Evernote
4 alternatives — 4 easy
Why people leave Evernote
- Free tier severely limited to 50 notes
- Frequent pricing changes
- Performance degradation over the years
- Acquired by Bending Spoons with staff cuts
Comparison
| App | Difficulty | RAM | Docker | Mobile | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BookStack Simple wiki and documentation platform with a WYSIWYG editor. | easy | 0.5GB | — | Active | ||
| Joplin Open-source note-taking app with sync, encryption, and Markdown support. | easy | 0.25GB | iOS & Android | Active | ||
| Notesnook End-to-end encrypted note-taking app with cross-platform clients and an experimental self-hosted sync server. | easy | 0.25GB | — | iOS & Android | Active | |
| TriliumNext Notes Community-maintained continuation of Trilium Notes for hierarchical personal knowledge bases. | easy | 0.5GB | — | — | Active |
Detailed Look
BookStack Top Pick
Simple wiki and documentation platform with a WYSIWYG editor.
Pros
- + Very intuitive interface
- + Good permission system
- + WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- + Easy to set up
Cons
- - No real-time collaboration
- - Not designed for personal notes
- - Limited mobile experience
Joplin
Open-source note-taking app with sync, encryption, and Markdown support.
Pros
- + End-to-end encryption
- + Good mobile apps
- + Markdown support
- + Multiple sync backends
Cons
- - Sync server is separate from the app
- - Web clipper less reliable than Evernote
- - No real-time collaboration
Notesnook
End-to-end encrypted note-taking app with cross-platform clients and an experimental self-hosted sync server.
Pros
- + End-to-end encrypted with zero-knowledge architecture
- + Clean modern interface across all platforms
- + Rich text editor with Markdown support
- + Open-source clients and sync server
Cons
- - Self-hosting the sync server remains less polished than the hosted service
- - Some features require Pro subscription
- - No real-time collaboration
- - Smaller plugin ecosystem than alternatives
TriliumNext Notes
Community-maintained continuation of Trilium Notes for hierarchical personal knowledge bases.
Pros
- + Powerful note linking and organization
- + Built-in scripting for automation
- + Relation maps between notes
- + Web clipper available
Cons
- - Steep learning curve
- - UI is functional but not modern
- - Community continuation after the original project slowed
- - Single-user focused
- - Can feel overwhelming for simple note-taking
Can't decide? Compare BookStack, Joplin, Notesnook side by side →