Evernote

What is Evernote?

Evernote is a pioneering note-taking and organization application that has helped millions of users capture, organize, and find information since 2008. Created by Stepan Pachikov and Phil Libin, Evernote introduced the concept of a “second brain”—a digital repository where users can store notes, documents, images, web clippings, and audio recordings, all searchable and synchronized across devices. With its powerful organizational system of notebooks, tags, and search capabilities, Evernote transforms the chaos of information overload into an organized, accessible knowledge base.

What distinguishes Evernote from basic note apps is its comprehensive approach to information capture and retrieval. The application can recognize and search text within images and PDFs (OCR), clip entire web pages or selections, scan and digitize documents, and link related notes together. Whether you’re a student organizing research, a professional managing projects, or anyone wanting to capture and recall information effectively, Evernote provides the tools to never lose an important thought or document again.

Key Features

• Universal Capture: Create notes with text, images, audio, sketches, PDFs, and file attachments
• Web Clipper: Save web pages, articles, or selections directly to Evernote from any browser
• Powerful Search: Find anything instantly, including text within images and handwritten notes
• Notebooks and Tags: Organize notes into notebooks and apply multiple tags for flexible categorization
• Document Scanning: Use phone camera to scan documents, business cards, and handwritten notes
• Note Links: Create connections between related notes for building knowledge networks
• Templates: Start notes from templates for meetings, projects, journals, and more
• Tasks: Create to-dos within notes with due dates, reminders, and flags
• Sync Across Devices: Access notes from desktop, web, and mobile with instant synchronization
• Sharing and Collaboration: Share individual notes or entire notebooks with others

What’s New in Evernote 2025

• AI Note Cleanup: Automatically organize and format messy notes with AI assistance
• AI Search: Ask natural language questions to find information across your notes
• Enhanced Editor: Improved rich text editing with better formatting controls and tables
• Home Dashboard: Customizable dashboard showing recent notes, scratch pad, and pinned content
• Calendar Integration: See calendar events alongside notes with meeting note creation
• Improved Tasks: Better task management with views, filters, and Google Calendar sync
• Performance Improvements: Faster sync, search, and overall application responsiveness
• Updated Mobile Apps: Redesigned iOS and Android apps with improved offline access

System Requirements

Windows

• Operating System: Windows 10 version 1903 or later
• Processor: 1 GHz or faster
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Storage: 500 MB for application plus space for notes

macOS

• Operating System: macOS 10.14 Mojave or later
• Processor: Intel or Apple Silicon (native M1/M2/M3 support)
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Storage: 500 MB for application

Mobile

• iOS: iOS 15.0 or later
• Android: Android 10 or later
• Features: Full note creation, camera scanning, offline access

How to Install Evernote

1. Create Account: Visit evernote.com and sign up with email or Google account. Free accounts include basic features with device limits.
2. Download Desktop App (Windows): Visit evernote.com/download or download from Microsoft Store. Run the installer and sign in with your account.
3. Download Desktop App (macOS): Download from evernote.com/download or Mac App Store. Drag to Applications and launch to sign in.
4. Install Web Clipper: Essential browser extension for capturing web content:

   # Web Clipper Installation
   # Visit evernote.com/features/webclipper
   
   # Available for:
   # - Google Chrome
   # - Mozilla Firefox  
   # - Microsoft Edge
   # - Safari
   # - Opera
   
   # Features:
   # - Clip full pages or selections
   # - Add tags and notebook selection
   # - Screenshot capture
   # - Simplified article view

5. Install Mobile Apps: Download from App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Sign in to sync notes across all devices.
6. Configure Sync: In settings, configure sync preferences, default notebook, and offline notebook access for mobile devices.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Excellent search including OCR text recognition in images
• Web Clipper is the best browser extension for saving web content
• Mature, proven platform with years of development
• Powerful organization with notebooks, stacks, and tags
• Document scanning creates searchable digital archives
• Cross-platform availability with consistent experience
• Templates accelerate common note-taking scenarios
• Task management integrated directly into notes
• Business and team features for collaborative knowledge management
• Large attachment support (up to 200MB per note on Premium)

Cons

• Free tier limited to 2 devices only
• Premium pricing higher than some competitors
• Recent years brought controversial changes and instability
• No end-to-end encryption for note content
• Offline access limited on free tier
• Performance can lag with very large note databases

Evernote vs Alternatives

Who Should Use Evernote?

Evernote is ideal for users who need powerful information capture and retrieval:

• Researchers: Clip web sources, organize by project, and find everything through powerful search
• Professionals: Capture meeting notes, scan business cards, and maintain project archives
• Writers: Collect research, store drafts, and organize reference materials
• Students: Organize course materials, clip resources, and create study notes
• Frequent Web Users: Best-in-class web clipper saves articles, recipes, and references
• Document Managers: Scan and digitize paper documents with searchable OCR

Consider alternatives if: You want a free option without device limits (OneNote, Apple Notes), you need database and workspace features (Notion), you prefer local-first storage (Obsidian), or you’re fully in the Apple ecosystem (Apple Notes).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Evernote still worth using in 2025?

Yes, Evernote remains a capable note-taking platform, especially for information capture and search. Recent updates have improved performance and added AI features. However, competition has increased, so evaluate whether features justify the price versus free alternatives.

What happened to Evernote’s free plan?

Evernote’s free tier is now limited to 2 devices, 60MB monthly uploads, and 25MB note size. Previously more generous, these restrictions push heavy users toward paid plans. Light users on few devices can still use free tier effectively.

Can I export my Evernote notes?

Yes, Evernote allows exporting notes individually or in bulk as ENEX files (Evernote’s XML format) or HTML. Most competing apps can import ENEX files. You maintain ownership of your data and can migrate to other platforms.

Is Evernote secure?

Evernote uses encryption in transit and at rest on their servers, but notes are not end-to-end encrypted—Evernote can technically access your content. For sensitive information, use Evernote’s note encryption feature for specific text sections, or consider alternatives with E2E encryption.

How does Evernote search work?

Evernote’s search indexes all note text, attachment contents, and even text within images (OCR). Use operators like “notebook:”, “tag:”, “created:”, and quotation marks for phrases. Premium users get search inside PDFs and Office documents.

Final Verdict

Evernote pioneered the digital note-taking category and remains a capable platform for information capture and organization. Its search capabilities, particularly OCR recognition in images, remain industry-leading. The Web Clipper continues to be the best tool for saving web content, and the organizational system of notebooks and tags handles complex information architectures well.

However, the competitive landscape has changed dramatically. Free alternatives offer more generous limits, Notion provides greater flexibility, and specialized tools excel in specific areas. Evernote’s value proposition depends on how much you rely on its unique strengths—particularly web clipping, OCR search, and document scanning. For users who leverage these features extensively, Evernote delivers capabilities that justify its premium pricing.