An Evernote alternative that isn't for sale.
Evernote has been sold twice and reinvented four times, and your notes went along for the ride. The Writing Desk is one file. There is nothing to sell.
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've watched Evernote change hands, change pricing, and change what "free" means, all while holding a decade of your notes. This page is for the person who wants to be done with that class of surprise.
The Evernote price above comes from our Subscription Price Index, read at source and checked on 3 August 2026.
Which plan you are actually being offered
Personal and Professional were discontinued. The nearest plan to the one most people remember paying for is now Starter, and the free tier is capped at fifty notes in a single notebook. Nothing about your archive changed except the terms on which you may keep reaching it.
Export from Evernote
Evernote exports .enex; the Writing Desk imports rich text, Markdown, and plain text. Most people move the notes they still use, not the whole ten-year backlog.
What you give up
The clipper, image-heavy notes, and business-plan features. If those are why you're on Evernote, this isn't a like-for-like replacement.
Common questions
Can I keep both while I decide?
Yes. Copy the notes you actually reach for into the Writing Desk. If a year later you haven't opened Evernote, cancel.
What about the web clipper?
No clipper. If you save pages, save them as HTML files next to your notes file, a folder-level system, not an app-level one.
Search?
Full-text, local, instant.
Compared to Obsidian?
See /vs/obsidian.