Evernote alternative

[Alvinc]

1) The ability to export notes in a format other than PDF.
2) Bear actually has a web clipper; Apple Notes simply puts a link preview in your note. That does not provide for when the webpage no longer exists. Many times, I use Bear as a vehicle for copying off a webpage when I want it to land in my file system and not remain in Bear.

1/ HTML, Textbundle, plain text... in bulk not one by one. Mac's export is more comprehensive.

3/ Search is much better than Apple Notes:

a) Not all notes shown in the result. Workarounds can be typing " in front of the keywords (more notes can be found), or reset Siri & Search.
b) Notes with keywords matching the title will not be necessarily shown on top.

4/ Better note links and backlinks, and there is a way to return to the previous note you access.

5/ Highlights with more colour coming soon!

6/ No AI

7/ Widgets like random widget will remind you there are some notes long time ago so you will not ignore and forget them.

8/ On Apple Notes, folders are not so useful but they have smart folders. On Bear there are no smart tags, but on a note with a tag you can tap the tag to access other notes with the same tag. On Apple Notes you can open a folder in a note.

As I have a MacBook Air 2018 which will not receive MacOS 15 update, which means I will not enjoy new features on my Apple Notes on one of the devices. Considering switching to Bear or having workarounds like writing longform articles on iA Writer.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

I wish it natively supported WordStar documents.

Given that only one person on the planet still uses WordStar, there probably isn't the market for that feature...

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

you use RPi 5 a your computer? or you store it on RPi5 and remotely access it?

I use my RPi 5 as a normal computer (currently running Ubuntu Desktop Noble Numbat with Cinnamon Desktop), and replying to this post on it.

I use my RPi 4 as a NAS, with several external HDDs for storage. All my working documents are stored on that, accessed via NFS, AppleTalk or SAMBA, depending on the client, and backed up to MEGA cloud storage.
I can read and write files to/from the NAS at up to 100 Mbytes/s.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Given that only one person on the planet still uses WordStar, there probably isn't the market for that feature...

Sci-fi writer and WordStar lover re-releases the cult DOS app for free

“Compared to it, Microsoft Word is pure madness”—Anne Rice.

arstechnica.com

beware: the rabbit hole here is **very** deep…

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

Ok, the last time I used WordStar professionally, it was only WS 3.6, and under CP/M. However, like all those early users, I still have all the important keystrokes burnt into my brain.

I did try using it under a CP/M emulator a year or so ago, and decided that, like bumping into an old flame, it would be better if we never had any contact with each other, again, ever.

 

[MacBH928]

I use my RPi 5 as a normal computer (currently running Ubuntu Desktop Noble Numbat with Cinnamon Desktop), and replying to this post on it.

I use my RPi 4 as a NAS, with several external HDDs for storage. All my working documents are stored on that, accessed via NFS, AppleTalk or SAMBA, depending on the client, and backed up to MEGA cloud storage.
I can read and write files to/from the NAS at up to 100 Mbytes/s.

interesting setup...

 

[it wasnt me]

Given that only one person on the planet still uses WordStar, there probably isn't the market for that feature...

Make it two. Or probably three, if you count the superb WordTsar.

I ended up writing my own converter a while ago:

WordStar to Markdown converter: Top-level Files of tip

Still annoying that pandoc can't.

 

[karatekidk]

Glad I found this thread because I just cancelled my subscription today because the email I received from Evernote a few days ago said that the price would go up to $129.99 (from $49.99) for the next cycle. To me, just too much.

However, their "web clipper" has been awesome, and I have been using Evernote just for it. My apologies for not thoroughly reviewing the thread, but if anyone of you here knows there is any good alternative, please let me know.

Thank you.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Glad I found this thread because I just cancelled my subscription today because the email I received from Evernote a few days ago said that the price would go up to $129.99 (from $49.99) for the next cycle. To me, just too much.

However, their "web clipper" has been awesome, and I have been using Evernote just for it. My apologies for not thoroughly reviewing the thread, but if anyone of you here knows there is any good alternative, please let me know.

Thank you.

I’ve done a lot of research in this area and one capability that Evernote has that most people don’t see is that Evernote can actually be used as a document management system and not merely as a notes app. There are existing Evernote users who have reached the 100,000 document limit and Evernote has recently increased that limit to 150,000 documents.

I don’t know if you need such an additional capability.

There really aren’t many alternatives on the Mac side; you might try DevonThink or EagleFiler. They’re expensive, but they are one time purchases.

