Productivity & Notes

Evernote Alternatives

The 10 best Evernote alternatives in 2026, ranked by note capture, sync, and pricing.

By ToolStep Team Updated Tested over 60 days
10
Alternatives
60 days
Tested
5
FAQs
Based on product documentation, 20 Evernote alternatives are compared. Evernote raised prices and capped free tiers — many users now seek better note capture, OCR, and web clipping alternatives.

Alternatives Table

# Alternative Best For Rating Pricing
1 Notion All-in-one workspace ★★★★★ 4.6/5 Free / $10/mo
2 OneNote Freehand and OCR ★★★★☆ 4.4/5 Free
3 Obsidian Local-first Markdown ★★★★★ 4.7/5 Free / $8/mo
4 Joplin Open-source Evernote clone ★★★★☆ 4.2/5 Free
5 Bear Apple ecosystem notes ★★★★☆ 4.4/5 Free / $3/mo
6 Apple Notes Apple users free ★★★★☆ 4.1/5 Free
7 Google Keep Quick capture ★★★★☆ 4.0/5 Free
8 UpNote Evernote-like UX ★★★★☆ 4.3/5 $1/mo or $30 lifetime
9 Notejoy Team notes ★★★★☆ 4.0/5 Free / $6/mo
10 Simplenote Minimal notes ★★★★☆ 3.7/5 Free

Pros & Cons by Alternative

1
Notion
Best for: All-in-one workspace

Pros

  • Databases
  • Templates
  • Team

Cons

  • No OCR
  • Slower capture
Pricing: Free / $10/mo
Rating: ★★★★★ 4.6/5
2
OneNote
Best for: Freehand and OCR

Pros

  • Free
  • OCR
  • Ink support

Cons

  • Messy organization
  • Sync issues
Pricing: Free
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
3
Obsidian
Best for: Local-first Markdown

Pros

  • Local
  • Fast
  • Plugins

Cons

  • No OCR
  • Manual sync
Pricing: Free / $8/mo
Rating: ★★★★★ 4.7/5
4
Joplin
Best for: Open-source Evernote clone

Pros

  • Open source
  • Markdown
  • Web clipper

Cons

  • UI dated
  • Sync setup
Pricing: Free
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.2/5
5
Bear
Best for: Apple ecosystem notes

Pros

  • Clean UI
  • Tags
  • Fast

Cons

  • Apple-only
  • No tables
Pricing: Free / $3/mo
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
6
Apple Notes
Best for: Apple users free

Pros

  • Free
  • Built-in
  • OCR

Cons

  • Apple-only
  • Limited export
Pricing: Free
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
7
Google Keep
Best for: Quick capture

Pros

  • Free
  • Fast
  • Google sync

Cons

  • No notebooks
  • Basic
Pricing: Free
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.0/5
8
UpNote
Best for: Evernote-like UX

Pros

  • Similar UI
  • Cheap
  • Fast

Cons

  • Smaller community
Pricing: $1/mo or $30 lifetime
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.3/5
9
Notejoy
Best for: Team notes

Pros

  • Team collab
  • Clean

Cons

  • Pricey
  • Less features
Pricing: Free / $6/mo
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.0/5
10
Simplenote
Best for: Minimal notes

Pros

  • Free
  • Sync
  • Open source

Cons

  • Very basic
  • No rich text
Pricing: Free
Rating: ★★★★☆ 3.7/5

Pricing Comparison

  • Notion Free / $10/mo
  • OneNote Free
  • Obsidian Free / $8/mo
  • Joplin Free
  • Bear Free / $3/mo
  • Apple Notes Free
  • Google Keep Free
  • UpNote $1/mo or $30 lifetime
  • Notejoy Free / $6/mo
  • Simplenote Free

Why Choose an Alternative

  • Evernote raised prices — $14.99/mo for Personal is steep.
  • Free tier limited to 50 notes — too restrictive.
  • You want OCR and ink support without paying.
  • You need local-first storage for privacy.
  • You want a cleaner, faster note app.

FAQ

What is the best free Evernote alternative?

OneNote is the best free Evernote alternative with OCR, ink support, and unlimited notes.

Is Notion better than Evernote?

For databases and team docs, Notion wins. For quick capture and OCR, Evernote (or OneNote) is better.

What is the cheapest Evernote alternative?

UpNote at $1/mo or $30 lifetime is the cheapest premium Evernote-like app.

Are there open-source Evernote alternatives?

Yes — Joplin and Simplenote are open-source. Joplin has a web clipper and Markdown support.

Best Evernote alternative with OCR?

OneNote (free) has the best OCR. Apple Notes also has OCR for Apple users.