Evernote vs Joplin 2026: Privacy, Cost & Features
Evernote is a cloud-first, feature-rich note-taking platform with strong web clipping and collaboration tools, while Joplin is a free, open-source alternative that prioritizes privacy and offline-first functionality without vendor lock-in.
Evernote
Specialized note-taking and digital clipping platform with industry-leading OCR technology.
Teams, professionals, and individuals who need robust note organization, frequent web content capture, and collaborative workspace features.
Joplin
Free, open-source note-taking application emphasizing privacy, offline functionality, and user data ownership.
Privacy-conscious users, open-source advocates, individuals managing personal knowledge bases, and users who want complete data portability without subscriptions.
Quick Answer
AI SummaryEvernote is a cloud-first, feature-rich note-taking platform with strong web clipping and collaboration tools, while Joplin is a free, open-source alternative that prioritizes privacy and offline-first functionality without vendor lock-in.
Our Verdict
AI-assistedChoose Evernote if you value seamless web clipping, team collaboration, and don't mind paying for a polished, cloud-based experience with strong business features. Choose Joplin if you prioritize privacy, want complete data ownership, prefer open-source software, and need reliable offline functionality without recurring subscription costs.
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Choose Evernote if
Teams, professionals, and individuals who need robust note organization, frequent web content capture, and collaborative workspace features.
Choose Joplin if
Best pickPrivacy-conscious users, open-source advocates, individuals managing personal knowledge bases, and users who want complete data portability without subscriptions.
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Key Differences at a Glance
- Cost Model:✓ Joplin wins(Free, Open-Source vs $11.99/month or $99.99/year)
- Data Privacy & Ownership:✓ Joplin wins(User controls data; can self-host or use local encryption vs Evernote owns servers; data stored on Evernote infrastructure)
- Web Clipper Capability:✓ Evernote wins(Full-featured clipper with selective sync and formatting preservation vs Basic web clipper; limited formatting options)
Key Facts & Figures
30 numeric metrics compared
| Metric | Evernote | Joplin | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription Cost(USD) | $11.99 | Free | |
| Free Plan Monthly Note Limit(notes) | 1 note/month | — | — |
| Maximum Storage (Premium)(GB) | 40 GB/month upload | — | — |
| Web Clipper Capture Options(count) | 10+ (article, simplified, bookmark, screenshot, full page) | — | — |
| Available Templates(count) | 50+ basic templates | — | — |
| Monthly Upload Limit (Free)(MB) | 10 MB | — | — |
| Premium Monthly Cost(USD) | $14.99 | — | — |
| Languages Supported by OCR(count) | 43 languages | — | — |
| Maximum Devices (Free Plan)(devices) | 2 devices | — | — |
| User Base Size(millions) | 250+ million | — | — |
| Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)(USD) | $11.99/month | — | — |
| Free Plan Storage Limit(GB) | 50 MB | — | — |
| Paid Plan Storage Limit(GB per month) | 100 GB | — | — |
| Web Clipper Quality Rating(out of 10) | 9 | — | — |
| Third-Party Integrations (Zapier)(available integrations) | 0 - No Zapier support | — | — |
| Setup Time for New Users(hours) | 5 (intuitive interface) | — | — |
| Annual Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)(USD) | $119.99/year | — | — |
| Free Plan Notebook Limit(notebooks) | 2 notebooks max | — | — |
| Annual Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)(USD) | $180/year | — | — |
| Number of Supported Platforms(platforms) | 5 (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) | — | — |
| Maximum Note Size(MB) | 100MB per note | — | — |
| Free Tier Monthly Upload Limit(MB) | 60MB per month | — | — |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations) | 2,000+ integrations | — | — |
| Monthly Active Users (Estimated)(millions) | 225+ million registered users (as of 2024) | — | — |
| Monthly Upload Limit (Premium Tier)(GB) | 10 GB | Unlimited | — |
| Monthly Premium Cost(USD) | $11.99 | — | — |
| OCR Text Recognition Accuracy(percent) | 95% | — | — |
| Web Clipper Save Time(seconds) | 2-3 seconds | — | — |
| Database View Types(types) | 3 (List, Tag, Saved Search) | — | — |
| Learning Time to Proficiency(days) | 0.5 weeks (intuitive) | — | — |
Sourced from publicly available data ·
Key Differences
7 attributes compared head-to-head
- $11.99/month or $99.99/yearCost ModelFree, Open-Source(winner)
- Evernote owns servers; data stored on Evernote infrastructureData Privacy & OwnershipUser controls data; can self-host or use local encryption(winner)
- Full-featured clipper with selective sync and formatting preservation(winner)Web Clipper CapabilityBasic web clipper; limited formatting options
- Real-time shared notebooks, comments, task assignments(winner)Collaboration FeaturesNo built-in collaboration; requires third-party sync solutions
- Limited offline access; requires active subscriptionOffline FunctionalityFull offline access; syncs when connection available(winner)
- 200 MB/month (free tier); 10 GB/month (premium)Maximum Monthly UploadUnlimited uploads (depends on sync service chosen)(winner)
- Notebooks, Stacks, Tags, Saved SearchesNote Organization SystemNested notebooks, Tags, Saved Searches
- Cost Model
Evernote
$11.99/month or $99.99/year
Joplin
Free, Open-Source(winner)
- Data Privacy & Ownership
Evernote
Evernote owns servers; data stored on Evernote infrastructure
Joplin
User controls data; can self-host or use local encryption(winner)
- Web Clipper Capability
Evernote
Full-featured clipper with selective sync and formatting preservation(winner)
Joplin
Basic web clipper; limited formatting options
