Notion vs Evernote: Honest comparison in 2026 (I tried both)
Notion and Evernote both help you take notes and get work done, but they do it in different ways. In the Notion vs Evernote debate, I think the main difference is that Evernote keeps things simple and fast, while Notion gives you more ways to build and organize things your way. Evernote is great if you just want to write and find notes quickly. Notion is better if you want a system that can grow into something bigger with projects, tables, and dashboards.
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Table of content
Notion: A Complete Overview
Evernote: A Complete Overview
Quick Overview: Notion vs Evernote at a Glance
Before diving deep into the Notion vs Evernote comparison, here's a snapshot of how these two productivity giants stack up:
The Evernote vs Notion debate often comes down to simplicity versus flexibility. Notion positions itself as an all-in-one workspace where you can build almost anything, while Evernote focuses on doing one thing extremely well: capturing and organizing notes.
What is Notion?
Notion is like one workspace where you can keep notes, make to-do lists, run projects, and build your own systems. It started in 2013 and has become very popular around the world. Notion uses blocks. That means everything you add (text, tables, images) is a piece you can move around and reuse.
As of 2024 and into 2025, Notion has passed 100 million users around the world. It also has millions of people paying for premium plans and a big presence in companies everywhere
Notion by Numbers
I think these stats highlight why Notion has become such a popular productivity tool.
- 100+ million users worldwide as of late 2024
- 4 million paying customers actively subscribing
- $10 billion valuation after Series D funding
- Over 50% of Fortune 500 companies have teams using Notion
- $400 million in annual revenue reported for 2024
- Revenue grew nearly 500% from 2022 to 2024
- Approximately 800 employees as of 2025
We can see Notion didn’t become this big overnight. It went from 1 million users in 2019 to 100 million in 2024, which is huge growth.
Key Notion Features
Here are the main things that make Notion strong:
Flexible Page Structure: Every page starts blank, and you build it up using blocks like text, tables, checklists, or embeds. That lets you create simple notes or complex systems.

Databases: Notion has powerful tables, boards, calendars, and views. You can use one database in many ways, like lists or Kanban boards.

Team Collaboration: People can work on the same pages at the same time, comment, and mention each other.

AI Assistant: Notion’s AI can help you write, summarize, translate, or answer questions using your own notes.
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Templates: There are more than 20,000 templates listed on Notion templates gallery, so you don’t have to build everything from scratch.

Calendar and Mail: Notion added a built-in calendar and an email feature (Notion Mail) to bring more of your work into one place.

Notion Pricing Plans
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Notion's free plan is remarkably generous. Solo users can accomplish most tasks without paying, making the Evernote vs Notion free tier comparison heavily favor Notion.
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What is Evernote?
Evernote is one of the oldest note-taking apps. It launched in 2008 and became famous because it let you capture text, pictures, and scanned documents early on. You can save web pages, scan receipts, record voice notes, and search everything fast.
In 2023 Evernote was bought by a company called Bending Spoons. They have been updating it, including adding AI features and redesigning the app.
Evernote by the Numbers
Here are the main metrics for Evernote:
- 225 million registered users historically
- Approximately 8 million monthly active users currently
- Downloads dropped from 9.6 million (2017) to 1.7 million (2023)
- Revenue grew to approximately $18 million in 2023
- The platform supports 247 countries worldwide
- Approximately 320 employees
Even though Evernote has a larger total user count, in the Notion vs Evernote comparison we can see Notion’s community on Reddit is much more active. The main Notion subreddit has around 440,000 members,
Key Evernote Features
Fast Note Capture: You open Evernote and start typing immediately. It feels smooth and easy.

Web Clipper: The browser extension lets you save full articles, screenshots, and bookmarks to your Evernote notebooks.

Document Scanning and OCR: Evernote’s scanning with text recognition (OCR) is excellent. You can search text inside photos and scans.

Search: Evernote’s search is fast and smart, covering images, PDFs, and text.

Notebooks and Tags: Notes go into notebooks, and tags help you organize across categories.

Meetings Audio Notes: You can record voice memos and even transcribe them.

Calendar Integration: Evernote links with Google Calendar and Outlook so your notes and events work together.

New AI Features: Recent updates include a new AI assistant and smarter search with natural language understanding.

