Your current capture and search workflow is already dependable
A switch has a real cost in checking an established archive.
Evernote vs Joplin
This is a useful comparison for someone considering leaving Evernote without losing a working archive. Joplin can import Evernote exports and offers a free local editor, but switching also changes search, synchronization and some formatting. The low subscription cost is only one part of the decision.
Which software fits your needs
You want local notes without a compulsory paid editor plan
Its open-source app works independently of optional Joplin Cloud.
The short answer
Shortlist Joplin when you want an open-source notebook and a choice of storage service. Keep Evernote in the shortlist when capture and archive retrieval are already valuable enough to justify the plan. Do a representative migration test before canceling or deleting anything.
Prices and billing terms
Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Evernote
Free
Free
No subscription charge
AvailabilityGlobal; account terms apply
50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB storage and 1 device.
SourceStarter — monthly
USD 14.99/month
Monthly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Apple or Google billing can differ.
SourceStarter — annual
USD 99.00/year
Yearly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 5 GB and 3 devices.
SourceAdvanced — monthly
USD 24.99/month
Monthly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Safeguard limits apply to unlimited allowances.
SourceAdvanced — annual
USD 249.99/year
Yearly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Not the same monthly cost as a cancel-any-month plan.
SourceJoplin
Local app
Free
Free open-source application
AvailabilityGlobal
Optional external storage may have its own cost.
SourceCloud Basic — monthly
EUR 2.99/month
Monthly subscription
AvailabilityEUR public list price
2 GB and 10 MB per note or attachment.
SourceCloud Basic — annual
EUR 28.69/year
Annual subscription
AvailabilityEUR public list price
Vendor's explicit annual total; do not calculate it from the rounded monthly equivalent.
SourceCloud Pro — monthly
EUR 5.99/month
Monthly subscription
AvailabilityEUR public list price
30 GB and 200 MB per note or attachment.
SourceCloud Pro — annual
EUR 57.48/year
Annual subscription
AvailabilityEUR public list price
Includes creating shared notebooks.
SourceThe details, side by side
13 features
Documented differences. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Platforms
Evernote
Apps are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with browser access.
Vendor documentedSource
Offline use
Evernote
Synced desktop notes are stored locally. Mobile needs cached content or deliberately downloaded notes and notebooks.
Vendor documentedSource
Collaboration
Evernote
Evernote documents note sharing and real-time teamwork; Enterprise adds organization features.
Vendor documentedSource
Joplin
Cloud Basic can join another user's shared notebook. Pro or above can create a notebook share.
Vendor documentedSource
Export
Evernote
Free users can export ENEX or HTML from Windows and Mac. Web export is not supported.
Vendor documentedSource
Joplin
JEX preserves notes and metadata for Joplin restores; HTML and PDF exports are also documented.
Vendor documentedSource
Project portability
Evernote
Export up to 100 selected notes or an entire notebook. Choose which metadata to include.
Vendor documentedSource
Joplin
ENEX imports notes and resources; complex formatting and some inter-note links may need repair.
Vendor documentedSource
Free plan limits
Joplin
The local application is free and open source; Joplin Cloud is optional.
Vendor documentedSource
Starter limits
Joplin
Not yet verified for this product.
Web capture
Evernote
Web Clipper saves articles, PDFs and screenshots into a selected notebook with tags.
Vendor documentedSource
Joplin
Not yet verified for this product.
AI features
Evernote
Starter and Advanced document AI Edit and Transcribe; some other AI status labels differ between official pages.
AI Assistant and Semantic Search are listed on the current comparison page but marked coming soon in the plan-transition FAQ. Exact rollout needs an account check.
Joplin
Joplin Cloud plans list an AI chat beta for desktop. It is distinct from the core local editor.
Vendor documentedSource
Search scope
Joplin
Not yet verified for this product.
Sync choices
Evernote
Not yet verified for this product.
Joplin
Joplin Cloud, Nextcloud, S3, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive and local filesystem are supported.
