Evernote AI
Freemium Last verified: September 2026Veteran note-taking app with AI search, AI-assisted writing, and AI cleanup that help tame two decades of notes
What is Evernote AI?
Evernote is the original cross-platform note-taking app, founded in 2008 and now owned by Bending Spoons, who acquired it in 2023 and has been aggressively rebuilding the product and stabilizing its finances. Evernote's plan comparison now lists a named set of AI features, AI Assistant, Semantic Search, AI Transcribe, AI Edit, and AI Cleanup, and as of August 2026 all of them are shown as available on every tier including Free. AI Assistant and Semantic Search let you ask natural-language questions across every note you've ever saved, AI Edit drafts and rewrites text inside notes, AI Transcribe records and summarizes meetings, and AI Cleanup reformats messy clippings into readable structure. Evernote's core strength remains its excellent web clipper, powerful OCR across images and PDFs, and the massive note databases that long-time users have accumulated, often 10,000+ notes deep. The company has repositioned against Notion and newer tools by emphasizing stability, offline support, and the simple notebook-and-notes metaphor that doesn't require learning a databases system. Evernote still runs on web, iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows, with offline notes listed on every plan, though the Free tier syncs to just one device. Evernote has also retired the Personal and Professional plans and replaced them with Starter and Advanced, which is the lineup shown on evernote.com as of August 2026. It is best for people who have a decade of notes already in Evernote and want AI features layered on top, rather than for users starting fresh in 2026 who will usually find more modern tools like Mem or Notion more appealing.
Evernote AI demo video
Watch Evernote's official demo to see Evernote AI in action before reading our full review.
Official video by Evernote via YouTube, embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim this video.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Long-time Evernote users with large archives who want AI layered on top without migrating everything to a new app
Teams starting fresh who need collaborative docs, databases, or a modern UI like Notion or Coda
Free (50 notes) · Starter $14.99/mo or $99/yr · Advanced $24.99/mo or $249.99/yr · Enterprise Flexible from €10/seat/mo
Yes, 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device, 1 GB monthly uploads
Battle-tested web clipper and OCR that still beats nearly every competitor after 18 years
Free plan was drastically tightened to 50 notes and 1 synced device, effectively forcing a paid plan
Bottom line: Evernote AI scores 4.2/5, A solid upgrade for existing Evernote users, but the 50-note, one-device free cap makes it hard to recommend to newcomers. Starter ($14.99/mo, or $99/yr annually) is where the archive limits stop getting in the way.
Pricing
Plan lineup changed: Evernote discontinued the Personal and Professional plans and replaced them with Starter and Advanced. The figures below reflect evernote.com as checked in August 2026.
Free: 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB storage, 1 GB monthly uploads, 200 MB max note size, sync on 1 device, 1 external calendar, web clipper, advanced search, offline notes, and the AI features.
Starter, $14.99/month ($99/year): 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 10 spaces, 100 tags, 1,000 attachments, 5 GB storage, sync across 3 devices, 5 external calendars, and the ability to connect Evernote to AI tools over MCP.
Advanced, $24.99/month ($249.99/year): Unlimited notes, notebooks, spaces, tags, attachments, and storage, unlimited device sync, 5 external calendars, plus the Slack integration.
Enterprise: Enterprise Flexible starts from €10/seat/month self-serve; Enterprise Unlimited is custom-priced and recommended for 10+ users. Both add company ownership of business data, advanced administration, enhanced security and compliance, SSO with SCIM provisioning, 20 GB monthly uploads plus 2 GB per user, and a dedicated customer success manager.
Key Features
- AI Assistant and Semantic Search, ask questions across your note database and surface related notes
- AI Edit, draft, rewrite, summarize, tidy, and translate inside notes
- AI Transcribe, record meetings and get summaries and transcripts
- AI Cleanup, reformat messy clippings and transcripts automatically
- Web Clipper, arguably the best in the category, works on any browser
- OCR across images and PDFs, searchable even in handwriting
- Tasks with reminders embedded inside notes
- Calendar integration, 1 external calendar on Free and 5 on Starter and above
- Offline notes listed on every plan across iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows
- Integrations with Google (Gmail, Drive, Calendar) and Microsoft Outlook on all plans, Slack from Advanced
- Connect Evernote to AI tools over MCP (Starter and Advanced)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best-in-class web clipper and OCR after 18 years of refinement
- AI Search genuinely makes massive note archives useful again
- Rock-solid offline support across every major platform
- Great for people with years of notes already in Evernote
Cons
- Free plan capped at just 50 notes and 1 synced device, effectively paywalled
- UI feels dated compared to Notion, Mem, or Capacities
- Price jumped substantially under Bending Spoons ownership
How Evernote AI compares to the alternatives
No tool wins for every use case. Before committing, it is worth seeing Evernote AI side by side with the closest rivals on pricing, features, and day-to-day fit. We have detailed head-to-head breakdowns for Notion AI. If none of those fit, the full list of Evernote AI alternatives ranks the strongest options by use case.
