Is Evernote free? What it actually costs in 2026
Technically yes, practically no. Since December 2023 the free plan allows 50 notes, one notebook and one device.
The free plan survives in name. It permits 50 notes total, a single notebook, syncing to one device, and 1 GB of storage.
Bending Spoons, which acquired Evernote in 2022, cut the free plan to 50 notes and one notebook.
A textbook post-acquisition monetisation of an existing user base. It is the reason Joplin and Obsidian saw a step change in adoption that month, and the reason this question is still searched — long-time users periodically return, find the limit, and start looking.
What the free tier actually includes
- 50 notes — total, not per month
- 1 notebook
- 1 synced device
- 1 GB storage
Where the wall is
Fifty notes, which is not a limit so much as a demonstration. Evernote's original pitch was that it held everything you ever wanted to remember; a fifty-note ceiling contradicts the product's own premise. The single-device restriction is arguably worse, because sync across devices was the reason to choose Evernote over a text file in the first place.
After that: Paid plans start at the Personal tier. Notably, Evernote does not publish prices on its own plan-comparison page — you have to reach checkout to see them, which is itself informative about how the pricing is expected to land.
Can you self-host Evernote? Yes
Joplin is the closest direct replacement, imports Evernote ENEX exports natively, and syncs through storage you already own. Obsidian and Logseq are better products for most people but think in local Markdown files rather than a synced database, which is a genuine change in habit rather than a swap. Trilium is the option for people who liked Evernote's hierarchy specifically.
When paying is still the right call
If your workflow depends on Evernote's OCR-searchable scanned documents and Web Clipper, or you're a team that wants a fully-hosted, zero-maintenance product with dedicated support and SSO (Enterprise tier), Evernote remains a mature, well-supported choice — nobody has to run a server, and the search quality across large note libraries is still excellent.
What you are locked into
Notes live in Evernote's proprietary format inside its cloud; the only real export path is .enex (an Evernote-specific XML format) generated from the desktop app, notebook by notebook or in an all-notes batch — the web app cannot export .enex at all. Most competing apps (Joplin, Standard Notes, and paid third-party migration tools) can import .enex, but formatting, note history, and some attachment metadata don't always round-trip perfectly. There's no one-click migration to a self-hosted platform.
If you would rather not pay: Joplin
Joplin
A free, open-source, Markdown-based note app with end-to-end encrypted sync and native Evernote import.
Core app is free forever with no note/device caps. Sync is free if you bring your own WebDAV/Nextcloud/S3/Dropbox target, or self-host Joplin Server for personal use at no cost; Joplin Cloud (managed hosted sync) starts around $2.99/month.
See all 3 Evernote alternatives comparedCompare the free options head-to-head
Read from Evernote Corporation (Bending Spoons)'s own pricing and documentation on 2026-08-28 — 15 days ago. Vendors change prices without notice; confirm before you commit.