Santiago Mallea
Content Writer At Gradehacker
Between work, family, hobbies, and other responsibilities, having a note-taking app like Evernote is the best way to keep everything in one place, from reminders to notes and to-do lists. You have an idea of which app could be useful, but you need an honest Evernote review before you can actually start using it.
Whether you are just looking for a free app that covers the basic features to take effective notes or a complete workspace with more advanced features where you can schedule all your tasks, Evernote has what you are looking for.
The only problem is that you don’t know anything about it. You might be asking yourself:
What types of notes can I write? Which are the advanced features that can alleviate my everyday life? Where can I use Evernote? How much does it cost? Is Evernote worth it?
Well, get ready to learn everything about Evernote.
Here at Gradehacker, we are the non-traditional student’s most trusted resource. We know which apps and websites can be life-saving tools that significantly improve students’ college experience and everyday lives.
Today, we commit to giving you an honest Evernote review, so you can see all the core features they bring to the table and make up your mind if it’s the app for you.
But if it’s the first time you’ve heard of Evernote, there is a quick question we need to answer first.
Evernote is one of the biggest and most popular note-taking apps on the market. It is a cloud-based service with everything you need to keep your life organized. Evernote has over 20 years of being the favorite app chosen by many and nowadays is one of the world’s leading productivity tools with more than 100 million users per month.
With Evernote, you can leave your handwritten notes behind, write unlimited to-do lists, record all your ideas, and even organize your schedule with their helpful calendar.
There are three ways to use Evernote:
- On their website version
- With their desktop app
- On mobile devices
Or you can use all of them; Evernote is a cross-platform app! What you write and save on the desktop version, you can also find on your phone, and vice-versa.
Evernote is supported on all platforms, except for Amazon devices, as it was removed from the Amazon Appstore in 2021.
So, what has made Evernote stand out so much from the rest?
Undoubtedly, they owe their reputation to their feature list. It is effective for those who choose the free version and worth it for those who pay for the premium plan.
Want to find out how Evernote works and see its features more in-depth? Let’s start with our review!
Evernote's Design And User Experience
Overall, Evernote has a simple and easy-to-follow design. Because it organizes all of its features and workspaces simply, the experience is straightforward and intuitive, regardless of which platform you use.
Their website and desktop versions are the same, but the main difference is that you don’t need an internet connection to use their desktop app (although it won’t sync what you add to your
other devices until the connection is re-established).
First, you have their home menu, with the main widgets that let you instantly access their most-used features: a list with all your notes, a scratchpad to type in any quick reminders, and a section where you can add a voice memo, images, emails, and websites.
Their home is entirely customizable, as you can change the header picture and add more valuable widgets such as a practical calendar and shortcuts. Still, you can only do it with any of their paid basic plans.
On the left, there is a sidebar with shortcuts that direct you to where you create your notes and tasks and to your notebooks, which are the folders where you can separate notes according to their topic. You also have a tag search bar that lets you find any specific tag or keyword you are looking for.
But let’s jump into what you were looking for, their notes workspace.
You access it by clicking on the “New” button from the sidebar. The note-taking interface is divided into two: on the left, you have a list with all the notes you’ve made, and on the right, you have the note where you’ll be writing.
If it’s a new one, the app automatically shows you how to choose one of the most common templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch. This shows that Evernote knows what its users want to use and structures its workspace so they can effortlessly take advantage of their features and have the best experience possible.
On the other hand, their mobile app is even more straightforward, lacking a home menu. You’ll find your notes, tasks, and reminders displayed in chronological order, and you can find the content you are looking for with the search bar in the upper right corner. To add anything you want, simply click on the + button below.
The user experience in mobile devices is simple but limited. You don’t have the widgets that the home menu has, and while your content is shown in the order you accessed them, this makes all your notes and tasks unorganized. It’s nothing serious, but it makes the mobile’s layout inferior in comparison to the desktop version.
Features
Well, it’s time to review what makes Evernote so popular and its features!
Note-Taking Features
One of their best features is that you can add all types of tasks in the same file. If you are writing a note during a meeting and would like to set a reminder, instead of going to Evernote’s reminder section, you can add it to that same note!
On one note, you can:
- Create tasks with checkboxes
- Set reminders
- Add due-dates
- Flag important items
- Assign specific tasks to other people and track their progress
It’s worth mentioning that all of these features are available only in Evernote’s paid version.
Custom Templates
When writing notes, having templates is important to start writing in a structured workspace that fits your needs. That’s why it is so helpful that Evernote has a gallery full of different templates for every occasion.
You’ll find calendars, business plans, to-do lists, goal-setting tables, and more! You can choose them based on different categories, such as work, school, meetings, party planning, and project management.
