Evernote Announces Price Hikes and Two-Device Limit for Free Users

[MacRumors]

Cross-platform note-taking service Evernote has announced new limits for its Basic account holders on the same day the company hiked the prices on its paid subscription plans.

Users of Evernote's free Basic plan will soon be limited to using the service on no more than two devices, such as a computer and a phone, two computers, or a phone and a tablet.

Meanwhile, Plus and Premium subscriptions are now $3.99 per month (or $34.99 a year) and $7.99 per month (or $69.99 a year), respectively. Previously a Plus plan cost $2.99 per month, while a Premium account was $4.99.

News of the two-device limit imposed on Basic plan holders came in an email last night, explaining that users had 30 days to adjust to the change. The company said Plus and Premium account subscribers would continue to enjoy the note-taking service from an unlimited number of devices.

Evernote CEO Chris O'Neil explained the new pricing tiers and the device-limit decision in a blog post:

We don't take any change to our pricing model lightly, and we never take you for granted. Our goal is to continue improving Evernote for the long-term, investing in our core products to make them more powerful and intuitive while also delivering often-requested new features. But that requires a significant investment of energy, time, and money. We're asking those people who get the most value from Evernote to help us make that investment and, in return, to reap the benefits that result.

Evernote isn't a vast corporation, and note-taking isn't a sideline for us. It's what we do, and we strive to do it better than anyone else. We hope you'll continue to capture your thoughts and develop your ideas with us.

Evernote is a free download for Mac on the Mac App Store, and available for iPad and iPhone on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Evernote Announces Price Hikes and Two-Device Limit for Free Users

 

[drumcat]

Take a look at Quiver on the App Store. Much better anyhow.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quiver-programmers-notebook/id866773894?mt=12

$10, one time. iOS in beta. Full Evernote import.

 

[marvz]

That's a blow. Maybe time to migrate to Apple Notes or OneNote. But still I like the web clipping capabilities of Evernote.

 

[2457244]

The raise in pricing isn't that bad if you get new features all the time, I mean people that use Evernote probably will still pay for it because they like the service but the 2 device limit for free users is really troubling.

I mean, almost all Apple fans here probably have an Mac, iPhone and iPad. If not, they probably have and extra MacBook instead of an iPad or maybe both. If you're limited by your content synced to all those devices just because you can work out with the basic Evernote plan that's sad, I think.

If it was 4 or 5 devices you could say OK.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Lol really? It's just a note taking app, I'm amazed they have a subscription fee in the first place.

 

[Avieshek]

My dilemma is choosing between an iOS device, an android and a Mac.

 

[0007776]

I don't currently use Evernote, but I did try it when I was in college for notes, it is nice but I wouldn't pay a monthly subscription for it. Maybe a one time charge of up to $20, but there are plenty of free apps out there that do close to as good of a job.

 

[Dephibio]

Time to leave, I guess.

 

[whsbuss]

Not sure why I got the email - have it on my MBP and iPad. Isn't that two devices?

 

[Kebabselector]

Although I've installed it, I much prefer OneNote and Apples Notes for my Work/Personal notes.

 

[Te0SX]

Lol really? It's just a note taking app, I'm amazed they have a subscription fee in the first place.

Just write your own note app then, and make it Evernote quality.

 

[iLoveDeveloping]

People still use this...? Oh ok.

 

[sinsin07]

Sorry Evernote, for me it's Ever...Not

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Lol really? It's just a note taking app, I'm amazed they have a subscription fee in the first place.

Yeah, this software just creates itself.

 

[cult hero]

I'm glad the insane negativity isn't just limited to Apple here. It's systemic.

Evernote is an amazing system, especially if you actually learn how to use its features.

When I first heard the news I started to wonder if I should switch to Apple notes, but the fact is, Evernote still has a lot of awesome features (e.g. the web clipper in simplified mode). It's also has a very nice open format so that vendor lock-in isn't an issue. It's cross platform and it's got a great and open community.

