6 Better Evernote Alternatives For Taking Notes

Evernote has long been a favorite of office workers and students with built-in note taking and task management features, and a generous free data plan that allowed you to share notes across platforms. Unfortunately, Evernote has a poor free plan, device and download limits, and has had a lot of data leaks in recent years.

While Evernote is by far one of the best known productivity apps, it’s not the only option for users who need to stay organized. If you’re tired of Evernote, you have other options, so here are six of the best Evernote alternatives you can consider.

Google Keep

If you’re looking for a fast and free Evernote alternative for taking notes, start with Google Keep, free for all Google account users. While it can easily replace Evernote as a repository for quick thoughts and ideas, it lacks some of the premium features of Evernote.

However, this does not mean that Google Keep is not a good alternative. With Android and iOS apps and the Chrome extension, you can open, edit, and add new notes to Keep on multiple platforms. You can also access Keep from Google Docs apps like Slides, making it easy to import images and text notes.

You can also collaborate on notes with Google Keep, allowing you to share your ideas with other users. If you want to use Google Keep to organize your life, you can set reminders that will alert you to the content of the note as needed.

Google Keep has no storage limits, so you can keep as many notes as you like.

Microsoft OneNote

Unlike the simplistic note-style approach in Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote is a more serious competitor to Evernote. OneNote is free to use. UWP apps available for PC and Windows 10.

OneNote splits your thoughts into separate notebooks where you can save images, text, links, and more. The Web Clipper extension for Chrome allows you to save information from the Internet, and mobile apps allow you to take real-world snapshots with OCR features that convert images to text in OneNote notebooks.

OneNote works well with other Office applications, for example, allowing you to paste Excel formulas into a OneNote notebook. You can also integrate other services with OneNote, such as IFTTT for automation

If OneNote is for you, you can use the Microsoft Evernote to OneNote conversion to move your existing notes.

Simplenote

Services like Evernote and OneNote are focused on bringing together all forms of note-taking, including images and video content. The aptly named Simplenote has turned this approach upside down by offering a much simpler alternative to Evernote.

Simplenote only works with text, that is, no images or videos. This may not appeal to everyone, but the service also offers collaboration with other users, as well as the ability to post your notes publicly on the Internet. You can undo changes to your notes as well as format them with Markdown

Simplenote is available on all major platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Support for mobile devices is also included in the Android and iOS apps. There is also a web service that allows you to access your Simplenote notes on the web.

As we mentioned, this service isn’t for everyone, but with cross-platform support and easy-to-use collaboration features, Simplenote might be the Evernote alternative you’re looking for.

Zoho Notebook Strong>

Zoho Notebook is one of the more compelling cross-platform alternatives to Evernote. With Android and iOS apps and support for all major operating systems, Zoho Notebook can be easily customized to suit your needs.

You can format your notebooks with attractive covers, use a Google Keep-style card system with colored categories to organize your notes, and take advantage of a powerful tagging system to be able to easily search your notes.

Zoho Notebook offers enhanced security with support for Touch ID on iOS, as well as passwords on other devices. Like Simplenote, Zoho Notebook allows you to revert your notes to an older version as needed.

You can also integrate Zoho Notebook with other services like Zapier and Gmail, as well as other Zoho products.

Dropbox paper

As you would expect from one of the largest cloud providers, Dropbox Paper is a cross-platform service that can do just about anything. It has more advanced formatting features than some of its competitors, with the ability to create notes containing tables and images.

You can import content from other sources like YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram. Collaboration with other users is also encouraged to allow others to view and edit your Dropbox Paper notes. All of this is offered in a very easy-to-use interface, and all other Dropbox content is easily accessible from the menu on the left.

Dropbox Paper Docs can be customized to suit your needs. For example, if you are organizing a project, you can insert a timeline into your notes. You can also write code in Dropbox, and Dropbox Paper automatically converts the formatting to match your programming language of choice.

To use Dropbox Paper, you need a Dropbox account as it uses your free Dropbox space to store your notes. Free Dropbox Paper users can take advantage of 2GB of storage, but you can upgrade if you need more.

Apple Notes

While this is a macOS and iOS only option, Apple Notes is a good contender to be the best Evernote alternative for Apple device owners. This is the main application, so you should be able to find it automatically on your Apple devices.

Simple is the name of the Apple Notes game with basic text formatting options and the ability to sort information into tables. You can also use Notes to store images as well as scan documents or thumbnails using iOS devices.

Notes are stored in separate folders, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can search past notes using the search bar. If you want to protect your notes, you can add a password so no one can read them.

As we mentioned, Apple Notes is primarily intended for Apple users. If you’re on Windows or Linux, you can access Apple Notes from the iCloud website, but you’re better off with a Windows alternative like Google Keep.

Improve Productivity

These Evernote alternatives are a good place to start if you want to improve your overall productivity but want to leave Evernote behind. Services like OneNote and Dropbox Paper help you stay organized by keeping your thoughts and ideas in one place.

You can go even further with mobile productivity apps that let you work while you’re on the go. If you spend too much time on the Internet, consider using some of the best Chrome extensions to help you be more productive and stay focused.

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