DevonThink and EagleFiler both have web clipper capability. I had heard previously that Evernote Web clipper had 40 engineers assigned to it in the past.

I would not use DevonThink for editing; I would set it up to use an external editor of your choice. On the other hand, EagleFiler’s editing capability is adequate. EagleFiler is still Intel only; Apple Silicon is planned for Version 2, when it comes out is anybody’s guess.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I’ve done a lot of research in this area and one capability that Evernote has that most people don’t see is that Evernote can actually be used as a document management system and not merely as a notes app. There are existing Evernote users who have reached the 100,000 document limit and Evernote has recently increased that limit to 150,000 documents.

I don’t know if you need such an additional capability.

There really aren’t many alternatives on the Mac side; you might try DevonThink or EagleFiler. They’re expensive, but they are one time purchases.

DevonThink and EagleFiler both have web clipper capability. I had heard previously that Evernote Web clipper had 40 engineers assigned to it in the past.

I would not use DevonThink for editing; I would set it up to use an external editor of your choice. On the other hand, EagleFiler’s editing capability is adequate. EagleFiler is still Intel only; Apple Silicon is planned for Version 2, when it comes out is anybody’s guess.

Ha! DevonThink as a one-time purchase is practlcally the same cost as one year of Evernote these days. So...

And when I was Apple only, I used DevonThink for editing. You can use an CSS file to improve the experience.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Ha! DevonThink as a one-time purchase is practlcally the same cost as one year of Evernote these days. So...

And when I was Apple only, I used DevonThink for editing. You can use an CSS file to improve the experience.

DevonThink certainly isn’t for everyone.

Using a CSS file is something I did not think about.

My main point was that Evernote is really a document management application and not just a notes app.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

DevonThink certainly isn’t for everyone.

Using a CSS file is something I did not think about.

My main point was that Evernote is really a document management application and not just a notes app.

It's certainly priced like it. I just go with Obsidian now, but it isn't really a document management app. For that I just use files and a file browser...

 

[sgtaylor5]

It's certainly priced like it. I just go with Obsidian now, but it isn't really a document management app. For that I just use files and a file browser...

“Files and the file browser“: That’s what I do now, too.

 

[MacBH928]

Glad I found this thread because I just cancelled my subscription today because the email I received from Evernote a few days ago said that the price would go up to $129.99 (from $49.99) for the next cycle. To me, just too much.

Honest question, who pays $130 subscription for notes? I feel like I am missing something. I mean, Joplin is free so is obsidian.

However, their "web clipper" has been awesome, and I have been using Evernote just for it. My apologies for not thoroughly reviewing the thread, but if anyone of you here knows there is any good alternative, please let me know.

Thank you.

sgtaylor5 says Bear has a web clipper and pretty snappy in this post. So check it out. Not sure if Notion could work as an alternative.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Honest question, who pays $130 subscription for notes? I feel like I am missing something. I mean, Joplin is free so is obsidian.

Not for a “notes” program! I’m paying $32.66/year for Bear Pro, but i get a lot of use from it and I’m constantly writing there.

If you were to think of Evernote as a research tool for work or study or your entire searchable file system - FileSystem DMS for Windows costs $197 (one-time) for comparable features for Evernote Personal:

I’ve read about people putting every single piece of paper they’ve ever touched into Evernote; every single piece of paper mail, every contract, every single receipt for decades. It’s worth it to them. It might not be worth it to you; it’s not worth it to me.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Honest question, who pays $130 subscription for notes? I feel like I am missing something. I mean, Joplin is free so is obsidian.



sgtaylor5 says Bear has a web clipper and pretty snappy in this post. So check it out. Not sure if Notion could work as an alternative.

Good question! I certainly don't! And with a little "elbow grease" Markdown+ can be integrated with Obsidian to be a great web clipper! I love it.

Here is the link I found on how to make it work:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/18nn2za

 

[SnowCrocodile]

The way I see it, there's several criteria for a good note taking app, and a lot depends on what the individual user wants.

1. Capturing information (i.e. note taking)
2. Type of information supported (plain text, handwriting, images, file attachments)
3. Organizing information (structure, links, tags)
4. Accessing information
5. Finding information (fast or slow, precise or general search)
6. Safekeeping information (privacy, security, ease of recovery from accidents)
7. Information portability (ease of moving in and out)
8. Feature sets (bells and whistles)
9. Cost

The bottom line is, having tried almost all solutions available, there's simply no one perfect app or service for me.

