People look past Evernote when the free plan stops being usable, when they want to know who runs it and where the data sits, or when they want notes in files they control. They go to Notion for a hosted workspace, to Joplin or Obsidian for open formats, and to OneNote or Apple Notes for a bundled app.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Notion
Hosted workspace for notes, wikis and databases · United States
A hosted workspace where notes sit beside databases, wikis and projects. Notion's import help names Evernote: notebooks arrive as pages and notes as database items. It asks you to learn a block and database model, and the Free plan is the entry point to that model.
Switch from Evernote if you want notes, databases and team pages in one hosted workspace and will learn its structure.
Pricing: Free plan; Plus 9.50 euros and Business 19.50 euros per member per month in the euro view; AI agents free to try, then $10 per 1,000 Notion credits. (free plan)
Full review: #4 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Notion →
2. Joplin
Open source notes with Markdown, encryption and flexible sync · France
Open source, with notes kept in an open format. Joplin reads Evernote ENEX files with notebooks, tags, attachments and metadata, but drops the text recognition data from scanned images. Sync runs through Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or your own server, and it has a web clipper for Chrome and Firefox.
Switch from Evernote if you want an open source app with ENEX import, a web clipper and a choice of sync services.
Pricing: The apps are free; Joplin Cloud costs 2.99 euros per month (2.40 euros on yearly billing) for Basic, 5.99 euros for Pro and 9.99 euros for Pro 100 GB. (open source)
Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Joplin →
3. Obsidian
Local Markdown notes with links, plugins and optional sync · Canada
Notes are plain files in a folder on your device, and the app is free to use. A maintained importer plugin, published in Obsidian's own GitHub organisation, lists Evernote among its sources. Sync and Publish are separate paid services, and nothing on the pricing page we fetched mentions a calendar or task view like Evernote's.
Switch from Evernote if you want your archive as Markdown files you own and can open in any editor.
Pricing: Free to use; Sync is $4 per user per month billed annually ($5 monthly), Publish $8 per site per month annually, optional Commercial license $50 per user per year. (free plan)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Obsidian →
4. Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's notebook app with a free web edition · United States
A free web edition from Microsoft, built around notebooks, sections and pages on a freeform canvas. Obsidian's importer lists OneNote as a source, but we found no Evernote import on a Microsoft page we could fetch. It suits people who already live in Microsoft accounts and Office files.
Switch from Evernote if you already work in Microsoft accounts and want a freeform notebook without a separate subscription.
Pricing: The web edition is advertised as free; the paid parts come through Microsoft 365 plans, which we did not price here. (free plan)
Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Microsoft OneNote →
5. Apple Notes
Built-in notes for Mac, iPhone and iPad · United States
A bundled app with no separate subscription, syncing through iCloud. Its sync runs through iCloud, so it suits Apple devices first. The Apple pages we fetched did not describe an Evernote import or a web clipper, so check both before relying on it for an archive.
Switch from Evernote if every device you use is Apple hardware and you want no extra subscription.
Pricing: No separate price; storage runs through iCloud, which gives 5 GB free, with 50 GB at $0.99, 200 GB at $2.99 and 2 TB at $9.99 per month. (free plan)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Apple Notes →
6. Simplenote
Free, simple notes synced across every platform · United States
A plain, free note app from Automattic with tags, history and Markdown. Its help page says the desktop app imports Evernote ENEX files, as new notes, while the web app does not. The home page describes tags, history and sharing, and does not mention a clipper or scanning, so it fits plain text best.
Switch from Evernote if your notes are mostly short text and you want a free app with ENEX import in the desktop version.
Pricing: Free for the apps, backups, syncing and sharing. (free plan)
Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Simplenote →
7. Capacities
Object-based notes with daily notes, links and offline use · Germany
Notes are typed objects, such as people, books or meetings, linked into a graph. Its Basic plan lists full import and export, and Pro adds AI, tasks and calendar. The bulk importer takes Markdown, Word and HTML files, so an Evernote archive needs converting first. Media uploads are capped on Basic.
