Dark Mode On / Off

Evernote: An honest review of the note-taking app everyone is talking about

This is a detailed review of Evernote. It is not sponsored however may contain affiliate links

There has been so much buzz about Evernote for a long time, some even calling it one of the best note taking apps but I hadn’t been able to use it until recently

Finally, I moved part of my note taking process to Evernote and I am here to give a detailed review on Evernote and if it is really worth the hype by answering some of the most common questions, sharing my experiences and research with you 

This review will be based solely on the free version of Evernote.I recognize that they do have other premium plans but I simply can’t commit to paying for a note taking software and I know a lot of people may not either at least at first

   Table of Contents
What is Evernote used forAlternatives to evernote
How to use Evernote and how does it workConclusion
What are the pros and cons of using evernote
How much is Evernote

As an avid note-taker, there are two main features I look forward to in a note taking application and that is organizationand functionality. If it does come with additional features even better. Evernote checks those boxes for me but it is not without shortcomings

Let’s start with the basics

What is Evernote 

Simple answer is, Evernote is a note taking app that does more than note taking. It allows you keep your notes organized and has the potential of helping you stay productive

Evernote is designed for everyone. From a student to a working professional evernote helps you organize your notes, manage your projects and track your tasks with its numerous template features

I was actually amazed at how many unexpected templates Evernote comes with like the; habit tracker, stress logs, interview cards, to do tasks etc

some templates by Evernote;

how does Evernote work and how do you use it?

The basic version of evernote works as note taking platform and a filing cabinet. Essentially, it makes it easy to write down your notes, ideas or projects, organize them and find them easily

Evernote as a Note taking system

As a simple note taking app, evernote is excellent.

Asides from the numerous templates you can insert directly into Evernote, it also allows you to incorporate your handwritten notes and makes them searchable through OCR technology(Optical Character Recognition)

I personally like this feature because It makes my work easier. I love to write and journal and I don’t think I will be going paperless anytime soon.However, handwritten notes can be very hard to find especially if you write a lot but  Evernote simplifies that process for you

Basically, with your handwritten notes  all you need is to take a picture and scan it to Evernote. Evernote converts your handwritten notes into text which then makes it searchable.This is a really convenient feature. It is great for students who love to borrow notes or generally people who prefer writing 


Audio notes:

Evernote has a microphone that enables you to record audio files directly into your note. Quite frankly, I do not think this is a feature that will I will use frequently but I think it’s great to have.

This is a feature that can be useful for student who want to audio record lectures or a working professional taking meeting notes. You can always refer to the notes and audio for a particular event all in one notebook

Evernote record feature

Note Links:

Note links allow you to link one note to another within Evernote. Even though Evernote is designed to keep you organized, it can get overwhelming when you begin to have large amount of notes and notebooks.

Evernote allows you to link directly from one note to another instead of having to search or scroll through your notes. It is also good if you have two different notes that are interrelated. You can conveniently switch between those notes easily

example of notelinking


 Evernote syncs across all your devices so smoothly you almost don’t notice the gap.This is great because you can work on different devices and not have to worry about starting your note all over or losing your train of thought.

However, the basic plan only allows for syncing between two devices and doesn’t support offline mode

Evernote as  an organization system

Evernote is like a filing cabinet for all your digital files. it is easy to structure your notes into notebooks and label them accordingly using stacks and tags

This is an example of a stack

This can look very confusing because it pertains to my work flow  but let me break it down for you;

You can create a notebook for each course or project that you have  and then stack them into different stacks. For example, I have different notebooks (blog courses, blog plans etc) all stacked under the heading blog and within those notebooks I have different notes relating to each title accordingly.  

Rather than have all the blogging materials all jam-packed into notes, I can create notebooks for each different projects and make notes for them. 

This makes a lot more sense as you use it and you will find it super easy and convenient. It keeps your notes organized and this way you know where to find what you need

You can also easily find anything in your Evernote account with just a simple search.
 Trust me! Finding things easily is one of the things Evernote does  really well

What are the pros and Cons of Using Evernote

I have already highlighted some of the pros and cons of evernote in the previous sections however there are still a few I haven’t mentioned yet

  1. Scan handwritten notes and convert into text
  2. Audio recorded directly through notes
  3. Note linking
  4. Good organization system
  5. Useful templates
  6. Optical character recognition


  1. You cannot save data offline: The basic version does not allow for offline mode thus making it difficult to use app without internet connection
  2. limited cloud storage: Evernote only allows for 60mb of storage per month which isn’t a lot especially if you scan a lot of pictures or use audio files
  1. sync features: The basic plan allows syncing among only two devices. If you have more devices then you will need to upgrade 
  2. glitchy and no tech support: This actually an unpopular opinion and I know there are a lot of Evernote people who have used it without any issues. But, I find Evernote to be quite glitchy. I don’t know how to describe the issue so I will jus post a picture below. I found this extremely frustrating as it was constantly happening throughout. I constantly had to exit and go back in for the texts to align
  3. And, tech support is only available for premium customers
glitchy-ness that wouldn’t stop

Is Evernote free? What is the pricing and value?

Evernote has a free basic version even though it is limited in functionality it is equally good. But for additional features, you will need to upgrade to their premium plan starting from $9.99 monthly for the premium and $14.99 for the business plan. If you want to compare all the plans and see which is best for you can check here

Are there alternatives to Evernote

Yes there are many alternatives to evernote. However, most do not compare in their functionality to evernote. Depending on what your note taking needs are, Evernote might be a little too much or too little.

The closest option to Evernote will be the Microsoft OneNote.

Other alternatives to consider are google keep, google docs, apple notes and notion. In fact, feels like there’s always a new note taking app every quarter so you won’t ever run out of options both paid and free

In conclusion,

Overall I think Evernote is a great note taking app for note-taking.

As a productivity and organization tool I think it is better than what is out there but there’s still work to be done. Quite frankly, I still haven’t seen the app that does it all for me yet (that could also be because I refuse to pay for premium, note apps) .  

I haven’t used their premium features yet but by comparing the plans I don’t find that it fits my needs just yet
With that being said, I might be paying in the nearest future just so I can review them

Thanks for reading this posts. Please feel free to leave a comment and if you have any inquiries or requests please feel free to message me!

something you might like

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial