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Evernote: What are the alternatives?

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MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
0
hey guys, just looking for a free alternative to evernote. i like it, but i don't like how it syncs all my notes to their own cloud service.

what else is out there? i was thinking of trying out 'onenote' from microsoft, but i don't know if it's on the Mac and it's not free obviously.

thanks
 
BrianBaughn

BrianBaughn

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2011
9,637
2,408
Baltimore, Maryland
If you want to sync between devices "through the air" you're either going to have to use a 3rd party like Evernote or create something that will sync back to your home computer, which will have to be "on"...like a Wordpress site.
 
M

MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
0
miles01110 said:
Google Docs, Dropbox + text documents, e-mail services...
Click to expand...

i've just been using libreoffice's word processor to type notes, but i want something else.

thanks

----------

i just don't want my personal information to be synced. i just want to be able to type notes and have it on my machine.
 
M

MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
0
i want a stand alone note taker that can create tabs -- so like Word, but with tabs so it's easier to manage my notes better.
 
ixodes

ixodes

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2012
4,429
3
Pacific Coast, USA
Im very familiar with lots of note taking apps, services, etc. You're going to have to compromise.

Because I have a lot of note taking needs for short notes, med notes, and full reports I use a variety of solutions.

I like my notes available across all my devices, as well as residing on my Macs for offline use, Simplenote is one good option. Paired with Notesy, an iPhone app & Notational Velocity a free Mac desktop app, it's one of my favorites.

You'll have to enroll in their free site to sync, yet backups from your computer are very easy.

Catch Notes is another.

As is Google Drive, formerly Google Docs.
 
miles01110

miles01110

macrumors Core
Jul 24, 2006
19,260
36
The Ivory Tower (I'm not coming down)
You've got plenty of suggestions in this thread on how to achieve what you want. I think it's time for you to decide for yourself what compromises you want to make in order to get what you want. Your comments in this thread make it pretty clear that nothing we suggest will be good enough for you.
 
M

MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
0
i just thought there'd be more options than just evernote? i just want something free that has tabs in it like a regular word processor that's also on Windows.
 
E

ezramoore

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2006
612
3
Washington State
MacNoobGuy said:
i just thought there'd be more options than just evernote? i just want something free that has tabs in it like a regular word processor that's also on Windows.
Click to expand...

I've got the solution!

Vi + DropBox.

Yes, they have both been mentioned, but they do fit the requirements precisely.

In all seriousness,

MacNoobGuy said:
hey guys, just looking for a free alternative to evernote. i like it, but i don't like how it syncs all my notes to their own cloud service.
Click to expand...

Someone already told you that you don't have to sync to the cloud service, instead use local notebooks. If you really are seeking help, and not just venting like people are beginning to suspect, why not post all of your requirements so we can actually help you.
 
M

MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
0
ok, here's my complete set of requirements and i'd appreciate any help:

i've just been using libreoffice's word processor, but all my notes are just all over the place. i was going to use Evernote, but i really don't like how i'm forced to create an account to sync stuff online. as i'll be saving my most personal info, i want it to be only saved to my local HDD.

i plan to save it to my HDD and then put it in a truecrypt container.

Notepad++ was perfect, but it's not on the Mac.

i want something with the following feature set:

- is similar to a word processor, but with tabs so i can store different notes to different subjects. (does open office/libre office have a feature like this?)
- only saves itself to my local HDD and has no syncing feature.
- preferably free
- runs on Mac and Windows

i hope this is clear.

thanks guys, appreciate any help.

ok i just found this, but i'm not familiar with any of these apps: http://alternativeto.net/software/wikidpad/?platform=mac
 
E

ezramoore

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2006
612
3
Washington State
MacNoobGuy said:
i was going to use Evernote, but i really don't like how i'm forced to create an account to sync stuff online.
Click to expand...

I don't know how many times you've been told this, but Evernote can create LOCAL NOTEBOOKS that are not synchronized online. Yes, you do have to create an account, NO none of your local notebook's notes will ever reside on their servers.

Is synchronizing across computers not a requirement for you?

If it isn't I would recommend TextWrangler (or for a more advanced user, BBEdit). Both are similar to Notepad++.
 
M

MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
0
like i said, i'm looking for an alternative to evernote. what else is out there that has the description i gave?
 
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