5 Evernote Alternatives for Note-Taking Productivity

Many people use Evernote as their one-stop-shop for note-taking, list-making and productivity. The app allows users to organize their notes, attach photos, collaborate with others and clip content directly from the internet among many, many other things. Though Evernote works for a lot of people, it’s not for everyone — after all, no app is universally useful. Luckily, an Evernote alternative is lurking in multiple corners of app stores.

Whether you need something complex, simple or collaborative, there’s a note-taking app for you. Some alternatives share pretty much all of their features with Evernote, while others bring exciting new ideas to the table.

Organized, productive note-taking helps people get everything done. Whether you’re a student, an employee or a creative visionary overflowing with ideas, you deserve a note-taking method that works for you, even if it’s not Evernote.

Notes on Evernote

Evernote is a wildly popular app that works across mobile and desktop platforms. It’s one of the best apps for productivity rushes and it gives you easy note-taking features like web clipping and tools for organization. However, it doesn’t cover everything note-takers may need, personally or professionally.

One of the main things you may be wondering about is the price — is Evernote free? The answer is sort of. There’s a free trial, but it has its limits. You can only sync data across a couple of platforms and you don’t get much storage.

Users will find limited collaboration abilities, too. You can’t work with someone else, or a team, on your notes. Sharing is the extent of Evernote’s collaboration. If you need task management tools, Evernote only has checklists. Then, the pricing for higher tiers can add up and may not be worth it, especially if you need to improve productivity and or use collaboration tools.

Instead, when looking for an Evernote alternative, you should keep an eye on collaboration, productivity, user interface, syncing and integrations. Here are five alternatives to Evernote you can try for yourself.

1. Microsoft OneNote

Like Evernote, OneNote allows users to take and organize notes, make lists, attach media and web content and collaborate on notes with others in real-time. Add voice and audio memos alongside handwritten or typed notes.

One of OneNote’s best features is its ability to work across unlimited devices, mobile or desktop. Your team can add comments on each note and you can use the array of shortcuts to share content quickly. Plus, the platform encrypts all your notes before you send them to ensure you have the best privacy and security.

Since OneNote is available on mobile devices, it’s an excellent productivity app for iPhone as well as one for productive Android users and note-takers. No matter what platform you’re using, you’ll always have your notes on hand. The best part about OneNote is that you can download it for free once you log into your Microsoft account.

2. Quip

In a nutshell, Quip does it all. It’s a note-taking app that pulls together organization and the needs of an entire digital workplace, from account planning to sales.

Quip differs from Evernote in that, in addition to documents, it’s made to work with slides and spreadsheets, as well. It allows you to organize your work in files and folders, which you can share with collaborators. Move, embed, work in offline mode and see all the version changes and history.

It also has a built-in chat feature, which makes teamwork a breeze. Team members can comment on any note and create chatrooms.

Though Quip isn’t free, you can test out all the features in a free trial. If you need an app for your company or team, Quip might be worth trying. The beginning deal is $10 per month, which gives you plenty of the best features right from the start.

3. Google Keep

As part of the ever-expanding Google universe, Google Keep covers all your note-taking needs. If you need an app to help you keep track of your daily tasks and ideas, Keep might be the perfect note-taking app for you. It allows you to add notes, lists, pictures and voice memos, just like Evernote.

Keep is simple, straight-forward and has an excellent user interface. Instead of multiple layers of notebooks with Evernote, Keep stores your notes as colorful cards so you can easily find what you’re looking for. The interface resembles a bulletin board, making it perfect for visual thinkers.

Use labels, audio clips, voice notes and rich text or coding, reminders and to-do lists to create your ideal note-taking platform. Though, if you’re looking for an emphasis on collaboration, Keep isn’t as forthright as the others on this list.

Keep also syncs across all your devices and can run offline and online, so it’s an excellent app for Chromebook users. You can add the extension to your Chrome browser as well.

4. Simplenote

For people overwhelmed by Evernote’s sophisticated user interface, Simplenote feels like a breath of fresh air. The app allows users to save and tag notes, lists and reminders all within a delightfully simple UI. Its search feature allows you to find what you’re looking for without a hassle, and it backs up data across devices. It even saves older versions of your notes in case you make a change you don’t like.

As Simplenote syncs everything in real-time, use tags on your notes for extra organization. Then, collaborate with your team by sharing public notes.

Simplenote puts an emphasis on the “simple.” As one of the best alternatives to Evernote, this platform gets the point. It’s powerful and straightforward, with all the tools you’ll ever need.

Here’s the best part — it’s free. Download it for your iOS, Android, Mac, Windows or Linux devices, as well as your browser! Simplenote is there for all your needs.

5. Nimbus Note

When people recommend an Evernote alternative, they usually talk about Nimbus, and for good reason — Nimbus is basically Evernote with a few small tweaks. It allows you to organize content using folders and subfolders, as well as tags and color-coding. It works across all platforms and even has its own Web Clipper feature like Evernote.

You’ll be able to create notes, documents, spreadsheets and even wikis. Add tasks and lists, tables and clips of anything. Then, when you’re ready to collaborate, you can easily your notes with your team. However, though Nimbus does allow you to share notes and collaborate, you won’t be able to work simultaneously.

Checking it out could still be worth your while, though, especially since a free version is available. As far as applications like Evernote go, Nimbus is one of the strongest contenders. The free version is great for personal use, and Nimbus offers higher tiers for teams and companies as well.

Evernote Alternative for Taking Notes

Keeping your thoughts and ideas organized helps you make the most of your time. An Evernote alternative may be the key. Though you can certainly carry an old-fashioned notebook and pen with you, adding one or two high-tech note-taking apps to your toolkit may boost your productivity.

Find the note-taking method that works best for you by trying some of these five Evernote replacement options. Whatever you choose, you’re sure to feel more organized.