The veteran power-notes app against the tiniest free note app ever shipped. Fifteen years of accumulated features — or fifteen years of the same instant list.
Evernote is the veteran of note-taking: web clipper, document and OCR search that reads inside PDFs and photos, built-in tasks with reminders, calendar integration, and rich formatting across every platform. It was the default note app for a decade, and it still does more than almost anything else. The price of that power is the price tag itself — around $10–15/mo as of 2026 for the plans worth having — plus an app that has been bloated, slow, and rewritten more than once.
Simplenote is Automattic’s tiny free note app and the purist’s answer to everything Evernote became: plain-text notes, tags, and instant sync, completely free, with no formatting beyond Markdown preview and no features beyond capture and search. It opens instantly on Android, iOS, Web, Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it has barely changed in years — because it barely needs to. The tradeoff is absolute: no checklists, no attachments, no colors, no collaboration, no locking.
| Feature | Evernote | Simplenote |
|---|---|---|
| Rich Text Formatting | Markdown only | |
| Web Clipper | ||
| Document & OCR Search (PDFs, Photos) | ||
| Tasks & Reminders | Built-in (paid) | |
| Note Organization | Notebooks, stacks & tags | Tags only |
| Note Version History | Paid plans | |
| Export Formats | ENEX, HTML, PDF | Plain text only |
| Sync Cost | Free (limited) | Free |
| Pricing | Around $10–15/mo (as of 2026) | Free |
| Cross-Platform (Android & Web) | All incl. Linux | |
| Real-time Collaboration & Sharing | Limited | |
| Note Locking (Password / Biometric) | Paid plans | |
| Local-first Offline Mode | Paid plans | Good |
| AI Proofread & Tone Rewrite | Paid add-on |
Choose Evernote if your notes are an archive you actively mine: the web clipper plus OCR search inside PDFs and photos is genuinely unmatched, and tasks with calendar reminders make it a workable personal system — if you accept paying around $10–15/mo and an app with a long history of feeling heavy. Choose Simplenote if your notes are words and nothing else: it is free forever, opens instantly, syncs everywhere including Linux, and the version-history slider rescues more drafts than any paid feature in this matchup. But be honest about which person you are. Most people who pick Evernote use a tenth of it and resent the bill; most people who pick Simplenote eventually want a checklist they can tap, a photo in a note, or a locked journal entry — and find they cannot have any of them. The sane middle is a fast app that does the daily jobs well: interactive checklists, color-coded organization, password locking, real sharing with real people, and full offline because notes are saved to your device first. That is InkSync. Fifty notes sync free across Android and the web with no device paywall; Premium adds Brain Dump, collaboration, and AI proofread and tone rewrite for $33.99/year — less than three months of Evernote. If you have ever paid for Evernote features you never opened, or wished Simplenote could do one more thing, you have already described the app in the middle.
Ready to switch? Read our in-depth guides: The Best Evernote Alternative in 2026 and The Best Simplenote Alternative in 2026.
Pick Evernote if you need the web clipper, OCR document search, and built-in tasks — and accept around $10–15/mo. Pick Simplenote if you want free, instant plain-text notes with version history and nothing else. Pick InkSync if you want Simplenote-like speed with checklists, locking, sharing, offline mode, and AI — without Evernote’s price tag.
Evernote: Evernote is the veteran of note-taking: web clipper, document and OCR search that reads inside PDFs and photos, built-in tasks with reminders, calendar integration, and rich formatting across every platform. It was the default note app for a decade, and it still does more than almost anything else. The price of that power is the price tag itself — around $10–15/mo as of 2026 for the plans worth having — plus an app that has been bloated, slow, and rewritten more than once. Simplenote: Simplenote is Automattic’s tiny free note app and the purist’s answer to everything Evernote became: plain-text notes, tags, and instant sync, completely free, with no formatting beyond Markdown preview and no features beyond capture and search. It opens instantly on Android, iOS, Web, Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it has barely changed in years — because it barely needs to. The tradeoff is absolute: no checklists, no attachments, no colors, no collaboration, no locking.
Yes. If neither Evernote nor Simplenote ticks all your boxes, InkSync is a third option worth trying: Evernote syncs everywhere but charges you for the privilege; Simplenote is free everywhere but can barely do anything. InkSync gives you password locking, checklists, and color-coded organization on Android and the web — with 50 notes synced free and real-time sync that just works, no paywall for your own second device. The free plan includes up to 50 notes with real-time sync across Android and Web.
Absolutely. InkSync's free plan includes up to 50 notes and checklists with real-time sync across your devices — no credit card required. You can keep using Evernote or Simplenote alongside it while you decide.
If neither Evernote nor Simplenote ticks all your boxes, InkSync combines the core features of both while adding local-first offline support, a dedicated Brain Dump section, and AI proofreading.
| Feature | Evernote | Simplenote | InkSync |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Text Formatting | Markdown only | ||
| Web Clipper | |||
| Document & OCR Search (PDFs, Photos) | |||
| Tasks & Reminders | Built-in (paid) | Checklists (no calendar reminders) | |
| Note Organization | Notebooks, stacks & tags | Tags only | Tags & colors |
| Note Version History | Paid plans | ||
| Export Formats | ENEX, HTML, PDF | Plain text only | |
| Sync Cost | Free (limited) | Free | Free (50 notes) |
| Pricing | Around $10–15/mo (as of 2026) | Free | Free (50 notes) / $0.99/wk ($33.99/yr) |
| Cross-Platform (Android & Web) | All incl. Linux | ✓ (Android & Web) | |
| Real-time Collaboration & Sharing | Limited | Premium (invites) | |
| Note Locking (Password / Biometric) | Paid plans | ||
| Local-first Offline Mode | Paid plans | Good | Local-first (100% offline) |
| Dedicated Brain Dump (Voice, Text & Images) | Premium | ||
| AI Proofread & Tone Rewrite | Paid add-on | Premium |
Evernote syncs everywhere but charges you for the privilege; Simplenote is free everywhere but can barely do anything. InkSync gives you password locking, checklists, and color-coded organization on Android and the web — with 50 notes synced free and real-time sync that just works, no paywall for your own second device.
Evernote’s free tier is a demo with device limits and upload caps; the real app starts around $10/mo. InkSync’s free tier is the real app: 50 notes, synced across all your devices, with checklists, tags, colors, and locking included. That covers daily capture for most people before money ever changes hands.
Evernote’s sharing is an afterthought and Simplenote has none at all. InkSync Premium adds multi-user collaboration with invites: share a list with your partner, a note with family, a draft with a colleague, and edit together in real time. Notes stop being trapped on one person’s phone.
Capture voice memos, photos, and fragments in Brain Dump — a dedicated lane for messy thinking that neither Evernote’s clipper-first model nor Simplenote’s flat list provides — then polish drafts with AI proofread and tone rewrite on Premium ($0.99/week or $33.99/year). Evernote charges extra for AI; Simplenote will never have it.