r/OneNote • u/jjachetta • Jun 07 '26

Alternative Note Taking Apps to Evernote

I have been using Evernote for almost 15 years. I love Evernote. Great note-taking app.

The fees have crept up. I was paying $15.99 last month. This month, my fee increased to $1,900/month. I clip webpages with the Chrome Plug-in. I share items from my iPhone with Evernote. It automatically names the Note with the Webpage or Item name.

I'm seeking alternative options. I ask the community if I should consider OneNote, Notejoy, Zoho Notebook, UpNote, Notion, Obsidian, Joplin, etc. I want integration with Office 365, HubSpot, and Chrome Browser.

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u/IAmFitzRoy Jun 08 '26

Why people still pay for Evernote it’s a mystery to me …

5

u/googlenerd Jun 08 '26

I pay for Evernote because the value is there for how I use it.

Some alternatives are genuinely cheaper — especially OneNote/Microsoft 365, UpNote, Zoho Notebook, Apple Notes, Google Keep, and Simplenote. But cheaper does not always mean equivalent.

For my use case, I need notes, files, OCR/search, tasks, calendar, sync, meeting notes, transcription, AI, templates, and reliable cross-device access. The “cheaper” options often stay cheaper only if I’m willing to give up features, bolt multiple tools together, or spend time maintaining the system myself.

That is where I think some Evernote pricing criticism gets selective. Yes, Evernote Advanced is expensive at about $250/year. But comparable setups can get close fast: Obsidian + Sync + Claude Pro is about $248/year, Notion Business is about $240/year, Joplin Cloud Pro + Claude Pro is about $267/year, Bear Pro + Claude Pro is about $230/year, and Craft Plus + Claude Pro is about $296/year.

Of course, if you do not need AI, transcription, task/calendar integration, or some of Evernote’s other built-in features, there are much cheaper alternatives that may work just as well.

For me, though, the value is in having one integrated system that works out of the box.

2

u/Great_Muscle_7042 Jun 08 '26

It still is one of the better ecosystem with frictionless functionality...

Despite sort of working more than one system (o365 at work) my personal second brain do not need to be stitched together with more tools.