Evernote Pricing

Evernote's free plan became significantly more restrictive in December 2023. The 50-note limit and single-device restriction push users toward paid plans quickly. For serious use, you'll almost certainly need to subscribe.
Notion vs Evernote: Detailed Feature Comparison
Here’s how they compare in the things most people care about.
Note-Taking Capabilities
Notion: Notes are pages with blocks. This is very flexible, but the blank start can feel overwhelming if you just want to jot something down.
Evernote: You open and start typing. It feels quick and natural. Evernote wins here for speed and simplicity.
Verdict: Evernote is better if you want fast note-taking; Notion is better if you want structured and connected notes.
Organization and Structure
Notion: You can build complex structures with linked databases and nested pages. This is powerful if you want to organize ideas deep.
Evernote: Notebooks and tags are simpler and familiar. It is less powerful, but easier to use.
Verdict: Notion wins for complexity; Evernote wins for straightforward organization.
Project and Task Management
Notion: Notion can replace many project tools with boards, timelines, and task tracking.
Evernote: Has basic task features like reminders, but not much beyond that.
Verdict: Notion wins if you want real project management.
Team Collaboration
Notion: Real-time editing, comments, mentions, and flexible sharing make it great for teams.
Evernote: You can share notes and notebooks, but collaboration feels basic.
Verdict: Notion is stronger for teamwork.
AI Capabilities
Notion: The AI is deeply built in and can summarize, translate, and write content using your own workspace.
Evernote: AI features are newer and more limited, focused on search and basic summaries.
Verdict: Notion has broader AI features.
Mobile Experience
Notion: Full-featured but can be slower on big databases.
Evernote: Quick, lightweight, and good for capturing notes on the go.
Verdict: Evernote feels better for quick mobile capture; Notion is better for full workspace work.
Offline Mode
Notion: Notion works offline, but only for pages you’ve opened or marked for offline use. You can edit and create content there, but some features like embeds, AI, or sharing won’t work until you reconnect.
Evernote: Evernote lets you download notes or notebooks to your device. You can view and edit them without an internet connection, making offline work easier and more reliable.
Verdict: In the Notion vs Evernote offline comparison, Evernote is easier for working offline because all downloaded notes are fully accessible. Notion works, but you have to prepare pages first and some features won’t work offline.
Integrations
Notion: Connects with many apps natively and with Zapier.
Evernote: Fewer built-in integrations, though Zapier can help.
Verdict: Notion has more options for connecting with other tools.
Which Should You Choose?
The right choice in the Evernote vs Notion decision depends entirely on your specific needs:
Choose Notion If You:
- Want one workspace to do many things at once
- Need to manage projects with a team
- Like customizing and building your own systems
- Prefer flexibility over simplicity
- Want AI built into your notes
- Need lots of app integrations
- Mostly work on desktop or don’t mind learning mobile
Choose Evernote If You:
- Want to take notes quickly without setup
- Need great document scanning and OCR
- Prefer a simple notebook and folder system
- Want a tool that works right away
- Don’t need team collaboration
- Save lots of web content with browser extensions
- Want easy offline access to your notes
Use Case Scenarios: When Notion or Evernote Works Best
Students or Researchers: If you want to build connected notes, track reading lists, or organize research, Notion is better. But if you mainly need to take quick lecture notes or capture ideas fast, Evernote can be easier and faster.
Freelancers or Solopreneurs: Notion can act as your full business system, managing clients, projects, invoices, and documents all in one place. Evernote is simpler and works well if you just need a place to store ideas, notes, and references without extra setup.
Teams or Businesses: For collaboration and project management, Notion usually wins. Shared workspaces, real-time editing, and task tracking make it more suitable for teams. Evernote is fine for small teams or light sharing, but it’s limited compared to Notion.
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM): Both apps can help you organize your personal knowledge. Notion is stronger if you want linked databases and flexible structures. Evernote works as a digital filing cabinet, but it doesn’t let you create complex relationships between notes.
Bottom Line: Honest Take on Notion vs Evernote in 2026
I think the choice comes down to simplicity versus flexibility.
Notion is more versatile, keeps adding features, and works well for teams and complex systems. Evernote is solid for fast, everyday note-taking, scanning, and searching, especially if you want simplicity.
If you are starting fresh, Notion is the better long-term option. But if Evernote already holds your notes, there’s no urgent need to switch.
Remember: the best app is the one you actually use consistently. Even the fanciest features won’t help if the app sits unused.
Liked this? I've got more Notion templates that might help. They're all ready to use, no setup required.
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