Looks like increased competition has them looking for better ways to monetize. Unlike Apple and Microsoft who can offer note systems as part of a bigger platform, this is what Evernote does. Kinda sucks for me but... I'm not opposed to paying for quality services either. Do I get $4 worth of use out of this per month? Yes. I pay more for a lunch.

It's okay if you prefer another service or don't want to pay, but I sense the negative comments are from people who have no idea how powerful the platform is and have never used it beyond basic note taking.

 

[S.B.G]

Oh geez.... I use Evernote heavily as a premium user and was happy to pay the $45 per year for it. This is a significant price increase and I don't want to get rid of Evernote, but as I try to trim my budget, I may have to look at the possibility of an alternative. I have an Office 365 subscription and I'll be having to take a look at OneNote as a possibility.

I fully understand their need to increase prices, but I have to beware of my own budget too. My renewal is in November, so I have time to seek alternatives, or fix my budget to feel more comfortable with the increase.

 

[zhenya]

Ouch. I just closed my paid account that I'd had for many years because I have moved primarily to OneNote. A price increase is fine if that's what they think they need to do, but a two-device limit I think is going to cost them a lot of customers. I'll likely migrate the last few notes I have and remove the app altogether.

 

[jgelin]

They had a good thing going, and the price point they had it at was well enough. Raising it when most other platforms that take notes are free, or only a one time purchase is a huge blow to them. TV and some other services, like dollar shave club do well on this type of revenue stream, not a service like note storage... where the competition is mostly free? I think it will fall further into obscurity now.

 

[maflynn]

Up to 70 dollars a year for a note taking app? That's outrageous. I'm sure some will pay for it, but not me. For a little more money, I can Office 365, which gives me a TB of storage, access to Excel, Word and of course OneNote. for zero dollars a year, I can use iOS' Note app as well.

 

[tomnavratil]

For me personally, it's definitely not worth it to upgrade to a paid plan however I can understand why some people do, it's decent app. Anyone has any good alternatives? I don't have an Office 365 subscription (try not to go subscription way for most things) and I find Apple Notes too simplistic. Don't mind paying for an app as a one-off payment if it's a good one. Thanks! .

 

[Phil A.]

Up to 70 dollars a year for a note taking app? That's outrageous. I'm sure some will pay for it, but not me. For a little more money, I can Office 365, which gives me a TB of storage, access to Excel, Word and of course OneNote. for zero dollars a year, I can use iOS' Note app as well.

Yeah, it is a bit expensive now! I've been an Evernote user since 2008 (and a paid user for most of that time), but I've recently been moving over to OneNote and I think I'll finally make the break complete: I prefer OneNote anyway on my iPad as the pen support is far better

 

[zhenya]

For me personally, it's definitely not worth it to upgrade to a paid plan however I can understand why some people do, it's decent app. Anyone has any good alternatives? I don't have an Office 365 subscription (try not to go subscription way for most things) and I find Apple Notes too simplistic. Don't mind paying for an app as a one-off payment if it's a good one. Thanks! .

You don't need Office 365 for access to OneNote which is a strong, multi-platform competitor and completely free.

 

[maflynn]

You don't need Office 365 for access to OneNote which is a strong, multi-platform competitor and completely free.

No, but I was pointing out in my post, how much more you get if you do opt for Office 365. I'm not sure what options you get with OneNote for free, especially on the iPad.

 

[S.B.G]

I'm in the middle of importing all my Evernotes to OneNote right now using the Microsoft importer tool. https://blogs.office.com/2016/03/11/make-the-move-from-evernote-to-onenote-today/

Regarding the pricing, Microsoft states this on the above linked page. Of course MS will need to update that with the new Evernote pricing just announced.

While OneNote is free on all devices, it comes with Office and works seamlessly with Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint to help you stay organized, collaborate and get things done. Evernote Premium ($49.99/year) is more than 70 percent of the cost of Office 365 Personal ($69.99/year), which includes all the apps you know and love, plus 1 TB of storage.

 

[bushido]

lol i wouldnt even pay 4,99€ one time let alone over 70€ a year