You have a mountain of notes, scanned receipts, web articles you want to save, and a head full of ideas. Evernote has promised to be the solution for years. I tested it extensively – and honestly? It’s complicated. Because yes, the tool can do a lot. But is it still worth the price in 2025?
Evernote: the company
Evernote has been around since 2008 and was for years the flagship among note-taking apps. Founder Stepan Pachikov wanted to build an “external brain” – a place where you could literally save and find everything. And that worked pretty well. The app grew into a phenomenon with millions of users.
But recent years have been turbulent. Financial problems, changing CEOs, and in 2022 came the acquisition by Bending Spoons – an Italian company known for aggressive monetization. You felt that immediately. Prices shot up, the free version was drastically limited, and many users felt abandoned.
At the same time: the app has become more stable. Updates come more regularly, bugs are fixed faster. Evernote isn’t dead, but it has changed. Whether that’s in your favor? That depends on what you’re looking for.
Who is Evernote actually for?
Evernote is built for people who want to capture everything and forget nothing. Think of freelancers who want contracts, invoices, and project notes in one place. Or students who need to organize lectures, articles, and research materials. Business users who scan, clip, and search a lot appreciate the powerful search function.
But watch out: if you’re just starting with note-taking, Evernote is probably overkill. The learning curve isn’t huge, but there are simpler alternatives. And if you don’t have a budget? Then you can basically forget Evernote. With a limit of 50 notes in the free version, you won’t get anywhere.
Also not ideal: people who want local control over their data. Evernote is cloud-first, and while you can work offline, your files remain on their servers. For privacy purists, that’s a dealbreaker.
Evernote features
What exactly do you get when you choose Evernote? These are the features that matter:
That search function deserves some extra attention. Because where other apps only search titles and plain text, Evernote goes further. It searches in PDFs, images, audio recordings, and even in attachments. Type “invoice march” and you’ll find that scanned receipt from two months ago. That really saves time.
The Web Clipper also remains unbeatable after all these years. I’ve tried alternatives – Notion’s clipper, OneNote’s extension – but none work as reliably. Evernote removes the clutter and saves only what you need. For research or content creation, that’s a game changer.
Evernote pricing
And here’s where it gets painful. Evernote has three options: Free, Personal, and Professional.
The Free plan gives you a maximum of 50 notes, 1 notebook, and synchronization on only 1 device. You get 60MB uploads per month. That might sound okay, but in practice you’ll be through those 50 notes within a week if you use the tool seriously. This isn’t a free version – it’s a demo.
The Personal plan costs $ 14.99 per month, or $ 10.83 per month if you pay annually (that’s $ 129.99 per year). This gets you unlimited notes, 10GB uploads per month, offline access, and sync across all devices. For most users, this is the minimum.
The Professional plan costs $ 17.99 per month, or $ 14.17 per month with an annual subscription ($ 169.99 per year). You get 20GB uploads, AI search features, advanced export options, and integrations with Salesforce and Slack. Unless you’re really a power user, you don’t need this.
Honestly? Those prices are insanely high for what you get. Notion gives you much more functionality for less money. Obsidian is completely free. Microsoft OneNote too. Yes, Evernote has that superior OCR and Web Clipper, but does that justify $ 130 per year? For most people, no.
There is a 14-day trial period, so you can try it before you pay. But don’t expect a bargain.
What should you watch out for?
Let’s be honest about the problems. Because they exist.
First, that free version. 50 notes is a joke. That’s like selling a car with a tank that goes 3 miles. For beginning users, this feels like a trap – you invest time in the app, get used to it, and then you’re forced to upgrade. That’s not a freemium model, that’s a hostage situation.
Then the price. After the acquisition by Bending Spoons, costs increased by about 40%. Existing users were suddenly faced with significantly higher bills. No grandfathering, no leniency. Just: pay up or get lost. That cost a lot of goodwill.
The app itself also doesn’t feel as smooth as it used to. The desktop application is slow, especially at startup. Search is fast, but scrolling through your notes feels sluggish. The mobile app does better, but there too you notice the codebase is old. It doesn’t feel modern.
And then those constant upgrade prompts. Are you on the free version? Then you’re reminded of your limitations every time. Pop-ups, banners, notifications – it doesn’t stop. That’s annoying and feels cheap for a tool that positions itself as premium.
Also unfortunate: no more Linux support. The native app has been discontinued, so Linux users have to make do with the web version. That works, but isn’t ideal.
As far as innovation goes: there’s hardly any. Where competitors like Notion and Obsidian constantly roll out new features, Evernote feels like a tool resting on its laurels. The foundation is solid, but innovation? I don’t see it.
What do others think?
The sentiment around Evernote is mixed, and that’s putting it mildly. Many users still greatly appreciate the search function and OCR. That Web Clipper also gets a lot of praise – it remains the best way to save web pages. And the document scanner works reliably.
But the complaints are piling up. That 50-note limit in the free version is mentioned time and again as a dealbreaker. People feel misled. The price increase after the acquisition has driven away many users. On Reddit and Twitter you regularly see threads from disappointed fans switching to alternatives.
The sluggishness of the app also comes up often. Users complain that Evernote feels like software from 2015. And those non-removable upgrade prompts? They’re hated. Rightfully so.
What stands out: a lot of criticism comes from longtime users. People who have been loyal to Evernote for years, but now feel the company only cares about money. That’s a problem for a tool that relies on loyalty.
Evernote alternatives
Having doubts? These alternatives are worth considering:
Frequently asked questions
What are the limitations of the free Evernote plan?
The free plan is limited to a maximum of 50 notes and 1 notebook. You can only sync 1 device and upload a maximum of 60MB per month. That’s extremely little – for serious use you have to pay.
Is there still an official Evernote app for Linux?
No, support for the native Linux app has been discontinued. Linux users are stuck with the web version, which works fine but doesn’t feel as nice as a real desktop app.
Why have Evernote’s prices recently increased?
Since the acquisition by Bending Spoons, prices have been increased to improve infrastructure and develop new AI features. At least, that’s the official explanation. In practice, it mostly feels like aggressive monetization.
Conclusion
Evernote is a paradox. It has features you won’t find anywhere else – that OCR, that Web Clipper, that powerful search function. For those who scan a lot of documents and save web articles, it’s still a strong choice. But the price is too high, the free version is a joke, and the app feels outdated.
If you’re already paying for Evernote and satisfied, there’s no reason to stop. But if you have to choose now? Then there are better options. Notion gives you more for less money. Obsidian is free and more flexible. OneNote is also free and perfect if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Evernote feels like a tool that has seen its best days. It’s not bad, but also no longer the standard. And that’s a shame, because it had so much potential.