I need support for images and pdfs with OCR, as the bare minimum. I need fast notetaking and fast search on mobile. I need to be able to access my info from Windows or Mac or iOS. I want to protect some notes.

Apple Notes would be great as it supports Spotlight and is fast to start, but it sucks cross platform, the only way to access notes is via web interface which is slow as molasses and limited, the only way to export data is via a 3rd party app that may or may not work in the future, and it has no version history which is rather disconcerting. It would still be the best overall solution if I only used Apple devices.

Onenote is really good for keeping track of work projects, but an overkill for personal notes. And as pretty much all other 3rd party notes apps that I tried, it doesn't support Spotlight so finding info is going to be slower, especially on mobile. (It does support Windows search if you use MS Power Tools).

Joplin is an interesting app and has some cool features like advanced search, but it's still rough around the edges, especially its mobile app. Also no Spotlight support and no Windows search support, to find info you have to run the app. This would be OK if all of my info was in it, but I have some in notes, some in emails, some in pdfs, and would end up searching more than once.

At the end of the day, I came to realize that the majority of my "notes" were not really notes, but long term records that don't get edited and don't have to reside in any note-taking app. Recipes, receipts, service records etc. I store them directly in file structure (using Onedrive) and rely on global OS search to find information. If I need to add a note I can just mark up the pdf or edit a Word file.

The notes that are actual notes are in Apple Notes just because it's quick, can be searched via Spotlight, and most of time I use my phone or tablet to take them. Not my preferred app but it's the best overall...

 

[sgtaylor5]

The way I see it, there's several criteria for a good note taking app, and a lot depends on what the individual user wants.

1. Capturing information (i.e. note taking)
2. Type of information supported (plain text, handwriting, images, file attachments)
3. Organizing information (structure, links, tags)
4. Accessing information
5. Finding information (fast or slow, precise or general search)
6. Safekeeping information (privacy, security, ease of recovery from accidents)
7. Information portability (ease of moving in and out)
8. Feature sets (bells and whistles)
9. Cost

The bottom line is, having tried almost all solutions available, there's simply no one perfect app or service for me.

I need support for images and pdfs with OCR, as the bare minimum. I need fast notetaking and fast search on mobile. I need to be able to access my info from Windows or Mac or iOS. I want to protect some notes.

Apple Notes would be great as it supports Spotlight and is fast to start, but it sucks cross platform, the only way to access notes is via web interface which is slow as molasses and limited, the only way to export data is via a 3rd party app that may or may not work in the future, and it has no version history which is rather disconcerting. It would still be the best overall solution if I only used Apple devices.

Onenote is really good for keeping track of work projects, but an overkill for personal notes. And as pretty much all other 3rd party notes apps that I tried, it doesn't support Spotlight so finding info is going to be slower, especially on mobile. (It does support Windows search if you use MS Power Tools).

Joplin is an interesting app and has some cool features like advanced search, but it's still rough around the edges, especially its mobile app. Also no Spotlight support and no Windows search support, to find info you have to run the app. This would be OK if all of my info was in it, but I have some in notes, some in emails, some in pdfs, and would end up searching more than once.

At the end of the day, I came to realize that the majority of my "notes" were not really notes, but long term records that don't get edited and don't have to reside in any note-taking app. Recipes, receipts, service records etc. I store them directly in file structure (using Onedrive) and rely on global OS search to find information. If I need to add a note I can just mark up the pdf or edit a Word file.

The notes that are actual notes are in Apple Notes just because it's quick, can be searched via Spotlight, and most of time I use my phone or tablet to take them. Not my preferred app but it's the best overall...

That next to the last paragraph, I think you hit on something important. Long-term records aren't "notes app" material. I've come to just use the file system for those, too. Evernote is the only system that would handle long-term records with any kind of grace. Even then the "archivers" who store everything digital they've ever received (100K notes and climbing); they are the Bending Spoons lead developer's "nightmare", I recently read.

I don't need Windows access, as I just use my iPhone, but Bear works for me, and I've tried most notes apps out there. If I needed Windows access, I'd use Joplin. The 2.4 version series was janky, but the 3 version series is much better. When I was using Joplin, Joplin Sync in 3.x was much more performant than I remembered before. One just has to remember to wait for the sync to finish on one device before using another synced device.

