Bye bye Evernote – it was great while it lasted

As a long time user of Evernote, it’s very disappointing to learn that the app’s new owners, Bending Spoons, has shut down its USA and Chilean operations and is shifting everything to its European HQ. And while that sucks for the teams in those places, there’s a further sting in the tail for users – the price of an annual subscription has tripled.

Bending Spoons acquired Evernote with the promise to boost Evernote with its “proprietary technologies” to “augment its usefulness” and “strengthen its reach.”

I’ve been a long time user of Evernote, having been a subscriber for almost as long as I’ve used a Mac. It’s a key element of my workflow as I have it linked to my ScanSnap scanner as well as using it for tapping out notes, article drafts and all sorts of other bits and pieces. But these latest moves, along with some questionable (at least in my view) decisions on what features to prioritise, means I’m done with Evernote.

Details of the layoffs and shift in operations were announced in a blog post that details some reasons bye severance conditions for the laid off employees. Bending Spoons CEO Francesco Patarnello said:

We’re committed to supporting those impacted with a substantial separation package. In most cases, this package includes 16 weeks of salary, up to one year of health insurance coverage, and a performance bonus, paid pro-rata as if the year-end performance targets have already been achieved. We’re also offering additional support to those in need, such as impacted individuals who are on a visa.

So, what does that mean in practical terms for Evernote’s users? There are a couple of options.

1. Keep using Evernote and pay the massively increased subscription fee.
2. Cancel your subscription and look for an alternative.
3. Start the cancellation process and take advantage of the 40% discount being offered to maintain your subscription for another year.

Options 1 and 2 are obvious options. When I canceled my subscription I was given the option to keep using Evernote Personal and receive a 40% discount on next year’s renewal. That was still a couple of dollars dearer than what I was already paying – not a big deal – but was likely just delaying the inevitable unsubscribe I’d eventually get to.

As for what I’m going to do now that I’m committed to the shift – that’s reasonably easy.

1. Export the Evernote data that I want to keep. As you can imagine, after over a decade of use, I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff I no longer need. The good news is that every single note I’ve saved is in a Notebook and it’s possible to export an entire notebook into a folder easily.
2. Create some ScanSnap profiles so I can automatically scan files to specific folders I access frequently.
3. Continue using Notability as my main note taking app.

Of course, there’s also Apple’s Notes app which is super useful and has evolved from a very basic app into a very handy tool. We use Notes at home for sharing lists but I’ve never really cottoned onto it as my main note taking app. But with Notability shifting from a perpetual licensing model to subscription and nagging me to pay I’m considering a replacement. However, the relatively low price is excellent value in my view.

Farewell Evernote, It was nice while it lasted.