Evernote Reviews 611

Evernote is a good example of enshittification

Absolute nightmare to unsubscribe after raising prices X2 by forcing the advanced subscription and this is all done on purpose. Very disappointed by such commercial practices , After 15+ years using Evernote, I am out !

Without my permission - they jacked up my subscription from €99.99 per annum to €199.99. Gangsters!

Evernote is one of those rare tools that can genuinely change the way people work. In a market crowded with task managers, note apps, and project platforms, Evernote still stands out because it combines simplicity with depth. What makes it so powerful is not just that it stores notes, but that it helps transform scattered information into an organized, searchable system that supports real productivity.

At its core, Evernote is much more than a digital notebook. It is a central hub for ideas, tasks, documents, meeting notes, web clippings, and long-term planning. Instead of having information spread across different apps, browsers, emails, and paper notes, Evernote allows everything to live in one place. That alone is a major productivity advantage. When people know exactly where to capture and retrieve information, they waste less time searching and more time executing.

One of Evernote’s greatest strengths is how flexible it is. It works equally well for students, entrepreneurs, executives, writers, and teams. A student can use it to organize class notes and research. A business owner can manage meeting agendas, strategic plans, receipts, and operational checklists. A creator can store inspiration, outlines, and drafts. This adaptability is a major reason Evernote can be considered one of the best productivity tools available today: it molds itself to the user’s workflow instead of forcing the user into a rigid system.

Another reason Evernote is so effective is its capture capability. Productivity often depends on reducing friction between having an idea and saving it. Evernote makes that process fast. Users can type notes, scan documents, save web pages, attach files, and build structured notebooks that remain accessible across devices. That means an idea captured on a phone can later become part of a report on a laptop. This seamless continuity is extremely valuable in modern work, where people constantly switch contexts and devices.

The search function is another major productivity weapon. A tool becomes powerful not only when it stores information, but when it helps users retrieve it instantly. Evernote turns personal knowledge into an asset that can actually be used. Instead of wondering where a note, clipped article, or project outline was saved, users can search and find what they need quickly. That speed creates momentum, and momentum is one of the hidden drivers of productivity.

What also makes Evernote special is that it supports both short-term action and long-term thinking. Many productivity apps are excellent for tasks but weak for knowledge management. Others are good for storing information but poor for execution. Evernote sits in a strong middle ground. It can serve as a daily workspace while also functioning as a second brain for ideas, references, and plans accumulated over time.

In the end, Evernote’s real power comes from its ability to reduce chaos. It gives users clarity, structure, and control over their information. In an age of distraction, that is incredibly valuable. For anyone serious about working smarter, thinking more clearly, and building a reliable personal productivity system, Evernote remains one of the most powerful tools on the market and arguably the best productivity tool of the moment.

Predatory pricing escalation and a hostile deletion funnel under Bending Spoons

Long-time Evernote user. Here is my actual billing history straight from the account:
April 2023: $69.99
April 2024: $129.99
April 2025: $129.99
April 2026: $249.99

That is a 257% increase in three years for the same product. No new features justified it. The April 2026 charge hit my card on auto-renewal.

I was eventually able to register a deletion request through the Bending Spoons privacy portal, with a request ID on file. But no reasonable user should have to navigate this much friction to stop paying a company and have their data removed. The architecture is deliberately designed to wear people down until they give up and accept another year of charges.
If you are considering Evernote in 2026, understand that you are signing up for a subscription you will have to fight to leave. Joplin, Obsidian, and Notion all import Evernote data and do not treat their users like hostages.

Cancel before they bleed you dry.

I have used Evernote for over 13 years and loved the easy way I could make notes, capture webpages. Upgraded to the paid version that was even better and was allowed to use it for work even it is not our standard note taking app.
This year they increased the subscription by about £ 100 and the cheapest subscription didn't allow to make new. notes as I had more than 1000..... Paid £ 69.50 for an app that would only allow to amend exisiting notes.
Now I want to I do not want to renew my subscription (I paid for 1 year) but the only option I can find is account deletion!!
I've had enough now. Exported all my notes (took me weeks) and switched to Joplin, open source and free.
Update:
Managed to find the way to cancel my account (right hand bottom of manage account page) and received a full refund.
Still a shame that £ 69.50 you are not allowed to create new notes because you already have 8000...

I’ve just cancelled my Evernote plan. As an early adopter, I stayed loyal for years, but since Bending Spoons took over, the price has skyrocketed.
I only use it for personal notes, and the free tier has degraded to the point of being unusable. While I was happy to pay a fair price, the jump from £5.49 to £14.99 per month is excessive. Beyond the cost, the interface has become buggy, and the web clipper now feels messy and antiquated.
I’ve since migrated everything to Apple Notes. The process was surprisingly cathartic; it forced me to declutter my files and reminded me that better, free alternatives exist.
If you’re feeling undervalued as a long-term Evernote user, I highly recommend making the switch. It’s hard to stay loyal to a company that no longer prioritizes its incumbent clients.

TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE - AT FIRST ATTEMPTED TO TAKE £14,800.00 FROM OUR BUSINESS ACCOUNT WITH NO EXPLANATION BUT HAVE TAKEN £1380.00 INSTEAD WITH NO INVOICE OR REQUEST OR EXPLANATION
I HONESTLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT
I'VE TRIED TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE BUT THEY HAVE NO CONTACT NUMBER OR CONTACT EMAIL. THEY HAVE REQUESTED I PUT IN A MESSAGE ON A FORUM AND WAIT A FEW DAYS FOR THEM TO COME BACK TO ME. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS COMPANY

The app is lagging. They have increased their subscription dramatically for 2026. I've paid for the starter subscription, which allows for 3 items, but I can't access any of my items. I haven't been able to access my notes for the past week. This is unacceptable!!!

Continuous AI responses that don't address issue. Their cost structure does not match services and certainly not customer support, which is non existent. I have used for many years and stated I would not renew service. Got a "goodbye" message from AI.

I've been a user for 15+ years, and EN has seen its ups and downs, for sure. Bending Spoons has improved this app in so many ways - - they are deeply responsive to the needs of their users and they are sincerely making changes that make it easier and more essential to daily use. They can't please everyone, but they really want EN to be an indispensable tool for capturing information every way it could possibly comes in, and being able to find it, use it, share it, as reliably and easily as it can be made. I dearly love Evernote more than ever. It looks to me like the pricing is not out of line with other apps that offer as much. Granted it's a big leap, we've gotten used to 'cheap'. But EN is not cheap. It's worth it - to me.

I have now moved my entire workflow into Evernote. With the improvements made by Bending Spoons, I can now put all my tasks, all of my project management for both work and personal, and everything I capture that needs to saving into Evernote. I stuck through the updates and pricing changes, and it has been worth it. Evernote is a product that is continuing to evolve and, as a result, will continue to be a part of my daily functioning.

After using Evernote for over 10 years, it has proven to be capable of organizing all the aspects of my life. I was about to leave Evernote prior to Bending Spoons - Evernote was getting clunky and not doing all that I needed. That meant I was adding other tools for various functions. With the upgraded functionality provided with Bending Spoons, I removed those tools and now enjoy one very functional and efficient life-management system. While none of us like to pay more for anything, the Evernote increase is worth it for the added benefits and performance over legacy Evernote. I'm amazed at how many people are ok with paying $20 for AI tools [$240 per year] & maybe subscribe to more than one, but they think that $270 [estimated] at about $23 per month is way too much for Evernote! Yes, I have a paid AI subscription as well but I'd rather walk away from that than give up my Evernote if my budget gets tight. I'm retired and on a limited income, but I won't give up my Evernote!

Evernote's my trusted second brain for over 16 years. I've experienced both the highs and lows of the evolution of the company. Since Bending Spoons acquired the company in Nov 2022, the app has done a complete turnaround in terms of stability and feature development. I confidently use it as the hub from which I run my life and my small business. Can't live without it.

Evernote does not allow me to access my files one last time to export them before leaving the platform. It used a series of scams to prevent me from using my account. After 14 years, suddenly and without warning my free account was closed (they call it "limited" and offered no way to access my own information one last time without paying a horrendous fee 130 EUR!
After this experience which stretched over weeks now, one can only hope that Bending Spoons (which took it over a couple of years ago) will be sued by someone over these rather unethical practices, so that future users will not fall for this scam! I can imagine how many loyal users have had to pay for their trust in Evernote. What a shame, this used to be a respectable platform before Bending Spoons took over.

Utter garbage app. Multiple times I've lost data. They're annual subscription when from $59 to $249 and they charged me without authorization. Just use Apple notes.

I have been using Evernote since 2008 and it is still my go-to app for storing and retrieving information. Web Clipper does the job to capture info, and Search just works to retrieve any information hidden in hundreds of notes.

Tried signing up and they just send you round in circles throuygh the payment page again and again. Sort your shit out you idiots!

I’ve been a loyal Evernote user since 2014, using it purely for personal organisation — things like life admin, important documents, and general note-taking. I’m not a business user and don’t need the full range of premium features.

Up until now, I’ve been paying around £79.99 per year, which felt reasonable for my level of use. However, the new pricing structure feels completely disproportionate. The lower-tier plan limits you to just 20 notebooks, which is simply not enough for anyone who has been using the app for a number of years. It feels like this limit has been set deliberately low to force users into upgrading.

The next tier jumps to around £154 per year — nearly a 90% increase — which is a huge leap, especially for users like me who don’t need advanced features like unlimited storage or multiple devices. I just need a reasonable number of notebooks to organise my information.

What’s made this even more frustrating is the complete lack of customer support. I’ve raised support tickets and reached out via social media, referencing my case, and have had absolutely no response. As a long-standing paying customer, this makes me feel completely undervalued.

Overall, it feels like loyal, everyday users are being squeezed out unless they’re willing to pay for a business-level subscription they don’t actually need. Very disappointing experience.

I use this app daily to keep my notes, reminders, and just overall life straight. It is also my personal knowledge management system.