Bending Spoons recently acquired Evernote, and for many, this is a pivotal moment in their note-taking practice. Once a darling to avid note-takers everywhere, Evernote's reputation had taken a hit due to their price hikes and buggy releases.
Some might look for free alternatives to Evernote since their free tier was revered by many for years.
So let us discover free app alternatives to Evernote.
Routine
We are biased here, but Routine is one of the best ways to take down and manage your notes. While the average note-taking app focuses on in-document note-taking, Routine goes beyond that with our console.
With the Routine console, you can take notes from anywhere on your desktop/mac and direct them to any particular page or section on that page. You don't need to open a particular page to take notes.
However, if you want to open a page and take notes, you can do that too. With Routine Pages, you can take notes, create tasks, add media, embed links, etc.
If you feel your current note-taking app needs to be improved, do consider signing up to access Routine here: https://routine.co.
Notion
Many knowledge workers use Notion as their go-to knowledge management app for a good reason. Notion combines multiple aspects of your work into one powerful app.
Many companies use Notion to manage their operations, knowledge base, workflows, etc., making it easier for the average user to create notes on the same app.
However, with that strength also lies Notion's weakness which is that it is not designed with note-taking as the focus. Note-taking on an app like Routine or Evernote feels seamless because that's precisely what they were designed to do. But Notion, on the other hand, was designed as a team collaboration and knowledge management tool.
The most significant advantage of Notion is that it is free for individuals. However, the true power of Notion comes out much more in collaborative efforts.
Google Docs
Google Docs is the most used note-taking app on the internet, given its broad reach through the Gmail/G-Suite distribution.
Google Docs has been virtually free since its inception and has some of the best features regarding collaborative note-taking. It possesses identical features of Microsoft Word but does it without the price tag.
Google Docs is probably the best when you want to create and collaborate on online documents in real time and from any device.
The tool also has built-in intelligence that you can use to write faster, save time with spelling/grammar suggestions, voice typing, and fast document translation.
Additionally, Google Docs' ability to operate in "offline mode" is great for those who want to or need to work for extended hours without being connected to the internet.
Apple Notes
The note-taking app from Apple arguably has some of the most basic features among all the apps listed here, but that plays to its advantage.
Apple Notes is fast to load, easy to use, and simple to organize, making it the default app for people who want a quick fix to their note-taking needs.
It also makes organization easier with its folders, like Pages by Routine. Apple Notes also syncs with your iCloud, so you can be sure of not losing your notes for whatever reason.
The search functionality on Apple Notes is also reasonably robust, making it better than most other basic note-taking apps.
Obsidian
Obsidian is branded as an IDE for your notes. The app is local-first and makes backlinking a core component of your note-taking process.
For many, Obsidian is their go-to choice for writing and organizing notes on any complicated subject. It is also the closest tool for incorporating the power of hypertext as a tool of thought.
Also, Obsidian sits in your local folder, so you need not worry about the service going down or getting hacked.
One stand-out feature while using Obisidian is its marketplace for themes, where you can choose the environment that best suits your writing needs.
Obsidian works offline and is free, although it has a paid tier that won't apply to most users.
They have a 70,000+ Discord community that suggests note-taking ideas, improving note-taking methods, etc., which is one of the most significant selling points of Obsidian.
Conclusion
While Evernote is not as revered as it used to be, it is still one of the most popular note-taking apps in the market. It deserves its rightful place as the app that kicked off the digital note-taking scene we see today.
However, consider the alternatives shared in this list if you want to move on from Evernote.
Also, if you haven't tried Routine yet, sign up at https://routine.co.
Thanks for reading.