Switch from Evernote if you want typed, linked notes and will convert your archive to Markdown or HTML first.
Pricing: Basic is free; Pro lists at $9.99 per month; Believer from $12.49 per month. (free plan)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Capacities →
8. Anytype
Local-first, encrypted notes and objects · Switzerland
A local-first vault you hold the keys to, with peer-to-peer sync and optional self-hosting of the network. Its docs point Evernote users to a community converter on GitHub, not to a built-in importer. That is a project of the community, not a vendor feature, so test it on a copy first.
Switch from Evernote if you want an offline-first vault with your own keys and accept a community converter for the move.
Pricing: Free includes 100 MB of remote storage; Plus $4, Pro $8 and Ultra $16 per month as listed; Business plan with SSO is sold separately. (free plan)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Anytype →
9. Reflect
Open source Mac notes with daily notes and backlinks · United States
An open source Mac app with daily notes, backlinks and local Markdown files, synced through iCloud Drive or Git. The iPhone and iPad app is a separate paid subscription. AI needs your own API key. It has no Windows or Android app on the page we fetched, and no Evernote importer is named.
Switch from Evernote if you use a Mac and iPhone and want daily notes and backlinks in local files.
Pricing: Reflect Open is free on Mac; the iPhone and iPad app is a paid subscription priced in the App Store; AI needs your own API key. (open source)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Reflect →
10. WorkFlowy
Infinitely nested bullet list for notes and tasks · United States
One nested list instead of notebooks. All features are free, but the Basic tier is limited by a monthly count of nodes, and a note becomes a bullet. Nothing on the pages we fetched mentions an Evernote import. It replaces an outline habit, not a clipping archive.
Switch from Evernote if you think in outlines and your Evernote use is mostly lists and short thoughts.
Pricing: Basic is free with 100 nodes per month; Pro is $6.99 per month billed annually ($8.99 monthly) with unlimited nodes. (free plan)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit WorkFlowy →
11. Tana Outliner
Outliner built on supertags, nodes and AI · United States
A structured outliner that has moved toward AI meeting notes: the pricing page leads with transcripts, summaries and a botless agent for Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. It is a poor fit for storing a clipped web archive, and we found no Evernote import on its pages.
Switch from Evernote if your main use is meeting notes with AI summaries and you can leave the clipped archive behind.
Pricing: Free is $0 with 500 AI credits; Plus is $8 per month with 2,000 credits and Pro $14 per month with 5,000; yearly billing saves 22 percent. (free plan)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Tana Outliner →
Questions and answers
Can I export my notes from Evernote?
Yes. The terms state that your notes are yours and can be exported anytime, and the plan page lists export of notes and notebooks as PDFs. We could not fetch the help article on ENEX, but the Joplin, Simplenote and Obsidian importers all name Evernote export files as their input.
What happens to my notes if I close my Evernote account?
They are deleted. The terms say that once you close the account, your content is deleted automatically and can no longer be accessed or recovered by you or by Evernote. Export first, and cancel any paid subscription before you close.
Can I cancel Evernote at any time?
Yes. The commercial terms say you may cancel a paid service at any time, effective at the end of the current billing period and subject to the refund policy. A trial that converts to a paid plan must be cancelled before it ends to avoid the charge.
How much notice does Evernote give of a price increase?
It promises advance notice but states no number of days. The commercial terms say an increase does not apply until your current billing cycle ends, and you can choose not to renew before it takes effect.
Is there a free Evernote plan?
Yes, but it is small. The plan page lists Free with 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB of storage and sync to one device. Paid tiers are Starter, Advanced, Flexible and Unlimited, and the page we fetched did not show their prices.
Where does Evernote store my data?
In the United States. The terms say data is stored there, and that the service is provided by Bending Spoons, whose legal notice address is Via Nino Bonnet 10, 20154 Milan, Italy. For a different location, look at the self-hosted or local-first options in the table.
