Evernote is a traditional note-taking app focused on simplicity and broad device compatibility, while Roam Research is a graph-based knowledge management system designed for interconnected thinking and research. Roam excels at linking ideas across notes; Evernote excels at quick capture and organization.
Evernote vs Roam Research — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Specialized note-taking and digital clipping platform with industry-leading OCR technology.
Networked note-taking platform specializing in bidirectional linking, backlinking, and knowledge graph visualization.
Core Architecture. Monthly Subscription Cost. Offline Access. Learning Curve. Mobile Apps. Maximum Storage (Free Tier). AI-Powered Features
Choose Evernote if you need a reliable, intuitive note-taking app with strong mobile apps, offline access, and quick capture for articles, documents, and daily notes. Choose Roam Research if you're building a personal knowledge base, conducting research, or want to explore interconnected thinking with bidirectional links and knowledge graphs.
Evernote: $11.99 | Roam Research: $15/month
Evernote: 1 note/month | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 40 GB/month upload | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 10+ (article, simplified, bookmark, screenshot, full page) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 50+ basic templates | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Up to 5 users per note | Roam Research: Not supported; 1 user per workspace
Evernote: Not supported | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Full offline access across all devices | Roam Research: ~5% read-only mode only
Evernote: 43 languages | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 2 devices | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Full article capture with formatting preservation | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: No - premium only | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Basic - manual export only | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 250+ million | Roam Research: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Evernote: $11.99/month | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: No - notebooks and tags only | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 0 - No Zapier support | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 5 (intuitive interface) | Roam Research: N/A
Annual Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Evernote: $119.99/year | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 5 platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) | Roam Research: Web (primary), limited iOS/Android
Evernote: 2 notebooks max | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Yes (included in paid plans) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Yes (shared notebooks) | Roam Research: Native multi-user editing
Evernote: Limited (WYSIWYG primary) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: $180/year | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 5 (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 100MB per note | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 60MB per month | Roam Research: Unlimited (3 graphs max)
Evernote: 2,000+ integrations | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: No (limited, requires tools) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: All platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 225+ million registered users (as of 2024) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Unlimited | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Full offline mode with complete sync | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Standard encryption (Evernote manages keys) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Basic sharing, no real-time co-editing | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Full-featured with selective sync and formatting preservation | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: No; proprietary codebase | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 2-3 seconds | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 3 (List, Tag, Saved Search) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: 0.5 weeks (intuitive) | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: Reliable background sync with full offline queue | Roam Research: N/A
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: $15/month
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 44 native tools plus MCP servers
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Multi-provider LLM support with AI agents
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Unlimited collaborators
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Bidirectional linking and networked graphs
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Researchers, knowledge workers, academics
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: API access with scheduled jobs coming soon
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Unlimited
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Yes, full API
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: No native support
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Basic views
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Advanced backlink queries
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Unlimited with real-time editing
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: $165/year
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: None (paid only)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 40-50 hours
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Not available
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Native feature
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Interactive visual graph of note connections
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 60% of desktop features
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Cloud-based (Roam servers)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Closed-source proprietary
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Datalog with RoamScript
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Unlimited (cloud-based)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: JSON, Markdown, EDN
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 40-60 hours for advanced use
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: $180/year
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: ~150 plugins
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Proprietary JSON (Edn format)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 1.5M+ registered (2024)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Built-in interactive graph with density indicators
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Roam cloud servers (third-party controlled)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: iOS, Android, Web (all full-featured)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 30 days free trial
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: $180/year (only paid option)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 2 (Web, limited mobile beta)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Not available (no free tier)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Basic code block support
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: No offline; web-only
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: AI assistant for summaries
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: ~50 official extensions
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: ~0.2 million (2024 estimate)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 3 (Web, iOS, Android)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Cloud-hosted; Roam Inc. retains server access
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: No free tier
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Automatic backlinks with graph visualization
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: Web-only; no native apps
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 50-100 community templates
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: 15-20 hours (graph mastery required)
Evernote: N/A | Roam Research: API + JSON + Markdown + open data model
How to choose between Evernote and Roam Research
Evernote vs Roam Research — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Evernote vs Roam Research. Contains 113 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Evernote vs Roam Research — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Evernote vs Roam Research.
Yes, Evernote supports full offline access on all platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows). Your notes sync automatically when you reconnect to the internet. This is one of Evernote's key advantages over Roam Research, which is web-based only.
No, Roam Research does not have native iOS or Android apps. It is a web-based platform that can be accessed via mobile browsers, but the experience is limited compared to desktop. This significantly reduces usability for mobile-first users compared to Evernote's full-featured apps.
What is bidirectional linking and why does it matter?
Bidirectional linking means when you link from Note A to Note B, the system automatically creates a back-reference showing that Note B is referenced in Note A. This creates a knowledge graph. Roam Research uses this extensively; Evernote does not. Bidirectional linking helps researchers and academics discover connections between ideas, but adds complexity for casual users.
Which is better for research and academic work?
Roam Research is better for deep research and academic work because bidirectional linking, backlinks, and query features help you synthesize information across hundreds of notes. Evernote is better for collecting and organizing research materials. Many academics use both: Roam for synthesis, Evernote for capture.
How much does data export cost and is it easy?
Both services allow exports, but differ in format. Evernote exports to .enex (proprietary XML) or markdown via third-party tools; Roam exports to markdown or EDN format. Roam's export is simpler but less widely supported. Neither charges for export. Evernote's format is more vendor-locked, making migration harder.
How to Choose Between Evernote and Roam Research
Core Architecture: Evernote has Hierarchical notebook system with tags, while Roam Research has Graph-based bidirectional linking.
Monthly Subscription Cost: Evernote has $14.99/month (Premium), while Roam Research has $15/month (Roam Unlimited).
Offline Access: Evernote has Full offline access (all tiers), while Roam Research has Limited offline (web-based only).
Learning Curve: Evernote has Intuitive for most users (5-10 minutes), while Roam Research has Steep for graph-based thinking (3-7 days).
Mobile Apps: Evernote has iOS and Android with feature parity, while Roam Research has Mobile web only, no native apps.
Maximum Storage (Free Tier): Evernote has 2 GB per month upload limit, while Roam Research has 3 graphs, unlimited storage.
AI-Powered Features: Evernote has Limited AI (search optimization only), while Roam Research has Native AI assistant for summaries.