile.

Pricing-wise, Notion is reasonable. Notion’s free version is decent, but has a 1,000-block limit and an upload restriction of just 5MB. Notion is also available on Personal and Team plans, priced at $4 and $8 per month respectively. Notion also offers an Enterprise tier aimed at larger teams priced at $20 per user per month with a dedicated support manager.

Now let’s talk pros and cons.

Notion: Pros

We like Notion a lot. What does it get right?

  • Very reasonable pricing
  • Flexible, diverse toolset with broad functionality
  • Clean, minimal UI
  • Strong collaborative features

Notion: Cons

Notion is a capable tool but it isn’t perfect. Where could Notion improve?

  • Not ideal for taking quick notes on the fly
  • Learning curve can be steeper than that of comparable tools
  • Can feel sluggish at times, particularly on mobile

Evernote Alternative #3: OneNote

The third Evernote competitor we’ll be looking at is Microsoft’s OneNote, a deceptively capable note-taking app that can do a lot more besides.

OneNote is unique in that it looks like a classically Microsoft product but feels like a blend of Evernote and Notion. Open OneNote and you’re presented with an unmistakably Microsoft interface that looks very similar to Outlook and Office. However, that’s where the similarities end.

Once you get past the familiar toolbar navigation at the top of the screen, you’ll notice that OneNote uses a blended notebook/tab system as its primary organizational scheme. First you have Notebooks, which are listed in the left-most column. Each Notebook can be broken down into distinct Sections. Finally, each Section can have multiple Pages, which function similarly to Notion’s freeform workspaces.

This is a little more complex than OneNote’s old tab system, but it’s still easy enough to see where you are in your OneNote file system at a quick glance. You can also add tags to individual elements within OneNote to keep track of your stuff.

Once you drill down into OneNote’s workspaces, you’ll find they’re as flexible and powerful as Notion’s workspaces. Similarly to Notion, OneNote allows you to add many different elements to a workspace. You can add images (including handwritten notes), checklists, media files, and file attachments to OneNote’s spaces. In this regard, OneNote feels much closer to a real notebook than Notion does. OneNote also supports simultaneous editing by multiple users. There’s a little lag between user input and edits displaying in real time, but it’s hardly a dealbreaker.

Like Evernote’s popular Web Clipper, OneNote allows you to save content from virtually any page and store it in OneNote. You can clip a single image or entire webpage, including PDFs. Clipped items can be categorized, tagged, and stored like any other item. This makes OneNote a very capable tool for researchers and users working across a wide range of source material.

In terms of pricing, OneNote is unique in that the product itself is completely free. It doesn’t even have a premium or pro tier. Instead, storage in OneNote is connected directly to a user’s OneDrive account. This is a blessing and a curse. If you’re already using OneDrive, you’re probably already using OneNote, too. If you aren’t using OneDrive, though, switching to another cloud storage provider is quite an ask. OneNote allows you to export notes to virtually every major productivity tool including G Suite, but the connection to OneDrive is its biggest weakness.

Now, let’s see what OneNote gets right and where it could use some improvement.

OneNote: Pros

OneNote looks like a Microsoft product but doesn’t feel like one. Here’s what we liked about OneNote:

  • Smart, intuitive organizational structure
  • Powerful, flexible workspaces
  • Great for casual/quick note-taking
  • Solid collaboration and sharing functionality
  • Integrations with most major products and services
  • Completely free to use

OneNote: Cons

OneNote is a strong Evernote alternative, but it isn’t perfect. Here’s what disappointed us about OneNote:

  • No longer any dedicated desktop app; OneNote for Windows 10 is now the default OneNote experience in both Office 365 and Office 2019
  • Microsoft OneDrive account required
  • No advanced security options/two-factor authentication

Making the Switch from Evernote

Even ten years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine not just one, but several, software products threatening Evernote’s dominance. Evernote isn’t a bad product––it’s just not nearly as good as it used to be.

Fortunately for users, Evernote’s loss is their gain. There’s never been a better time to make the switch from Evernote to a competing tool. That said, there are some users who would probably benefit from sticking with Evernote. All three of the tools above make it easy to import notebooks and notes from Evernote. However, unless you urgently need any of the functionality Evernote lacks, it might be worth sticking with Evernote.

