Evernote vs Zoho Notebook
We give Evernote a 3.2 GPA and Zoho Notebook a 3.4, out of 4.0. Evernote grades higher on features. Zoho Notebook grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Evernote
Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search
Zoho Notebook
Card-based notes app with a web clipper, scanner and AI add-ons
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAEvernoteVery good | 3.4GPAZoho NotebookVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $99 a year, about $8.25 a month, or $14.99 paid monthly. That's the dear end of a category that typically starts at $5.99, and it still stops at 1,000 notes and 3 devices. Unlimited everything is Advanced, at $249.99 a year. | APro is $19.99 a year. A year, not a month. That buys 100 GB and search inside your scans. Evernote's paid plan starts at $99 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | BThere is a free plan, but it's small: 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB of storage and sync on a single device. So it's your phone or your laptop, not both. Paid plans have a 7-day trial. | BNo ads, sync on all your devices and no cap on notes that we could find. But 500 MB in total and 10 MB a file goes quickly once you add photos and recordings. |
| Features | AA Web Clipper for Chrome, Firefox and Safari, document scanning, and search that takes Boolean and location queries or finds related notes by meaning. Add tasks with reminders, Google and Microsoft calendars, an AI assistant, meeting transcripts and shared notes edited in real time. | BText, checklist, audio, photo, sketch and file cards, plus a web clipper, a scanner and Kanban-style boards. Wide, not deep. The AI transcription is kept for Pro Plus. |
| Ease of use | B4.4 from about 78,000 App Store ratings. Reviews going back several years report crashes, freezes or unsaved edits in the iPhone and iPad app, sometimes after a big update. | B4.7 from about 23,900 App Store ratings, and the card layout takes minutes to get. Reviewers do describe notes doubling up or going missing between laptop and phone, though. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a browser clipper, with Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and Outlook connected. An MCP connector lets Claude and ChatGPT work with your notes. No Linux app, though. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, with clippers for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. It hooks into Google Workspace, Slack, Zapier and IFTTT. |
| Best for | a searchable archive of clippings, scans and notes | cheap note-taking on every device |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Evernote and Zoho Notebook. How we grade
Where they differ
- Evernote starts at $99 per year (about $8.25 a month), or $14.99 billed monthly. Zoho Notebook starts at $1.67 per month, billed annually at $19.99 (Pro).
- Only Zoho Notebook lists a Linux app.
- Evernote also covers templates, tasks and calendar.
- Zoho Notebook also covers meeting notes, transcription and kanban boards.
At a glance
| Evernote | Zoho Notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per year (about $8.25 a month), or $14.99 billed monthly | $1.67 per month, billed annually at $19.99 (Pro) |
| Free plan | 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB of storage, 1 connected external calendar and sync on 1 device. | Essential plan: sync across devices, 500 MB of cloud storage, up to 20 versions per note, 10 MB file uploads, 30-minute audio recordings, document scanning, tags and reminders. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of paid plans; Evernote Enterprise can be tried free for 14 days. | Free trial of the Business plan; a Pro trial is available on request through support. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Bending Spoons | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | frontdeskreview.com (not the vendor's own page) | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Evernote
- People who save web pages, scans and documents and need to search across them
- Keeping notes, tasks and calendar events in a single app
- Teams that want shared notes with central administration and single sign-on
Zoho Notebook
- Low-cost note-taking: Pro is $19.99 a year
- People who like notes laid out as visual cards
- Teams already using Zoho apps such as Zoho CRM, Cliq or Mail
- Recording meetings or lectures and getting transcripts on Pro Plus
Worth knowing
Evernote
- The Free plan is limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook and sync on a single device.
- Starter is capped at 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 5 GB of storage and 3 synced devices.
- There is no Linux app; the desktop apps are for Mac and Windows only.
- In-note encryption is offered only in the Mac and Windows apps, and AI Cleanup only on mobile.
Zoho Notebook
- The free Essential plan has 500 MB of cloud storage on Zoho's pricing page (its App Store listing says 2 GB), 10 MB per file upload and 20 versions per note.
- Notebook AI (transcription, mind maps and generative AI) comes with Pro Plus, not with Essential or Pro.
- Whiteboards, the Teams workspace, the admin console and audit logs are part of the Business plan only.