The best part is that their entire repertory is available even for free users!
Document Scanning
One of their most advanced features is their document scanning software. Take your camera, scan any document you want, and upload it to your notes! Business cards you want to save, important documents for your work, handwritten notes you made in the past, or textbooks of your current class.
Why is it an advanced feature? Because the app recognizes the words on the image you upload and translates it to a digital document. Amazing, right?
The scanner is available regardless of which version you are using, but only if you have a paid subscription the software will recognize the words inside the picture and create a new document for them.
We tried it, and their scanner works perfectly. It makes the picture look clearer and shows the content as if it was a digital document. It’s an ideal tool to always carry with you on your phone.
Integrations
Another big plus about Evernote is that its software is designed to fit your workflow with its many integrations.
Their most important is Google Calendar, as it synchronizes all your meetings and tasks into the app. With one click, you can create a new note that includes all the details of the event, and you can even connect these notes with the people that are involved in the meeting.
Other apps you can also link to Evernote are:
- Gmail
- Google Drive
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Salesforce
All these integrations are only available for paid users.
Chrome Extension
Lastly, their final feature is their browser extension, Evernote’s Web Clipper.
You can save entire web pages, PDFs, and news articles you find online into the app. It removes the ads and sidebars from the site, and you can even crop the screenshot and save only the part you need.
Plus, you can add highlights and text to the screenshot and include tags with keywords so you can later find them more accessible in your Evernote app.
Prices
Finally, let’s end our review with one of the most common questions: how much does Evernote cost?
Well, Evernote has three plans you can choose from.
As we have already mentioned many times, they have a Free plan that is quite complete. It gives you unlimited notes, lets you sync up to 2 devices, has a maximum monthly upload of 60MB, and allows you to use all of their custom templates.
But if you want to access all of their advanced features, then the Personal Plan is for you. It costs $7.99 per month or $69.99 per year. You can sync your account with unlimited devices, upload up to 10GB of documents, customize your home as you wish with most of their widgets, integrate your profile with Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Drive, and make use of note-taking features like adding due dates, reminders, and notifications in your tasks.
However, if you are working in a team and looking for a shared workspace, you can check out the Premium Plan for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. This includes 20GB of monthly uploads, lets you access all home widgets, and allows you to export notebooks as PDF files.
But most importantly, it gives you permission to create, manage, and assign tasks to others and track their progress.
Both of these paid plans have a 14-day free trial, and you can get 50% off a one-year subscription for a personal plan if you are an eligible student.
Our Verdict
So, what do we think about Evernote?
In our opinion, Evernote is a great app that everyone who is looking to organize their lives should use. Whether you are using it from your computer or phone, having such a complete and helpful app to write your notes and reminders is key to keeping all of these essential ideas in one place.
Using Evernote is as simple as it gets. Everything in their layout is intuitive, and they know what the user wants. They give quick shortcuts to all their key features, allowing you to maximize your experience and find what you are looking for faster and easier.
They also have some great features. The Web Clipper is an excellent tool for anybody who is frequently retrieving information from websites. At the same time, their document scanning software is perfect for saving physical documents with outstanding accuracy.
Evernote also has a lot of integrations, but the most important of all must be Google Calendar, as you can sync all your upcoming tasks and events in one simple click.
However, the best thing about Evernote is how complete its free version is (if you are only looking for its basic features). You get unlimited notes and all of their templates, even though you can’t use other features such as reminders and due dates.
We believe it’s fair that these more valuable features are included in their paid plans, and we consider that their prices, while not too expensive, can be a bit too much especially for a student.
Overall, we think that Evernote is a note-taking app that every student should have.
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
Complete and basic free version |
Cannot be used on Amazon devices |
|
Unlimited notes with great note-taking features |
Free version does not include key features like due dates and reminders |
|
Helpful browser extension |
|
|
Has an incredible document scanning software |
|
|
Integrates your profile to Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Drive |
|
|
Let's you assign tasks to other people |
|
|
14-day free trial |
Is Evernote For You?
After reading our review, do you think Evernote is for you?
Well, Evernote is for you if you:
- Want to improve your productivity
- Need an app to take notes and save all your ideas and documents in one place
- Use both your phone and computer to organize your life
We recommend Evernote’s free version to any student out there. It really lets you organize your tasks and responsibilities better, as you have everything in one place. You can use their desktop app and Web Clipper extension to save key sources while writing a research paper or keep ahead of your schedule by listing all the assignments you have to do per week.
But if you want to incorporate the rest of their features into your work life too, then getting their Personal Plan is not a bad idea either.
Hopefully, you’ve found in Evernote a note-taking app to keep all your notes in one place. But if you are looking for other websites and apps to improve your lifestyle and college experience, then check out our related articles:
