Evernote vs Apple Notes: Which One Should You Choose
For a long time, if you asked someone which app was better for note-taking between Evernote and Apple Notes, the answer was obvious: Evernote. Evernote has been the leading note-taker online for years because of its tools, ease of use, and ability to sync with every device.
Meanwhile, Apple’s Notes app has received little attention since its introduction in 2007 on the first iPhone. It initially served as a simple note-taking tool, offering minimal functionality akin to a digital sticky note. However, with the release of iOS 9, Notes underwent a significant transformation, gaining intuitive rich text editing tools, bullet points, checklists, support for photos and videos, link previews, and an attachment gallery. Moreover, like Evernote, Notes can now be accessed across multiple devices through iCloud. Considering these recent improvements, is it finally time to ditch your third-party note-taking app in favor of Apple Notes?
Apple Notes is More Convenient
One of the best features of Apple Notes is its sheer convenience. If you own an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you have immediate access to the Notes app. It comes preinstalled on all these devices and uses your existing iCloud account, eliminating the need to create another account.
Apple Notes syncs seamlessly across all your devices. Unlike Evernote, there’s no need to constantly tap the Sync button to ensure everything is sent up to the cloud. In fact, Apple Notes automatically updates everything in real-time.
Apple Notes is a faster app. You can quickly jot down thoughts and paste in a link. Notes is immediately responsive and you don’t have to navigate between notebooks or tags. It’s a faster app for taking notes on the fly.
iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan enhance the capabilities of Notes. It supports a range of attachments such as photos, videos, sketches, maps, websites, audio, and documents. The app even allows you to add sketches directly. In contrast, Evernote requires the use of a separate app, Skitch, for importing doodles and drawings.
Like Evernote, the iCloud.com Notes web app allows you to organize your notes into folders. However, currently, the web app doesn’t support folders, so online you can only view all or nothing. Nevertheless, all other devices support folders.
Despite the significant improvements and ease of use in Apple Notes, Evernote remains a much more powerful tool. The difference between the two is like night and day.
Evernote, a versatile note-taking app, offers additional features beyond those found in Apple Notes. These include the ability to add tags, set reminders, share notes through public or private links, merge or switch notebooks, and scan photos with text analysis capabilities. Presentation mode and collaboration options are also available, although they require a paid Evernote Premium subscription. For more information, consult Twothirds.Us’s comprehensive Evernote guide.
Evernote’s editing options include alignment, paragraph tabs, and font selection. The app also allows for webcam recordings. Additionally, Evernote has a powerful search feature that allows you to search through all your notes, notebooks, tags, and time and dates. Overall, Evernote is a highly productive tool.
The app is slower and less convenient than Apple Notes. However, it has a handy feature called Shortcuts that allows you to pin frequently used notes and notebooks, making them easily accessible. Props to Evernote for that.
Finally, it is worth noting that Evernote is available for iOS and Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, and Windows 10. If you frequently switch between platforms or want future compatibility, Evernote is the better choice. Apple Notes is only accessible within the Apple ecosystem, while Evernote is available everywhere.
Winner: Evernote
Remember the different editions of Windows 7? Apple Notes is like Windows 7 Home Basic while Evernote is like Windows 7 Ultimate. If you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and don’t require advanced features, Notes should be enough.
If you need better organization, customization, sharing, and collaboration tools, Evernote is the obvious choice. If you’re taking notes for professional purposes, Evernote is also the best option.
As Fred Humiston, the author behind Twothirds.us, I focus on providing practical and easy-to-follow guides and solutions for a variety of technical issues that people commonly face.
My articles cover a wide range of topics, from troubleshooting out-of-sync audio on TikTok and managing Firestick devices, to understanding the impact of Capcut on video quality and resolving sound issues on Hisense Roku TVs.
I also delve into more general tech tips, like how to block numbers on landlines or use VPNs without Wi-Fi. My goal is to make technology more accessible and less intimidating for everyone, whether you’re a tech novice or a seasoned user. I strive to offer clear, concise, and helpful advice to make your digital experience smoother and more enjoyable.