Evernote capped its free plan at 50 total notes and a single notebook back in December 2023 — a change that applied retroactively to existing free users, not just new signups, and remains the limit in 2026. Combined with repeated price increases on paid tiers, that’s why so many long-time users are actively looking for a genuinely free replacement. We ranked these alternatives by real free-tier limits (not marketing claims), sync across devices, and offline access, verified against each provider’s current pricing page.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Truly Free Tier Limit | Syncs Across Devices? | Works Offline? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | Unlimited pages/blocks, 5MB files | Yes, free | Partial (desktop caching) |
| OneNote | Unlimited notes (tied to free Microsoft account) | Yes, free | Yes |
| Joplin | Unlimited — fully open-source | Yes, via your own cloud storage (free) | Yes, fully offline-first |
| Obsidian | Unlimited — core app free forever | Paid add-on ($4/mo annual) | Yes, fully offline-first |
| Apple Notes | Unlimited (iCloud storage applies) | Yes, free (Apple devices) | Yes |
| Standard Notes | Unlimited notes, encrypted | Yes, free | Yes |
1. Notion — Best All-Around Replacement
Notion’s free plan (unlimited pages and blocks, 5MB per-file uploads) covers everything a typical Evernote user needs — text notes, embedded images, simple databases for organizing by topic — and adds sharing capability Evernote’s free plan never had. The tradeoff is a steeper initial setup: Notion gives you building blocks, not a ready-made “notebook” metaphor like Evernote.
- Pros: unlimited notes, strong sharing/collaboration, flexible structure
- Cons: 5MB file limit, more setup than a drop-in Evernote replacement
2. OneNote — Best Free Drop-In Replacement
OneNote’s notebook/section/page structure is the closest match to Evernote’s original metaphor, and it’s genuinely free with any Microsoft account — no note or notebook caps. If you liked Evernote’s organizational model but not its price, OneNote is the least disruptive switch.
- Pros: familiar notebook structure, completely free, strong handwriting/drawing support
- Cons: weaker web clipper than Evernote’s, less polished on non-Microsoft platforms
3. Joplin — Best Open-Source, Privacy-Focused Option
Joplin is fully open-source and free with no paid tier at all — sync works through your own existing cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, or a self-hosted option), so there’s no vendor lock-in or subscription ever. It’s less polished visually than the commercial options here, but for anyone specifically motivated by Evernote’s price increases, Joplin removes the pricing question entirely.
- Pros: completely free forever, open-source, no vendor lock-in
- Cons: less polished interface, smaller ecosystem of integrations
4. Obsidian — Best for Power Users Who Want to Link Notes
If your Evernote usage has grown into serious research or long-term reference material, Obsidian’s bidirectional linking and graph view offer more structure for finding connections between old notes than Evernote’s tag-and-search model ever did. See our Notion vs Obsidian comparison for the deeper breakdown.
- Pros: free forever, powerful note-linking, fully offline by default
- Cons: cross-device sync costs $4/month, steeper learning curve than a simple notebook app
5. Apple Notes — Best if You’re Fully in the Apple Ecosystem
Built into every Apple device at no cost, Apple Notes handles quick capture, checklists, and basic organization well, with sync via iCloud. It’s the simplest option here, with no learning curve, but it’s a weak fit if you use Windows or Android alongside your Apple devices.
- Pros: zero setup, deeply integrated with iPhone/Mac, genuinely free
- Cons: minimal features compared to the others, poor cross-platform support
6. Standard Notes — Best for Privacy and Encryption
Standard Notes’ free plan offers unlimited, end-to-end encrypted notes with cross-device sync — the strongest privacy story of any tool on this list at no cost. Advanced editors, file attachments, and note history require the paid Productivity ($90/year) or Professional ($120/year) plans.
- Pros: strong encryption, unlimited free notes, minimalist and fast
- Cons: file attachments and note history require a paid plan
Migrating Your Notes Out of Evernote
Evernote supports exporting notebooks as .enex files, which Notion, Joplin, and OneNote can all import directly (sometimes via a third-party converter for formatting fidelity). Before migrating, audit which of your existing notes you actually still reference — most long-time Evernote users find the bulk of their archive is genuinely inactive, and a smaller, curated re-import into a new tool works better than a wholesale dump.
How We Chose These Picks
We prioritized tools with no forced note or storage cap on their free tier, verified sync and offline capability hands-on, and weighted migration friction from Evernote specifically, since that’s the situation most readers arriving at this guide are actually in.
FAQ
What is the closest free replacement to old Evernote?
OneNote most closely matches Evernote’s notebook/section/page structure and is completely free with a Microsoft account.
Can I export my notes from Evernote before switching?
Yes, Evernote allows exporting notebooks as .enex files even on the free plan, which most alternatives listed here can import directly or via a converter tool.
Is Joplin really completely free?
Yes — Joplin is open-source with no paid tier. Sync relies on cloud storage you already have (like Dropbox), so there’s no subscription to Joplin itself at any point.
Which alternative is best for someone who used Evernote’s web clipper heavily?
OneNote and Notion both offer solid browser clipper extensions. Neither matches Evernote’s clipper at its peak, but both are functional enough for saving articles and web pages for later reference.
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