Vendor documentedSource
Privacy and storage
Evernote
Not yet verified for this product.
Joplin
End-to-end encryption is supported but must first be enabled on one device and synchronized to the others.
Vendor documentedSource
Local OCR
Evernote
Not yet verified for this product.
Joplin
Desktop processes PNG, JPEG and PDF text offline. OCR results can sync to mobile; handwriting is not supported.
Vendor documentedSource
| Feature | Evernote | Joplin |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Apps are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with browser access. Vendor documentedSource | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android; Cloud plans also include a web app. |
| Offline use | Synced desktop notes are stored locally. Mobile needs cached content or deliberately downloaded notes and notebooks. Vendor documentedSource | The app keeps notes locally and is designed for offline use. Vendor documentedSource |
| Collaboration | Evernote documents note sharing and real-time teamwork; Enterprise adds organization features. Vendor documentedSource | Cloud Basic can join another user's shared notebook. Pro or above can create a notebook share. Vendor documentedSource |
| Export | Free users can export ENEX or HTML from Windows and Mac. Web export is not supported. Vendor documentedSource | JEX preserves notes and metadata for Joplin restores; HTML and PDF exports are also documented. Vendor documentedSource |
| Project portability | Export up to 100 selected notes or an entire notebook. Choose which metadata to include. Vendor documentedSource | ENEX imports notes and resources; complex formatting and some inter-note links may need repair. Vendor documentedSource |
| Free plan limits | 50 notes, 1 notebook, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB and 1 device. Vendor documentedSource | The local application is free and open source; Joplin Cloud is optional. Vendor documentedSource |
| Starter limits | 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 1,000 attachments, 5 GB and 3 devices. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Web capture | Web Clipper saves articles, PDFs and screenshots into a selected notebook with tags. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| AI features | Starter and Advanced document AI Edit and Transcribe; some other AI status labels differ between official pages. AI Assistant and Semantic Search are listed on the current comparison page but marked coming soon in the plan-transition FAQ. Exact rollout needs an account check. | Joplin Cloud plans list an AI chat beta for desktop. It is distinct from the core local editor. Vendor documentedSource |
| Search scope | Advanced search includes filters and attachment text search; an older feature page still uses retired plan names. | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Sync choices | Not yet verified for this product. | Joplin Cloud, Nextcloud, S3, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive and local filesystem are supported. Vendor documentedSource |
| Privacy and storage | Not yet verified for this product. | End-to-end encryption is supported but must first be enabled on one device and synchronized to the others. Vendor documentedSource |
| Local OCR | Not yet verified for this product. | Desktop processes PNG, JPEG and PDF text offline. OCR results can sync to mobile; handwriting is not supported. Vendor documentedSource |
Decide what problem the switch solves
Separate a pricing objection from a workflow objection. If the only problem is cost, calculate the time needed to inspect imported notes before assuming migration is free. If the problem is dependence on one service, Joplin offers a more direct change: it supports several sync providers in addition to its own cloud. If your main frustration is finding information, test retrieval explicitly. A successful import can preserve content while still changing the search habits that made the archive useful. Choose based on a clear problem rather than a generic list of alternative apps.
Source 1Source 2Understand the recurring costs
Evernote now uses Starter and Advanced individual plans. Starter has explicit limits, so an archive that exceeds them may require the higher tier. Joplin's local application is free. Its optional Cloud Basic plan is listed at €2.99 monthly or €28.69 annually, while Pro is €5.99 monthly or €57.48 annually. These are EUR prices and are not converted into an assumed USD charge. An existing compatible sync service may remove the need for Joplin Cloud, though that service can have its own fees and account limitations.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Offline access and encryption require setup
Joplin's offline-first model keeps notes on the device. Its end-to-end encryption needs to be enabled on one device first, followed by synchronization to the remaining devices. That is a useful option, not proof that a fresh installation is already configured the way you want. Evernote's desktop notes and mobile downloads have different preparation requirements. Before depending on either tool away from a connection, inspect a few older notes with attachments. Keep recovery information and a separate backup because synchronization alone should not be treated as a complete recovery plan.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Migration is supported but not perfectly lossless
Joplin imports Evernote ENEX files with notes, resources and metadata. Its documentation calls out limits: complex fonts and colors may change during Markdown conversion, recognition data is handled differently and some internal links rely on matching titles. HTML import is an option when preserving formatting matters. Use a notebook that contains your hardest examples, not only plain text. Compare note counts and spot-check embedded files, duplicate titles and links. The point of a pilot is to reveal repair work before that work is multiplied across the full archive.
