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Alternatives in Note-taking

The best Evernote alternatives in 2026

Evernote's free plan now stops at 50 notes. These six alternatives offer more for free or less money — with storage, price and platforms checked on each vendor's site.

By Updated 7 apps fact-checked against vendor sources

The short answer

The best Evernote alternative for most people is Obsidian — free without limits, with notes stored as files you own. Notion is the best alternative for teams, Joplin for an open-source app with end-to-end encryption, OneNote for a free cloud notebook on every platform, and Apple Notes or Bear if you only use Apple devices.

  • Evernote's free plan is limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook and 1 device.
  • Evernote Starter costs $14.99/month or $99/year.
  • Obsidian, Joplin, OneNote and Apple Notes are free without a note limit.

The alternatives

  1. 1.

    Obsidian

    Best overall alternative

    Obsidian is free with no note limit, works offline and stores everything as Markdown, so you'll never face another plan change that locks your notes. Pair it with its Web Clipper to replace Evernote's clipper.

    Developer
    Obsidian
    First released
    2020
    Platforms
    Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
    Free plan
    YesThe app is free without limits, including commercial use. Sync and Publish are paid add-ons.
    Open source
    No
    • Sync Standard $4/mo
    • Sync Plus $8/mo
    • Publish $8/mo

    Checked against obsidian.md on Oct 6, 2026

    Stand-out features

    • Notes are plain Markdown files in a local folder you own
    • Bidirectional links and graph view
    • Canvas for visual boards
    • Thousands of community plugins and themes

    Limits to know

    • The app itself is closed source
    • Built-in cross-device sync costs extra
    • No real-time collaborative editing like Notion or Google Docs

    Full Obsidian fact sheet or visit obsidian.md

  2. 2.

    Notion

    Best for teams

    If you used Evernote for shared notebooks, Notion's shared pages and databases are the closest modern equivalent, free for individuals and $10 per member per month on Plus.

    Developer
    Notion Labs, Inc.
    Based in
    San Francisco, California, USA
    Platforms
    Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
    Free plan
    YesUnlimited for individuals; limited block trial for shared workspaces; 5 MB per upload; 7-day page history.
    Open source
    No
    • Plus $10/mo
    • Business $20/mo
    • Enterprise Not published

    Checked against notion.com on Oct 6, 2026

    Stand-out features

    • Block-based pages and relational databases
    • Notion Agent and AI Meeting Notes (Business and up)
    • Forms and published sites (Plus and up)
    • Web Clipper extension

    Limits to know

    • No Linux desktop app
    • Offline must be enabled per page; embeds and forms don't work offline
    • Free plan: 5 MB uploads, 7-day history

    Full Notion fact sheet or visit notion.com

  3. 3.

    Joplin

    Best open-source alternative

    Joplin is the most Evernote-like of the open-source apps — notebooks, tags, a web clipper — with optional end-to-end encryption and sync through your own cloud.

    Developer
    Laurent Cozic and the Joplin community
    Platforms
    Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
    Free plan
    YesFree and open source; sync free through your own Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3.
    Open source
    Yes
    • Joplin Cloud Basic €2.99/mo
    • Joplin Cloud Pro €5.99/mo

    Checked against joplinapp.org on Oct 6, 2026

    Stand-out features

    • Markdown and rich-text editors
    • Optional end-to-end encryption
    • Sync with Joplin Cloud or your own storage
    • Web clipper for Chrome and Firefox

    Limits to know

    • Cloud plans priced only in EUR
    • E2EE is off by default

    Full Joplin fact sheet or visit joplinapp.org

  4. 4.

    Microsoft OneNote

    Best free cloud notebook

    OneNote is free on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web, and it's the strongest choice if you write by hand.