FAQ
Is Evernote AI worth the $14.99/month Starter plan?
For users with growing note archives, yes. Starter raises the cap from 50 notes to 1,000 notes and 20 notebooks, and adds 5 GB of storage, sync across 3 devices, 1,000 attachments, and 5 connected external calendars. It is $14.99/month, or $99/year billed annually, which is pricier than Notion ($8-10 with AI), but Evernote's web clipper and OCR are stronger. One caveat: Evernote now lists its AI features on every tier including Free, so you are paying Starter for capacity, not for AI access.
What does Evernote's AI Search actually do?
AI Search lets you type natural-language questions like "What did I write about the San Francisco trip in 2023?" and get a summarized answer with links to the source notes. Unlike traditional search, it understands context and can synthesize across many notes. It is especially powerful if you have thousands of notes accumulated over years, since it turns that archive into something you can actually query conversationally instead of hunting through tags.
Can Evernote replace Notion?
For pure note-taking, yes. For wiki-style docs with databases, relations, and multiple views, no. Notion is designed around flexible databases and blocks; Evernote is designed around a notebook-and-notes metaphor that is simpler but less flexible. Evernote wins on web clipping, OCR, and offline support. Notion wins on collaboration, wikis, and structured data. Most teams in 2026 choose Notion; most individuals with legacy archives choose Evernote.
Is Evernote's free plan still useful?
Barely. Evernote's own plan comparison lists the free tier at 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB of storage, 1 GB monthly uploads, a 200 MB maximum note size, and sync on 1 device only. It does now include offline notes and the AI features, so it works to evaluate Evernote, but the single-device sync and the 50-note cap make it unrealistic for ongoing use. If you want a free note app in 2026, Notion, Apple Notes, or Google Keep are far more generous.
Is Evernote reliable again under Bending Spoons?
Mostly. Bending Spoons acquired Evernote in 2023, laid off most staff, and rebuilt the team in Europe. The app has become faster and more stable since 2024, and the AI features rolled out on schedule. However, the price hikes and 50-note free cap alienated longtime users, and Evernote has since discontinued the Personal and Professional plans and replaced them with Starter and Advanced, another round of change subscribers had to absorb. As of August 2026 the app is under active development, but it is no longer the default note app it once was.
Does Evernote work offline?
Yes. Evernote's current plan comparison lists offline notes on every tier, including Free. You can access, create, and edit notes offline on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows, with automatic sync when you reconnect, though Free syncs to only 1 device and Starter to 3, so device count is the real constraint rather than offline access itself. This makes Evernote one of the few note-taking apps with reliable offline support, which matters for travelers, commuters, and anyone working from spotty WiFi.
How does Evernote handle privacy and data ownership?
Evernote is GDPR compliant and SOC 2 Type II certified. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. AI features use OpenAI models but Evernote states that note content is not used for training. You can export all your data at any time in ENEX or HTML format. Bending Spoons publishes transparency reports and has committed to data residency in Europe for EU users.
Evernote vs Obsidian vs Notion, which is best in 2026?
Obsidian wins for privacy and local-first markdown notes. Notion wins for wikis, databases, and team collaboration. Evernote wins for web clipping, OCR, legacy archives, and offline support. Pick Evernote only if you already have a large Evernote archive. Pick Obsidian if privacy and longevity matter most. Pick Notion for teams and structured projects.
📋 Good to know
Sign up at evernote.com, install desktop and mobile apps, install the web clipper extension in your browser. Free plan is immediate; paid plans start a 14-day trial.
SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliant. Data encrypted in transit and at rest. AI features use OpenAI but note content is not used for training. EU data residency available.
Starter ($14.99/mo, or $99/yr annually) if you need more than 50 notes or sync on more than one device. Advanced ($24.99/mo, or $249.99/yr) for unlimited notes, unlimited devices, and the Slack integration. Enterprise Flexible (from €10/seat/mo) for SSO, SCIM, and admin controls.
Low, notebooks and notes metaphor is immediately obvious. Power features like tags, shortcuts, and Boolean search take a few hours to master.
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