Anytype vs Evernote

Anytype is a local-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace for notes, documents and personal databases, built by Any, a small company based in Berlin. Instead of pages and blocks alone, everything in Anytype is an object with a type and relations, so a book, a meeting, a person or a task can carry its own fields and be linked to anything else. Data lives on your devices first and syncs peer to peer or through Any's backup nodes using its open any-sync protocol, and the source code is public on GitHub.

The app runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. Sets and collections turn objects into database views (grid, kanban, gallery, list, calendar), templates speed up repeated notes, and shared spaces let small groups collaborate on the same encrypted data. The free tier covers local use and sync with a storage limit; paid membership tiers add more backup storage, more shared spaces and editors, and a unique network name.

Anytype fits privacy-conscious individuals and small teams who want a Notion-like model without handing their data to a cloud provider. The object model takes time to learn, real-time collaboration is less mature than Notion's, and there are far fewer integrations and templates. Obsidian is the closest choice for plain Markdown files and plugins, Notion wins on collaboration and ecosystem, and Capacities offers a similar object-based approach as a cloud service.

Evernote is one of the original cross-platform note-taking apps, launched in 2008 and known for capturing everything from web pages and PDFs to scanned receipts in one searchable archive. Italian app maker Bending Spoons acquired it in early 2023, cut staff and reworked the product and pricing.

Notes live in notebooks and spaces with tags, and Evernote is still strong at capture: a Web Clipper for Chrome, Firefox and Safari, document scanning, email-to-Evernote, OCR search inside images and PDFs, and offline notes. Tasks and a calendar that connects to Google and Microsoft calendars sit next to notes. Evernote v11 adds AI features including an AI Assistant, semantic search, transcription, rewrite and a meeting note taker, plus an MCP connection for AI tools. The Free plan is now tight at 50 notes and one notebook, so most users need Starter or Advanced; team plans are quoted.

It fits long-time users with large archives and people who clip and scan heavily. Notion is more flexible for structured databases and team wikis, Obsidian keeps notes as local Markdown files for free, and Apple Notes or OneNote cost nothing on their platforms. Many users left after the 2023 price rises and free plan limits, and Evernote's collaboration is weaker than Notion's.

Buying tip: the 2026 plan reshuffle replaced Personal and Professional with Starter ($99 a year) and Advanced ($249.99 a year). Monthly billing costs much more, and prices can differ when bought through Apple or Google, so pay annually on the web.