- Prices vary by region and store: the US App Store lists Pro at $2.49 a month or $24.99 a year, above Zoho's web price.
Key features
Evernote
- Web Clipper and document scanning
- A browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari saves web pages into notes, and paper documents can be scanned in alongside them.
- Advanced and semantic search
- Search supports Boolean, geographic and filtered queries, and semantic search surfaces related notes based on their content.
- Tasks and calendar
- Tasks take due dates, reminders and assignees. Google and Microsoft calendars can be connected: 1 on the Free plan and 5 on paid plans.
- AI Assistant
- A chat assistant searches, organizes and enriches notes, with monthly and per-chat usage limits. AI Edit writes, summarizes, tidies and translates notes.
- AI Transcribe
- Records meetings and conversations, then produces a transcript and summary inside a note.
- Collaboration and MCP
- Shared notes support real-time editing, comments and task assignment. An MCP connector lets Claude, ChatGPT and other compatible AI tools use your notes.
Zoho Notebook
- Note cards
- Each note is a card of a set type: text, checklist, audio, photo, sketch, file or Smart Card. Cards sit in notebooks with tags, reminders and nested collections.
- Notebook AI and meeting notes
- With Pro Plus, recorded or uploaded audio and video is transcribed into structured notes, long notes become mind maps, and text can be drafted, summarized or translated.
- Web Clipper
- Extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge clip articles, screenshots and bookmarks, attach sticky notes to web pages and summarize pages with AI.
- Scanner and search
- The camera scans documents on every plan. Pro adds scanning of tables and business cards, plus OCR and object detection so search reaches text inside images and documents.
- Noteboards and Whiteboards
- Noteboards lay notes out in Kanban-style lists, up to 4 lists on the free plan. Whiteboards, a shared canvas for sketching and planning, come with the Business plan.
- Sharing and locking
- Notecards, notebooks and collections can be shared with other people or sent as public links, and Pro adds co-owner access. Notes and notebooks can be locked with a password, Touch ID or Face ID.
Plans
Evernote
Free$0
50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB of storage and sync on 1 device.
Starter$99
per year ($14.99 if billed monthly)
1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 10 spaces, 5 GB of storage, 5 external calendars and sync across 3 devices.
Advanced$249.99
per year ($24.99 if billed monthly)
Unlimited notes, notebooks, spaces, storage and synced devices, subject to safeguard limits against abuse.
Enterprise (Flexible, Unlimited)Custom
Team plans with centralized account administration, user activity logs and single sign-on. Pricing is by quote.
Zoho Notebook
Essential$0
Sync across devices, 500 MB of storage, 20 note versions, 10 MB file uploads, up to 4 Noteboard lists, document scanning, tags and reminders.
Pro$1.67
per month, billed annually ($19.99); $1.99 billed monthly
100 GB of storage, 100 note versions, 1 GB file uploads, OCR search, PDF annotation, emails into notes and co-owner sharing.
Pro Plus$3.34
per month, billed annually ($39.99); $3.99 billed monthly
500 GB of storage, longer audio and video recordings, AI transcription up to 30 hours a month, AI mind maps and generative AI.
For Business$4.16
per user / month, billed annually ($49.90); $4.99 monthly
1 TB of storage for up to 10 users (+100 GB per extra user), a Teams workspace, whiteboards, an admin console and audit log access.
Ways to pay less
Evernote
- Education
40% off Evernote Advanced for students
Eligible college students who are not already paying subscribers get 40% off a one-year Evernote Advanced subscription, with student status verified through UNiDAYS.
Zoho Notebook
- Annual discount
Save up to 16% with yearly billing
Zoho's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 16%. Pro is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro Plus is $39.99 a year against $3.99 a month.
- Other savings
Three-year plans for Pro and Pro Plus
Pro can be bought for 3 years at $49.99 and Pro Plus at $99.99, which is less than three yearly payments of $19.99 or $39.99.
- Education
Free plan for students
Students who sign up with an educational institution email address get a free student plan, and Zoho says they also get Notebook AI at no charge.
- By country
Lower price listed in Indian rupees
The price file that Zoho's pricing page loads, read on 9 October 2026, lists Pro at ₹99 a month and ₹999 a year in Indian rupees, against $1.99 and $19.99 in US dollars.