Evernote Alternatives for Note-Tracking : Evernote is a must have app for your mobile & desktop devices. Most of the business person including bloggers and students has to do many important tasks in the daily routine. Evernote is a great app for saving and organizing pretty much any and all things digital. Features for the basic free version include syncing across devices, messaging and sharing in the app, and easily saving notes as well as clips from the web. But here we are about to tell you the Best Evernote Alternatives that you must try for a new user experience for better features and change.Evernote can help you whether you are student, office-going professional or businessperson. There is one thing I’m hoping you infer from those two facts: that Evernote has been around for nearly a decade, so they have had some time to craft a well-made product and fix bugs and change with the times and demands of the consumer.If you don’t know about Evernote, it is a note-taking & organizing app for your business & personal needs. It is available for almost every popular operating system. It includes Microsoft Windows, OS X, Chrome OS, Android, iOS and much more. All note you take via Evernote can be easily synced to your different device. So you can take your notes on any device at any location. So let us process further and check the alternatives to Evernote.Contents
  • Best Evernote Alternatives for Note-Tracking
  • Microsoft One Note
  • Elephant
  • SimpleNote
  • Turtl
  • Together
  • Zoho Notebook
  • Quip
  • Google Keep
  • Alternote
  • Dropbox Paper
  • SOHO Notes
  • Microsoft One Note

    In the new world of Microsoft, every platform is an opportunity, and the company has made OneNote a universally accessible note-taking application. Based on the following platform and device list, OneNote is close to winning the comprehensive coverage award.OneNote has a perfectly intuitive user interface, and it syncs with the OneDrive service (which grants more free space than Apple’s iCloud).The benefit is good, if you are a Mac user (either for computers or for mobile devices) and think that you consequently won’t have access to this app, rest assured that Microsoft OneNote is free for all users.In the latest additions to this suite in OneNote, which is the same sort of organizer we’re talking about here: you can type, copy, paste, insert photos (and other multimedia) or even doodle in it like a whiteboard space.Alternative to evernote appMicrosoft One Note is available for almost all platform such as windows (desktop, tablet, phone), Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, cromebook.

    Elephant

    The elephant is a note taker with a classic interface you already know. Keep your notes to yourself. No accounts or clouds. For syncing use Dropbox, Github. No feature bloats or redesigns, ever. Elephant stores notes in plain files and folders. New versions will never offer weird functionality. There will never be a chat feature and it will never show stuff from Financial Times.READ ALSOTop 11 Cool Video Call Apps for Android In 2021 [Updated]It will help you to keep your notes to yourself. No accounts or clouds. For syncing use Dropbox, Github etc. Elephant stores notes in plain files and folders. No databases and no migrations. Notes can be plain text, styled RTF, markdown or HTML (HTML is read-only).It has a Cross-platform for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is built for longevity with a classic interface. New versions will never offer weird functionality. The Premium is free and has no ads of any kind.

    SimpleNote

    Think of Simplenote as the WhatsApp of

    Evernote Best Alternative App

    Evernote alternatives — in that Simplenote favors ease of use and a streamlined experience over any of the myriad of options or bells and whistles you may find in the other apps listed.SimpleNote is another simple and free note-taking app that is light on system resources. The app is very easy to use when compared to Evernote. You can use it on Android, iOS, MAC, Windows, Kindle Fire, Linux and as the web app. It’s instant searching and tag feature allows you to search your notes with ease. You can synchronize your note on various devices you use. The app is developed by “Automattic”, the company behind popular WordPress.com.

    Turtl

    Turtl lets you take notes, bookmark websites, and store documents for sensitive projects. From sharing passwords with your coworkers to tracking research on an article you’re writing, Turtl keeps it all safe from everyone but you and those you share with others and that too very easily.Turtl stores your info encrypted, unlike Evernote. Much more private and you can easily share boards of bookmarks & notes you can sync files & images its cross platform & freeAll data is stored in plain text files with wiki formatting. Various plugins provide additional functionality, like a task list manager, an equation editor, a tray icon, and support for version control.

