The best Evernote alternatives in 2026
The best Evernote alternatives are Caddie (notes, tasks, calendar and meeting notes on a Mac, free in beta), Apple Notes (free and built in), Notion (docs and databases), Obsidian (free, with notes as files), Bear (a cheap, beautiful Markdown app), Craft (the most refined design) and Capacities (a generous free plan). Most of them import an Evernote export.
The 7 picks at a glance
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Caddie | Best all-in-one replacement on a Mac | Mac (Apple silicon); notes, tasks and calendar in any browser; iPhone in beta | Everything, while in beta | Free while in beta, then $10 a month for everything |
| 2. Apple Notes | Best free option on Apple devices | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Free with your Apple devices | Free |
| 3. Notion | Best for docs and databases | Mac, Windows, web, iPhone, Android | Unlimited pages for one person; AI only as a trial | Plus $10, Business $20 per member a month (up to 20% less yearly) |
| 4. Obsidian | Best free app with notes as files | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android | The app is free, including for work | Sync $4 a month billed yearly ($5 monthly) |
| 5. Bear | Best cheap writing app | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Notes on one device, no sync | Pro $2.99 a month, or $29.99 a year |
| 6. Craft | Best design | Mac, iPhone, iPad, web | 1,500 blocks, 1 GB | Plus (price varies by country); Team $5 per user a month |
| 7. Capacities | Best free plan | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android | Unlimited notes and objects | Pro $11.99 a month, or $9.99 a month billed yearly |
Why people look for a Evernote alternative
Evernote's free plan is now 50 notes, 1 notebook and 1 device, and its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, more than most notes apps.
How we picked
We compared the free plan, the cheapest paid plan, AI and whether you can import from Evernote, from each product's site on 31 October 2026.
1. Caddie
Best all-in-one replacement on a Mac
Notes sort themselves into smart folders, search finds any word, and a journal zooms from a year to a day. Tasks, calendar, meeting notes and dictation are in the same app, with AI throughout.
- Platforms
- Mac (Apple silicon); notes, tasks and calendar in any browser; iPhone in beta
- Free plan
- Everything, while in beta
- Paid from
- Free while in beta, then $10 a month for everything
- Watch out for
- Mac only for meetings and dictation (Apple silicon; macOS 26 to record and dictate). No Windows or Android app.
- Source
- usecaddie.app
2. Apple Notes
Best free option on Apple devices
Free, fast, built in, with audio transcripts in recent versions.
- Platforms
- Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Free plan
- Free with your Apple devices
- Paid from
- Free
- Watch out for
- Apple devices only, and weak export.
- Source
- support.apple.com/guide/notes/welcome/mac
3. Notion
Best for docs and databases
Docs, databases and wikis in one flexible place, with a huge template library.
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, web, iPhone, Android
- Free plan
- Unlimited pages for one person; AI only as a trial
- Paid from
- Plus $10, Business $20 per member a month (up to 20% less yearly)
- Watch out for
- Full AI needs the $20 Business plan, and you build the system yourself.
- Source
- www.notion.com/pricing
4. Obsidian
Best free app with notes as files
Your notes are plain Markdown files you own, with thousands of plugins.
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
- Free plan
- The app is free, including for work
- Paid from
- Sync $4 a month billed yearly ($5 monthly)
- Watch out for
- Sync costs extra, there's no built-in AI, and no real-time collaboration.
- Source
- obsidian.md/pricing
5. Bear
Best cheap writing app
A beautiful, fast Markdown writing app at a low price.
- Platforms
- Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Free plan
- Notes on one device, no sync
- Paid from
- Pro $2.99 a month, or $29.99 a year
- Watch out for
- Apple only, no AI, and sync needs Pro.
- Source
- bear.app
6. Craft
Best design
The most refined design of any notes app, with AI built in.
- Platforms
- Mac, iPhone, iPad, web
- Free plan
- 1,500 blocks, 1 GB
- Paid from
- Plus (price varies by country); Team $5 per user a month
- Watch out for
- The free plan fills quickly, and there's no Windows or Android app.
- Source
- www.craft.do/pricing
7. Capacities
Best free plan
A generous free plan, and structure (people, books, ideas) without building databases.
- Platforms
- Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
- Free plan
- Unlimited notes and objects
- Paid from
- Pro $11.99 a month, or $9.99 a month billed yearly
- Watch out for
- The object model takes learning, and AI is limited on Pro.
- Source
- capacities.io/pricing
How to choose
- Free on Apple devices: Apple Notes.
- Free everywhere: Obsidian or Capacities.
- Notes plus tasks, calendar and meetings: Caddie.
- Docs and databases for a team: Notion.
Questions people ask
What's the best free alternative to Evernote?
Apple Notes (on Apple devices), Obsidian, Capacities, and Caddie while it's in beta.
Can I import my Evernote notes?
Yes, most do. Caddie imports Evernote, Notion, Obsidian, Mem and Apple Notes.