SourceSearch and collaboration have meaningful differences
Joplin runs OCR locally on desktop for supported printed-text images and PDFs, then makes the results available to mobile through sync. Its documentation does not support handwriting recognition. That is a concrete difference for someone with photographed handwritten pages. For collaboration, Cloud Basic can participate in another person's shared notebook but cannot initiate its own share; Pro can. Do not assume that paying for synchronization provides every sharing workflow. Write down whether you need personal device sync, public reading or editing with another person and test those as separate tasks.
Source 1Source 2Source 3A reversible way to choose
Keep Evernote intact while exporting a sample notebook from the desktop app. Free accounts can use the documented export route. Import into Joplin and continue the same project there for several normal work sessions. Record which tasks became easier, which information was harder to retrieve and which formatting needed repair. If the outcome is positive, migrate in batches and preserve an untouched export. If it is negative, the experiment still identifies what you are paying Evernote to do. This recommendation is a proposed evaluation method rather than a hands-on result from this site.
Source 1Source 2Our take
Joplin is a credible candidate for an open-source archive and a lower compulsory software cost. Evernote may remain worthwhile when the existing capture and retrieval workflow saves more effort than migrating would. Test the archive rather than choose only from prices.
Common questions
Must I pay for Joplin Cloud?
No. The application supports local use and several other sync targets. Cloud adds managed sync and sharing features.
Will every Evernote link and layout survive?
Not necessarily. Joplin documents formatting and inter-note link limitations. Test representative ENEX exports before moving the full archive.
Check the sources
Evidence used for this comparison. A checked date records when we reviewed the source, not a promise that the vendor has made no changes since.
- Evernote Web Clipper (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com
- Evernote collaboration (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com
- Export Evernote notes (opens in a new tab)
help.evernote.com
- Evernote plan comparison (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com
- Evernote offline notes (opens in a new tab)
help.evernote.com
- Evernote Starter and Advanced FAQ (opens in a new tab)
help.evernote.com · Official USD monthly and annual prices; third-party billing may differ.
- Evernote search (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com · Page retains retired plan names. Use current plan FAQ for entitlements.
- Joplin import and export (opens in a new tab)
joplinapp.org
- Joplin OCR (opens in a new tab)
joplinapp.org
- What is Joplin? (opens in a new tab)
joplinapp.org
- Joplin Cloud plans (opens in a new tab)
joplinapp.org
- Joplin synchronization (opens in a new tab)
joplinapp.org
Keep comparing
Evernote vs OneNote: captured archive or handwritten notebook?
Note-taking · Shortlist OneNote for handwriting and a free supported notebook app. Shortlist Evernote for an established capture workflow that earns its recurring price. Check your actual device and migration route before deciding: exporting and handwriting conversion are not identical across platforms.
Notion vs Craft: running a workspace or shaping a document?
Note-taking · Shortlist Notion when structured records and managed access are central to the work. Shortlist Craft when the document is the main deliverable. Both have usable free entry points, but their limits and paid billing need careful interpretation rather than a universal cheaper label.
Notion vs Obsidian: shared workspace or personal knowledge base?
Note-taking · Start with Notion for an ongoing team process with shared pages and structured records. Start with Obsidian for a personal archive you want to control as files. Neither wins every workflow and neither should be chosen solely because an old comparison says the other cannot work offline.