- Collaboration Features
Evernote
Real-time shared notebooks, comments, task assignments(winner)
Joplin
No built-in collaboration; requires third-party sync solutions
- Offline Functionality
Evernote
Limited offline access; requires active subscription
Joplin
Full offline access; syncs when connection available(winner)
- Maximum Monthly Upload
Evernote
200 MB/month (free tier); 10 GB/month (premium)
Joplin
Unlimited uploads (depends on sync service chosen)(winner)
- Note Organization System
Evernote
Notebooks, Stacks, Tags, Saved Searches
Joplin
Nested notebooks, Tags, Saved Searches
Full Comparison
| Attribute | Evernote | Joplin |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription Cost(USD) | $11.99 | Free(winner) |
| Free Plan Monthly Note Limit(notes) | 1 note/month | — |
| Premium Monthly Cost(USD) | $14.99 | — |
| Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)(USD) | $11.99/month | — |
| Annual Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)(USD) | $119.99/year | — |
Show 2 more attributesAnnual Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)(USD) $180/year — Monthly Premium Cost(USD) $11.99 — | ||
| Maximum Storage (Premium)(GB) | 40 GB/month upload | — |
| Monthly Upload Limit (Free)(MB) | 10 MB | — |
| Free Plan Storage Limit(GB) | 50 MB | — |
| Paid Plan Storage Limit(GB per month) | 100 GB | — |
| Web Clipper Capture Options(count) | 10+ (article, simplified, bookmark, screenshot, full page) | — |
| Database Relations & Rollups | Not supported | — |
| Offline Functionality(capability level) | Full offline access across all devices | — |
| Languages Supported by OCR(count) | 43 languages | — |
| Web Clipper Capability | Full article capture with formatting preservation | — |
Show 9 more attributesNative Database Support No - notebooks and tags only — Web Clipper Quality Rating(out of 10) 9 — Free Plan Notebook Limit(notebooks) 2 notebooks max — Real-Time Collaboration Yes (shared notebooks) — Native Markdown Editor Support No (limited, requires tools) — Offline Access Availability(platforms) All platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) — Web Clipper Quality Full-featured with selective sync and formatting preservation Basic clipping with limited formatting options OCR Text Recognition Accuracy(percent) 95% — Database View Types(types) 3 (List, Tag, Saved Search) — | ||
| Available Templates(count) | 50+ basic templates | — |
| Real-time Collaboration Users(concurrent users) | Up to 5 users per note | — |
| Team Collaboration Features | Basic sharing, no real-time co-editing | No native collaboration tools |
| Maximum Devices (Free Plan)(devices) | 2 devices | — |
| Offline Access (Free Plan) | No - premium only | — |
| Microsoft Office Integration | Basic - manual export only | — |
| Supported Platforms | 5 platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) | — |
| Maximum Devices (Simultaneous Sync)(devices) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| User Base Size(millions) | 250+ million | — |
| Third-Party Integrations (Zapier)(available integrations) | 0 - No Zapier support | — |
| Setup Time for New Users(hours) | 5 (intuitive interface) | — |
| Learning Time to Proficiency(days) | 0.5 weeks (intuitive) | — |
| OCR (Optical Character Recognition) | Yes (included in paid plans) | — |
| Native Markdown Support | Limited (WYSIWYG primary) | — |
| Number of Supported Platforms(platforms) | 5 (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) | — |
| Maximum Note Size(MB) | 100MB per note | — |
| Free Tier Monthly Upload Limit(MB) | 60MB per month | — |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations) | 2,000+ integrations | — |
| Offline Note Access | Full offline mode with complete sync | Full local database with complete offline capability |
| Monthly Active Users (Estimated)(millions) | 225+ million registered users (as of 2024) | — |
| Monthly Upload Limit (Premium Tier)(GB) | 10 GB | Unlimited |
| Web Clipper Save Time(seconds) | 2-3 seconds | — |
| End-to-End Encryption | Standard encryption (Evernote manages keys) | Client-side E2E encryption available and default |
| Open Source | No; proprietary codebase | Yes; full source code on GitHub (AGPL-3.0 license) |
| Mobile App Offline Sync | Reliable background sync with full offline queue | — |
Show 2 more attributes
Show 9 more attributes
Pros & Cons
10 pros·4 cons across both
Evernote
Pros
- Industry-leading web clipper with full article capture and formatting preservation
- Real-time collaboration with shared notebooks and comment threads
- Powerful search using OCR to find text within images (Premium)
- Seamless synchronization across 5+ devices simultaneously
- Email-to-note capability for quick capture from inbox
Cons
- Subscription required ($11.99/month minimum); free tier severely limited
- Data stored on Evernote servers; limited control over infrastructure and privacy
Joplin
Pros
- 100% free with no feature restrictions or paywalls
- Open-source code auditable for security and customizable for developers
- Full end-to-end encryption support (client-side encryption standard)
- Complete offline access; no internet connection required for core functionality
- Self-hosting options; sync via Nextcloud, WebDAV, or local file system
Cons
- No native team collaboration features; requires workarounds for sharing notes
- Web clipper functionality is basic; doesn't preserve complex formatting from articles
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions
Yes. Joplin is completely free and open-source with no paywalls, feature restrictions, or premium tiers. You only pay if you choose a cloud sync service (like Nextcloud hosting), but local sync is also available at no cost.
Resources & Learn More
Curated sources to dive deeper
Where to Buy
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Wikipedia
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