I don't put PDF's in Bear, either. Bear does handle images gracefully, even though I limit my use of them in Bear.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

That next to the last paragraph, I think you hit on something important. Long-term records aren't "notes app" material. I've come to just use the file system for those, too. Evernote is the only system that would handle long-term records with any kind of grace. Even then the "archivers" who store everything digital they've ever received (100K notes and climbing); they are the Bending Spoons lead developer's "nightmare", I recently read.

I don't need Windows access, as I just use my iPhone, but Bear works for me, and I've tried most notes apps out there. If I needed Windows access, I'd use Joplin. The 2.4 version series was janky, but the 3 version series is much better. When I was using Joplin, Joplin Sync in 3.x was much more performant than I remembered before. One just has to remember to wait for the sync to finish on one device before using another synced device.

I don't put PDF's in Bear, either. Bear does handle images gracefully, even though I limit my use of them in Bear.

Joplin doesn't really work as a notetaker for me. The iPhone app is still super clunky and limited, so I'd be trading the ease of use on Windows vs the horrible experience on mobile. Might as well just stick with Onenote, which is also great on Windows and is far better on mobile.

I looked at Bear, but as a simple notetaker with a few bells and whistles, Apple Notes beats it, to be honest. AN does miss one big feature - a web clipper (it has a glorified link copy instead, which doesn't help if you want to reference the info a few years later and it's no longer accessible). But for just fast notes on the go, it's good.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Joplin doesn't really work as a notetaker for me. The iPhone app is still super clunky and limited, so I'd be trading the ease of use on Windows vs the horrible experience on mobile. Might as well just stick with Onenote, which is also great on Windows and is far better on mobile.

I looked at Bear, but as a simple notetaker with a few bells and whistles, Apple Notes beats it, to be honest. AN does miss one big feature - a web clipper (it has a glorified link copy instead, which doesn't help if you want to reference the info a few years later and it's no longer accessible). But for just fast notes on the go, it's good.

Yeah, I understand. Notetaking is an extremely personal experience, like picking a keyboard.

Didn’t mean to imply that Bear might work for you and I was merely relating how Joplin has improved, for the benefit of other forum members.

I desperately need a good web clipper for my workflow and I’m happy with Bear’s version!!

 

[SnowCrocodile]

Yeah, I understand. Notetaking is an extremely personal experience, like picking a keyboard.

Didn’t mean to imply that Bear might work for you and I was merely relating how Joplin has improved, for the benefit of other forum members.

I desperately need a good web clipper for my workflow and I’m happy with Bear’s version!!

I didn't even take this as a promotion of Bear.

My biggest gripes with Joplin are on mobile, where it hardly improved at all (in things that matter to me, at least).

• No Spotlight. It's not such a big issue on desktop, but running a separate search on the phone takes longer - and typically you need it more urgently.
• Still can't use rich text editor on Mobile. In practical terms, it means that if I want to add notes to an inserted image, which I often do, I don't see the image while adding these notes. And use of tables is ... well, not for me.
• Still can't add attachments from Files or Safari or any other app by sharing to Joplin. Have to switch to Joplin and add from there. A major workflow limitation for my use.
• No OCR. They did add workable OCR on desktop app, but you have to sync the note to desktop and open the desktop app for some time before OCR is available on mobile.

 

[sgtaylor5]

I didn't even take this as a promotion of Bear.

My biggest gripes with Joplin are on mobile, where it hardly improved at all (in things that matter to me, at least).

• No Spotlight. It's not such a big issue on desktop, but running a separate search on the phone takes longer - and typically you need it more urgently.
• Still can't use rich text editor on Mobile. In practical terms, it means that if I want to add notes to an inserted image, which I often do, I don't see the image while adding these notes. And use of tables is ... well, not for me.
• Still can't add attachments from Files or Safari or any other app by sharing to Joplin. Have to switch to Joplin and add from there. A major workflow limitation for my use.
• No OCR. They did add workable OCR on desktop app, but you have to sync the note to desktop and open the desktop app for some time before OCR is available on mobile.

I totally agree with you regarding all these salient dissatisfactions with Joplin Mobile. Joplin's developer is really desktop focused; I don't think that mobile is [EDIT: harder for his team to code and get the details right]. Same for Obsidian, as well. If I can't find search by looking, Obsidian's dead to me, as I need ease of use on mobile more often than desktop.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

The way I see it, there's several criteria for a good note taking app, and a lot depends on what the individual user wants.

