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Poll: What is your experience with EverNote?

I've had EverNote recommended to me by someone whom I respect, but with whom I share very little technical background. As a result I'm happy that it's good for him, but concerned that it might not suit me. As an idle thought, I wondered what experience you peeps here on HN have with it. Please select both your experience, and your OS. I've not bothered to try to be too comprehensive or detailed.

writeclick 16y ago
It's even better now on the new iPhone app. I use it to remember and organize everything that's not a task or appointment. The only thing I wish it supported was Markdown in the editor, and maybe more export formats. Highly recommended.
MatthewPhillips 16y ago
I used Evernote for quite a while as my primary note app, and I liked it generally but had problems with their web app which was overly complicated and not nice to look at. I know they are (or were?) working on a new version of the web app, but I've since moved on to Springpad, which gives you the same UX on all platforms (web and mobile), so I'm happy with using it exclusively.
hparra 16y ago
I used Evernote extensively for a few months. Their mobile apps did not support rich text, which frustrated me, but I found myself using the desktop clients exclusively. Evernote may be excellent for certain workflows, but it just didn't jive with me. The concepts of documents, books, and tagging became a sort of work in itself. What I really needed was a giant flexible outline: WorkFlowy. I recommend this simple but powerful mind tool without reservation.
- mrexroad 16y ago
  workflowy ftw.
- sdm 16y ago
  Same boat here. Evernote was great for moving between devices but the limitations of the plain text note format way a pain to a list maker like me. When WorkFlowy started supporting iPad an iPhone through the web, I switched and never looked back.
schwit 16y ago
Android: The EverNote installer says the app requires access to certain areas of the device. - Hardware Controls - Network Communications - Your Location - Your personal Information - Storage - Phone Calls - System Tools This is absurd. I passed.
- tekacs 16y ago
  Well location and storage might be something to do with its ability to tag with location and add pictures? Network comms, sure, the rest, who knows... ? Thankfully it's locked down on iOS, with access to my location only after a prompt, else I'd never bring myself to trust it. I'm worried enough that notes aren't encrypted server-side.
rome 16y ago
I use the Evernote plugin in Chrome as a delicio.us replacement. I clip blog posts and sites adding notes and tagging them for future reference. It's a notebook for my life.
misterbwong 16y ago
I use evernote on OSX/Windows/iPhone/iPad. So far it's OK. It does what I need it to do, but the web and desktop clients are a bit clunky IMO. I'd probably switch if there was a service that was a) fast b) supports a wide range of devices c) was able to import my current notes from evernote and d) was free for a low volume of notes
flyt 16y ago
For whatever reason it was a nonstarter for me. Notational Velocity + Simplenote has worked much better.
- CamT 16y ago
  Evernote just didn't click for me either. I felt overwhelmed by its potential (photos, devices, external services), when all I really wanted was to write flat text. The mobile experience on Android was also not ideal for this goal. I also moved on to using Simplenote with Notational Velocity as a desktop client. By having NV store files in a Dropbox folder, you gain some redundancy and flexibility for editing the notes.
Contractor69 16y ago
You need to add an iPhone/SmartPhone option too. Never used it on the desktop, just on my phone.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
u48998 16y ago
I use the older desktop version at work just to jot down notes etc. Don't want to upgrade it, don't care for anything else.
exhnlurker 16y ago
I use it a lot to keep track on what i do during the day so I keep myself honest on what I have done for the day. I think the biggest thing to using evernote effectively for me was to have a standardized set of tags that you will remember. common tags that i use. (not a complete list) - blog (notes to jot down stuff for the current day.) - howto (tricks and gotcha when learning new things.) - temp (notes that i will delete in the next day or two.) - reminder (a simple reminder note to pay bills, go to meet people, etc...)
dminor 16y ago
I love it, but pretty much just use it as a searchable repository for paper bills/letters. Scanner scans to a directory that's monitored by Evernote, then the bill gets shredded.
