We list the best free alternatives to Evernote, to make it simple and easy to manage media-rich notes without a subscription.
A few years back, when Evernote's developers announced sweeping changes, it caused consternation among existing users. This is especially because changes involved limiting the Basic (free) account tier to just two devices, and raising the prices of Plus and Premium accounts.
That was disappointing news for anyone who uses the app on their desktop and mobile devices to keep track of thoughts, gather resources for projects or jot down ideas throughout the day.
Since then, other note-taking apps have been able to edge into the field. More than that, these apps usually offer a media-rich platform which means you can really experiment and explore with a whole range of useful formats to suit your needs.
We've looked around and tested a wide range of apps. Below we've listed what we think are the best note-taking apps currently available.
We've also listed the best note-taking apps.
The best free alternative to Evernote of 2024 in full:
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Best free alternative to Evernote overall
If you use Evernote as a multimedia pinboard or to manage projects, Microsoft OneNote is an excellent alternative. The OneNote app comes pre-installed with Windows 10 as part of the updated Office suite, and is available to download for earlier versions of Windows. There are mobile apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone too, plus a web app.
OneNote synchronizes your data through your Microsoft account, and uses OneDrive to store everything you save. Earlier this year, Microsoft cut the standard OneDrive storage limit from 15GB to 5GB, which is worth bearing in mind if your notes tend to contain a lot of images and other media.
Like most Evernote alternatives, OneNote lets you gather and organise links, text, images and drawings in tagged notebooks, but it also has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. You can also import text and tables from other Microsoft Office apps, record audio, and email content straight to a notebook (a very handy option for working on fiddly smartphone screens). It can also record audio
There are optional extensions, too: OneNote Web Clipper lets you capture and clip sections of web pages, and Office Lens (for Windows 10 Mobile) captures pictures of handouts, whiteboards and other meeting-room paraphernalia, turns them into editable documents and saves them to a notebook.
Thanks to Microsoft's business clout, other developers are falling over themselves to integrate OneNote into their apps. WordPress, IFTTT, Feedly and Livescribe are just a few with OneNote compatibility now built in.
Convinced? Shift your clips and notes across using Evernote to OneNote Importer and you're ready to go.
Read our full Microsoft OneNote review.
Best basic free alternative to Evernote
You can use Simplenote on as many devices you like, with apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Kindle Fire, Android and Linux, plus a web version for good measure. There's unlimited storage too (as long as you don't go mad with it), and it's completely free.
The catch? It's text-only – no images, web pages or doodles. That won't be to everyone's liking, but if you never bother with Evernote's fancier options and just want a cross-platform notebook with automatic syncing, it's perfect.
Read our full Simplenote review.
Best portable free alternative to Evernote
CintaNotes is a Windows-only Evernote alternative, and although it's also available as a portable app so you don't have to install it, there's no online version. There's no limit on the number of devices though, so if you're dedicated to Microsoft's OS that will be no obstacle.
CintaNotes comes in three flavors: free, Pro and Lifetime Pro. The free version is a straightforward affair offering text clipping, search, backup, customizable hotkeys and three sections to store your notes. It's nicely designed, and the keyboard and mouse shortcuts make it feel like a natural extension of Windows.
Notes created in CintaNotes are synchronized using Simplenote (above), so it's worth trying both programs to see which suits you best.
Best free alternative to Evernote for Android
Google Keep is available for Android and iOS, as a Chrome browser plug-in, and as a web app. As you'd expect. it uses your Google account to sync across devices, making it a particularly useful option for Android users.
However, despite this convenience, Google Keep is quite limited as a free alternative to Evernote. Although useful for keeping your own thoughts in order, it's not built with collaboration in mind. You can share individual notes with contacts one at a time, but that's the extent of it. There's no convenient way to work with teams, so you're better off using a Google Doc. You can't attach files directly to notes in Keep, either; they must come from Google Drive. This is particularly irritating if you want to add an image from a website – you need to save it locally, then re-upload it. Not ideal.
Ultimately, Keep's little notes are essentially a portable alternative to a collection of Post-it notes orbiting your monitor reminding you to make a phone call at 3pm, or pick up cake ingredients on Wednesday. They serve a definite purpose, but you wouldn't use them to gather ideas for a novel or manage a project.
Read our full Google Keep review.
Best free alternative to Evernote for writing
In contrast to Keep, Evernote alternative Dropbox Paper (initially known as Note) is serious business. With support for images, tables and tasks (which can be assigned to people using their Dropbox usernames), it makes a great replacement for the usual handwritten minutes, hastily scrawled, then transcribed by an unfortunate soul and sent as a mass email. We're sure you've been there.
There's currently no size limit on notebooks created using Paper, but you can't insert documents directly; instead, the document must uploaded to your Dropbox account, then linked. Paper will display a small preview of the document, so teammates can see if it's relevant before adding it to their own Dropbox folder. The interface is straightforward, and everything can be clicked and dragged around the page.
If you already use Dropbox for filesharing at work then it's definitely worth a look.
Read our full Dropbox Paper review.
We've also featured the best note-taking app for Android.
Best free alternative to Evernote FAQs
How to choose the best note-taking apps for you?
When deciding which of the note-taking apps to use, consider how demanding your needs are. Do you only need to make simple notes, or do you need to be able to add different types of media, including video? Do you also need a wide range of features or to connect your notes with other apps? Free and simple apps will deliver a simple experience, but for more complex feature needs you should probably look to an app with a paid for subscription.
How we tested the best free alternative to Evernote
There are now a plethora of note-taking tools available to users that offer a free alternative to Evernote - whether they need to keep track of important work tasks or simply need to jot down their shopping list. With smartphones now ubiquitous, individuals expect to have access to a note-taking app that is suitable for their needs.
With that in mind, we’ve assessed several free alternatives to Evernote for ease of use, features, aesthetics, team collaboration, cloud functionality, and a number of other factors. We also looked at how simple the app setup was, the interface simplicity, cross-platform support, and overall performance.
Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
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