Seeking a free Evernote alternative now that Evernote added limitations to free accounts? I saw it coming and made the switch to open source Obsidian just before Evernote announced that free accounts would be limited to one folder and 25 notes, essentially rendering it useless for me. Read on to learn how to export Evernote notes, why Obsidian is the best Evernote alternative, and how to move to Obsidian from Evernote.
What is the best free Evernote alternative?
Evernote has been my primary note-taking application and favorite free tool for over a decade, and in that time, I’ve accumulated a lot of notes. But the past couple years, I noticed their ads becoming more and more aggressive. I couldn’t help wondering whether they would be free forever and just how they planned to use all of the data they were accumulating about me. When I saw a press release last year stating that the company had been purchased, I immediately started looking for Evernote alternatives
But finding the best free Evernote alternative wasn’t easy. This time around, I was looking for something that ticked all of the boxes. Yes, it had to be as functional as my beloved Evernote. But data security and portability were also top of mind – especially when I realized how difficult it is to export notes from Evernote. The idea that all of my knowledge, notes, and creativity were housed somewhere in the cloud in file formats I couldn’t open elsewhere really started to nag at me.
Over the summer, I went through the process of backing up my notes. Even finding information on how to backup my notes from Evernote was difficult so I pretty much gave up the idea of moving my notes from Evernote entirely.
But then, last month, I reorganized some of my Evernote folders and realized that I couldn’t save the order of folders and subfolders. This seems like a little thing, but it finally made my process uncomfortable enough that I started ramping up my research. The ads were getting more fervent, and it seemed like a sign that this was the time to change.
And finally, I stumbled onto Obsidian just in time for Evernote to announce they are significantly limiting free accounts.
The day I dreaded is finally here. The free tool I used for a decade is collecting on the value they’ve provided, and I’m just not willing to pay the price.
Why is Obsidian better than Evernote?
Frankly, I haven’t found anything about Obsidian that doesn’t outshine Evernote.
Obsidian is open-source software that stores your notes on your device or in your own linked cloud. No need to worry about proprietary formats; notes are stored in text files that are incredibly portable with separate markup files handling all of the more exciting features. You can pay to sync your data or just save your vault in a folder already synced between devices. Since I use a MacBook and an iPhone, I keep Obsidian in my iCloud where it syncs much faster than I expected.
The best part is that it looks and feels like Evernote, but actually functions better for me and allows you to access community plugins that are very versatile. This is Evernote PLUS and totally open-source and free. And while Evernote took a little finagling to get my notes exported, importing them to Obsidian was so fast it shocked me. All the fear of losing my notes to Evernote’s paywall and proprietary note format forever instantly vanished, and I breathed a significant sigh of relief.
Read on to learn how to export Evernote to Obsidian (or just how to backup Evernote notes).
How to Export Evernote Notes to Obsidan
Evernote doesn’t want you to leave. The fact that my data started feeling too locked in was what initially made me research alternatives, and when it came time to export my Evernote notes, I couldn’t figure out how to do it. After a lot of internet searching and some trial and error, here’s the process I discovered for how to export Evernote notes.
1. Download Evernote for Desktop
Turns out the option is only available on the desktop version of the app. You know, the one that most free users don’t use because they can only be logged into two devices at a time, and the internet version of Evernote counts. So if you can’t find the button to export your notes, you’ll actually have to download Evernote for desktop, sign in, and unlink one of the other two devices you are currently using – which will sign you out.
Note: You are limited to changing devices twice in a month which means you can do this one time and then switch it back so be sure you have time to do all of your exporting before you need to use that second device again.
2. How to Export Evernote Notes
Exporting may take awhile. Each folder has to be clicked individually to export it so this isn’t a quick process if you have a decade worth of notes in countless folders.
Note: Save yourself some time and do a bit of organizing before you export Evernote notes. Be sure to put all zipped folders in the same folder so you can easily import them to Obsidian en masse.
3. Download and Setup Obsidian
You’ll need to download Obsidian to your devices. The first time you login, you’ll be given the option to choose where you want your vault to be stored.
Note: If you want to sync files for free, you’ll need to store this vault in a cloud that already syncs between your devices.
4. How to Import Evernote Notes to Obsidian
You’ll have to install the Importer plugin which can be found under community plugins in settings. Then just select Evernote as your source and choose the folder that contains your exported Evernote notes. Press import, and BAM! Suddenly all of your Evernote notes are accessible ON YOUR COMPUTER, ORGANIZED, READABLE BY OBSIDIAN OR ANYTHING THAT CAN READ .TXT.
More Benefits of Obsidian
This is groundbreaking, right? Not just for me? Because this is exactly what I was looking for, and Obsidian actually allows me to order my folders by numbering them rather than resaving the order randomly every time I close the app. Plus, there are countless plugins that allow you to program and use your information and notes in unique ways. This is an epic program that is the best thing I’ve encountered since… well, since Evernote.
An extra cool element of Obsidian is that it integrates with many things. I installed the Omnivore plugin (and started using Omnivore which is also opensource and free) to automatically sync my highlights and notes on articles from the web to a folder in my Obsidian vault. This is going to be amazing for research and creating content that really provides value to readers by highlighting resources they can further explore.