    Developer
    Microsoft
    Based in
    Redmond, Washington, USA
    Platforms
    Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, Web
    Free plan
    YesThe app is free; storage comes from your OneDrive quota.
    Open source
    No
    • Microsoft 365 Personal $99.99/yr

    Checked against microsoft.com on Oct 6, 2026

    Stand-out features

    • Notebooks, sections and pages
    • Digital ink for handwriting and drawing
    • Copilot in OneNote (Microsoft 365)
    • Real-time collaboration

    Limits to know

    • Copilot requires a paid Microsoft 365 plan
    • No Linux app

    Full Microsoft OneNote fact sheet or visit microsoft.com

  5. 5.

    Apple Notes

    Best for iPhone and Mac users

    Apple Notes is free, fast and has absorbed most of Evernote's capture features: scanning, audio with transcripts, tags and Smart Folders.

    Developer
    Apple Inc.
    Based in
    Cupertino, California, USA
    Platforms
    macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Web
    Free plan
    YesFree; iCloud sync uses your iCloud storage.
    Open source
    No

    Free — no paid tiers.

    Checked against support.apple.com on Oct 6, 2026

    Stand-out features

    • Math Notes: solves expressions as you type
    • Audio recording with live transcripts
    • Document scanning
    • Tags and Smart Folders

    Limits to know

    • No Windows or Android app
    • Not end-to-end encrypted by default

    Full Apple Notes fact sheet or visit support.apple.com

  6. 6.

    Bear

    Best writing app on Apple

    Bear is a Markdown editor for Mac and iPhone; Pro costs $29.99 a year — less than a third of Evernote Starter's annual price.

    Developer
    Shiny Frog
    Platforms
    macOS, iOS, iPadOS
    Free plan
    YesNotes stay on one device (no sync); basic export formats.
    Open source
    No
    • Bear Pro $2.99/mo

    Checked against bear.app on Oct 6, 2026

    Stand-out features

    • Markdown editor with tables and to-dos
    • iCloud sync (Pro)
    • Per-note encryption (Pro)
    • OCR search (Pro)

    Limits to know

    • Apple-only
    • Sync needs Pro
    • Forgotten note passwords can't be recovered

    Full Bear fact sheet or visit bear.app

Comparison table

The best Evernote alternatives in 2026. Facts verified against each vendor's own pages on Oct 6, 2026.
App Best for Free plan Paid from Platforms Open source
Obsidian Best overall alternative Yes $4/mo Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android No
Notion Best for teams Yes $10/mo Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web No
Joplin Best open-source alternative Yes €2.99/mo Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Yes
Microsoft OneNote Best free cloud notebook Yes $99.99/yr Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web No
Apple Notes Best for iPhone and Mac users Yes Free macOS, iOS, Web No
Bear Best writing app on Apple Yes $2.99/mo macOS, iOS No

What changed at Evernote

Evernote, owned by Bending Spoons since January 2023, retired its Personal and Professional plans and introduced Starter ($14.99 a month or $99 a year) and Advanced ($24.99 a month or $249.99 a year). The free plan now stops at 50 notes and one synced device.

How to choose

  • Want to stop worrying about plan changes? Pick a local-first app: Obsidian or Joplin.
  • Need to share notebooks with others? Notion or OneNote.
  • Apple-only? Apple Notes is free; Bear is the nicer writing experience.

Frequently asked questions

Why are people leaving Evernote?

Mostly price and limits. Evernote's free plan now allows 50 notes, one notebook and one synced device, and paid plans start at $14.99 a month after the Personal and Professional plans were retired.

What is the best free Evernote alternative?

Obsidian for most people, Joplin if you want open source with encryption, and OneNote if you want a free cloud notebook on every platform.

Can I still export my Evernote notes?

Yes. Evernote says that when you hit a plan limit you can still view, edit, share and export existing notes.

Sources & methodology

Every price, plan limit and platform on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing, download, security or help pages, checked on the date shown next to each app. We don't publish benchmark scores we haven't measured. Read the full methodology.

Update history

  • : First published.

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