1. Capturing information (i.e. note taking)
2. Type of information supported (plain text, handwriting, images, file attachments)
3. Organizing information (structure, links, tags)
4. Accessing information
5. Finding information (fast or slow, precise or general search)
6. Safekeeping information (privacy, security, ease of recovery from accidents)
7. Information portability (ease of moving in and out)
8. Feature sets (bells and whistles)
9. Cost

The bottom line is, having tried almost all solutions available, there's simply no one perfect app or service for me.

I need support for images and pdfs with OCR, as the bare minimum. I need fast notetaking and fast search on mobile. I need to be able to access my info from Windows or Mac or iOS. I want to protect some notes.

Apple Notes would be great as it supports Spotlight and is fast to start, but it sucks cross platform, the only way to access notes is via web interface which is slow as molasses and limited, the only way to export data is via a 3rd party app that may or may not work in the future, and it has no version history which is rather disconcerting. It would still be the best overall solution if I only used Apple devices.

Onenote is really good for keeping track of work projects, but an overkill for personal notes. And as pretty much all other 3rd party notes apps that I tried, it doesn't support Spotlight so finding info is going to be slower, especially on mobile. (It does support Windows search if you use MS Power Tools).

Joplin is an interesting app and has some cool features like advanced search, but it's still rough around the edges, especially its mobile app. Also no Spotlight support and no Windows search support, to find info you have to run the app. This would be OK if all of my info was in it, but I have some in notes, some in emails, some in pdfs, and would end up searching more than once.

At the end of the day, I came to realize that the majority of my "notes" were not really notes, but long term records that don't get edited and don't have to reside in any note-taking app. Recipes, receipts, service records etc. I store them directly in file structure (using Onedrive) and rely on global OS search to find information. If I need to add a note I can just mark up the pdf or edit a Word file.

The notes that are actual notes are in Apple Notes just because it's quick, can be searched via Spotlight, and most of time I use my phone or tablet to take them. Not my preferred app but it's the best overall...

You didn't mention Zettlr. Have you had a look at that yet?
It uses the Zettlekasten system to keep track of information, and has a wide range of export options via Pandoc and TeXLive.
And its free.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

You didn't mention Zettlr. Have you had a look at that yet?
It uses the Zettlekasten system to keep track of information, and has a wide range of export options via Pandoc and TeXLive.
And its free.

Yes, although I forgot why it didn't work out for me.

Added: so do I recall correctly that it has no file attachments and no OCR ?

 

[MacBH928]

The way I see it, there's several criteria for a good note taking app, and a lot depends on what the individual user wants.

1. Capturing information (i.e. note taking)
2. Type of information supported (plain text, handwriting, images, file attachments)
3. Organizing information (structure, links, tags)
4. Accessing information
5. Finding information (fast or slow, precise or general search)
6. Safekeeping information (privacy, security, ease of recovery from accidents)
7. Information portability (ease of moving in and out)
8. Feature sets (bells and whistles)
9. Cost

The bottom line is, having tried almost all solutions available, there's simply no one perfect app or service for me.

I need support for images and pdfs with OCR, as the bare minimum. I need fast notetaking and fast search on mobile. I need to be able to access my info from Windows or Mac or iOS. I want to protect some notes.

Apple Notes would be great as it supports Spotlight and is fast to start, but it sucks cross platform, the only way to access notes is via web interface which is slow as molasses and limited, the only way to export data is via a 3rd party app that may or may not work in the future, and it has no version history which is rather disconcerting. It would still be the best overall solution if I only used Apple devices.

Onenote is really good for keeping track of work projects, but an overkill for personal notes. And as pretty much all other 3rd party notes apps that I tried, it doesn't support Spotlight so finding info is going to be slower, especially on mobile. (It does support Windows search if you use MS Power Tools).

I did some web clipping in OneNote and it was slow as molasses for me in 2014. Astounded by its 5/5 star reviews I did a revists and it was still slow. Not sure if its the nature of the beast, or in 2014 it took extremely high resolution web clips that makes it so slow

At the end of the day, I came to realize that the majority of my "notes" were not really notes, but long term records that don't get edited and don't have to reside in any note-taking app. Recipes, receipts, service records etc. I store them directly in file structure (using Onedrive) and rely on global OS search to find information. If I need to add a note I can just mark up the pdf or edit a Word file.

The notes that are actual notes are in Apple Notes just because it's quick, can be searched via Spotlight, and most of time I use my phone or tablet to take them. Not my preferred app but it's the best overall...

as you said, you need something closer to a database of information . Notes apps are to take down ...well, notes! I see some people here using a "notes" app as their own "wikipedia" local website