    Together

    Best Alternative To Evernote 2020

    Together is another Evernote Alternatives note-taking app for MAC systems. It allows you to keep your data at one place. This data includes text, docs, images, videos, sounds, web pages, and bookmarks. It is a great app for those who both want to extend the usability of their devices and exercise a little personal choice in the software they install on their devices. Together takes the simple notes functionality and it adds useful features like multi-screen support and tabs.AppIt also organizes your data in groups, folders, tags and on the basis of rating. Your data will be available on other Apple devices with the use of iCloud.It is available for MAC, iPad, and iPhone.READ ALSOBest evernote alternative reddit10 Awesome Free Emoji Apps for Android Users in 2020Best alternative to evernote 2020Read Also:-10 Best Skype AlternativesRead Also:-10 best youTube Alternatives

    Zoho Notebook

    Zoho Notebook comes with the pretty clean interface. Note-taking will be more fun in this app. With it, notes can be taken in form of text, checklist, audio, and pictures. You can choose between 25 covers. The interface of the Notebook app is clutter-free as menus & buttons are at the minimum.It also supports Apple watch for audio note-taking. The checklist is its one of the coolest feature. Its built-in checklist card allows you to focus on your most important tasks. Where Evernote takes the fee for cloud-sync of their note, similar is provided for free by Zoho Notebook and the service is completely free.

    Quip

    The dark horse in this race is Quip, maker of a new collaboration suite that can be thought of as a pared down Microsoft Office or Google Docs. Quip goes far beyond note taking, with collaborative features across documents and spreadsheets. For syncing use Dropbox, Github. No feature bloats or redesigns, ever. Elephant stores notes in plain files and folders. The quip was quick to jump on the bandwagon to help disgruntled Evernote users. This import feature is only available in the web version. But once your notes are imported, you can access and use them across all devices and platforms. On that front, Quip does a very good job at device and platform support.

    Google Keep

    Google Keep is the note-taking app from Google. Some of its useful features include list creation, color coding notes, sharing, geofencing and more. You can also even search on the basis of colors. It also allows you to set reminders in notes. These reminders are accessible to Google Now app. One of the finest features in Google Keep is its ability to extract text from images. To do this, it uses Optical Character Technology. The Notes can be categorized on the basis of labels. It also supports Android Wear. It is available for Android, iOS, and Chrome OS.

    Alternote

    Alternote is not an Evernote alternative but an alternative Evernote client. It means you don’t have ditch Evernote as it uses Evernote’s backend and same data. You will use the same service from Evernote but with the refreshing interface.Some of its notable features include the clean & simple interface, built-in fonts, font’s size and more. as the name implies, does one thing well, which is the synchronization of plain text notes across devices. If you need rich media functionality, look to OneNote or Keep.It gives you features like tab, I mean, think of all the times you just want to copy a note from one file to another, but you can’t do that ever easily in Notes, because every time you switch from file to file, you go right to the beginning.READ ALSOTop 10 Best Selfie Apps for Android to Take Good Selfie

    Dropbox Paper

    Dropbox Paper is another best alternative to Evernote

    Alternatives To Evernote And Onenote

    that saves every key detail and document on the cloud, making accessing and sharing easier as you work with a team of professionals. Supported across all platforms, Web browser, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, etc., DropBox Paper is the best Evernote alternative that you can use to share ideas, chat with your peers, create documents, and keep your stuff centralized.It’s more functional than Doc or Evernote as you get to brainstorm and collaborate together in one place. Compile, edit, brainstorm, review designs, manage tasks, run meetings, or share blueprints of your project; anything is possible with dropbox paper. You can also sift and search through saved notes by integrating them with the calendar app and access them quickly date-wise.

    Best Evernote Alternative 2020

    SOHO Notes

    SOHO Notes is one of the best note-taking apps for MAC. It let you store text notes, PDF’s, voice recordings, videos, forms, images and web archives. Its widescreen view helps you to better work on the app. You can also filter-notes on the basis of tags assigned.

    You can also store bookmark or web archive of a web page in this app. Its interface is really cool. There are three types of views for navigating notes including List View, Cover View, and Icon View. Thus with its NoteLife app, syncing of notes including text, images, video etc. will be very easy. It will only sync to iOS. The app is not all about taking notes. It also provides you with useful features for organizing these notes. It organizes your notes in folders, sub-folders, labels, tags and database. It is one of the best apps for note-taking if you are a MAC and iOS user.In ConclusionIn Evernote, you can take notes in form of voice, photograph, web page and text Although Evernote is the best note-taking app in terms of features & usability but if you want to use any free note-taking app then you may consider this list of 11 Best Evernote Alternatives. As an Android and Mac user, I placed my main investigation there, but all of the following options have a decent level of coverage across iOS and Windows too.These apps I appreciated were because of the downloadable applications across devices, including both mobile and desktop devices. In short order, I was able to come up with four solid choices. Hope that you like reading. Please do not forget to comment below.

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