The Enshittification of Evernote
The Enshittification of EvernoteEvernote was the dominant note-taking app of the early 2010s, built on a generous free tier and a 'remember everything' pitch. From 2016 onward the company raised prices, imposed device limits on free users, and briefly adopted a privacy policy allowing employees to read notes before reversing it. After Milan-based Bending Spoons acquired the company in 2022, it laid off most staff across two rounds, moved operations to Europe, and restricted the free plan to fifty notes and a single notebook.
Alternatives
Notes stored as plain Markdown files on your own device, free for personal use, with optional paid sync, your data never lives only in someone else's cloud.
Open-source note-taking app with end-to-end encrypted sync to a provider of your choice and a one-click Evernote import tool.
The Paper Trail
| Date | Category | Symptom · rating · source |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-06 | pricing | Price increases and a two-device limit for free usersEvernote raised the price of its Plus plan from $2.99 to $3.99 per month and Premium from $4.99 to $7.99, while limiting free Basic accounts to syncing across only two devices. Free users with more devices had to drop devices or upgrade.↳ 9to5Mac |
| 2016-12 | privacy | New privacy policy lets employees read notesEvernote announced a privacy policy, due January 2017, under which some employees could read user notes to verify machine-learning features, with no full opt-out for users who kept using the service. After swift backlash the company reversed course within days, making employee access opt-in, with the CEO conceding the company 'messed up.'↳ TechCrunch |
| 2022-11 | quality | Bending Spoons acquires EvernoteEvernote announced its acquisition by Bending Spoons, a Milan-based mobile app developer known for Splice and Remini. The deal ended Evernote's independence after more than two decades and closed in early 2023.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-02 | quality | New owner lays off 129 Evernote staffersBending Spoons laid off 129 Evernote employees shortly after completing the acquisition, citing years of unprofitability. The cuts spanned product design, engineering, HR, sales, customer service, and marketing.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-07 | quality | Nearly all US staff dismissed as operations move to EuropeEvernote dismissed most of its remaining employees in the US and Chile as Bending Spoons moved the majority of operations to Europe. The company said a dedicated team based mostly in Italy would take over development going forward.↳ AppleInsider |
| 2023-11 | features | Free plan restricted to 50 notes and one notebookEvernote confirmed that from December 4, 2023 all free accounts would be limited to fifty notes and a single notebook, after testing the restriction on a small share of users. Existing notes beyond the cap remained viewable and exportable, but creating new ones required a paid plan.↳ TechCrunch |
The Wall
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