tekacs 16y ago
I use Evernote a ridiculous amount, with equally preposterous amounts of information in it. I like the idea of notes, with file attachments synced everywhere and as a premium subscriber, I have 'offline notebooks' to ensure that my iPhone always has the latest copy of all of my files. I switched across from DevonThink for Mac, since that only supported WiFi sync and essentially nothing between computers. My biggest qualms with the service are that its notes are in HTML (which is open, but clunky and horrible should I ever have to leave Evernote) and that your notes aren't encrypted server-side (which is pretty hard to achieve, given the way their platform works). I use Evernote on my home desktop (Mac Pro), laptop (MacBook Pro), iPhone, iPad and Linux (both NeverNote and Wine). I suspect it'll suit you most if you like search and tags over folders (note: I use Pinboard (and love it) too) and if you need data portability... If you're just on the one computer and sure of it, there are, ultimately, better apps...
- tekacs 16y ago
  Oh and incidentally, the ability to e-mail in notes is pretty damn epic. As much as their HTML notes are annoying, e-mailing in a HTML e-mail and finding it flawless and intact is lovely. (and the print PDF to Evernote helper, too)
zumbojo 16y ago
I have yet to give Evernote a full test drive but personally ever since Google implemented two-factor authentication Google Docs seems to have a profound aura of safety that makes notes feel super-private and nigh-unloseable. It’s hard to complete with that. If Evernote were to implement OpenID I would likely be much more interested.
- tekacs 16y ago
  I don't worry about this so much, on the basis that my entire Evernote database is synced to every computer I use, in a form which can be exported. I'd love to switch to Google Docs, but I worry about keeping data solely in the cloud. Same reason I prefer Dropbox over WebDav as found in iDisk.
brcrth 16y ago
The reason I don't like it is that the interface on the OS X is extremely slow, and it's like a ported version of a non-native application.
talleyrand 16y ago
The UI for the web-based app (I'm a Linux user) is clunky and unpleasant. It seems they haven't changed it for years.....
tingley 16y ago
I've been using Evernote since October, primarily for straight note-taking (logs of things done during coding, draft emails, records of meetings, etc). I used to use vim + dropbox + grep, but a) I finally got a decent phone and wanted to get it involved, and b) I was having trouble getting a metadata system that was easy and worked. Evernote is not perfect -- I rely heavily on bulleted lists, and their (Windows) editor has some weird bugs that I run into with some regularity. But it's definitely made it easier for me to manage and retrieve my own information, which is what I wanted.
Banzai10 16y ago
My biggest problem was not really with Evernote but with create discipline to take important notes. The only version I tried to use was the Android version, and I couldn't create value using it.
deadcyclo 16y ago
I tested evernote for a bit but I never really liked it, but I really couldn't tell you why. I finally ended up using both catch (previously 3banana) and springpad. There's a lot of overlapping features between the two, but I ended up using both because I find catch better for general note taking and springpad better for lists and similar.
aschobel 16y ago
Howdy HN, I'm co-founder at Catch.com and I would love to get some feedback or answer questions about Catch Notes. We are a bunch of hackers trying to make it easy to capture and find what is important.
gavaletz 16y ago
I liked it a lot until I convinced my wife to use it too. Then I realized that I was going to have to pay more than I wanted to be able to collaborate on a note. Then I started to notice the shortcomings of the UI and in particular the abilities of the Android client (at the time there was no local caching). Since I was not using it for text recognition in PDFs and scanned images I came to the conclusion that I would rather have the formatting flexibility of google docs and ability to share it and collaborate easily/freely. If I ever want to just do plain text I think I will install etherpad on one of my servers.
smgoller 16y ago
I use it a lot, it's great. Use it on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android. I scan all my receipts, bills and statements into it. Quite handy.
haridsv 16y ago
Thanks for asking the question, I have been doing the research myself to move away from google notes and google bookmarks. I have been trying Evernote and so far don't like it much. All the interfaces that I tried (web, windows client, chrome extension, iphone and android apps) are clumsy, slow and lacking. I don't especially like the fact that desktop clients have offline support for free, but you need to pay for the mobile clients to get this functionality. I am looking at SpringPad as an alternative (their web and android interface seems snappy, and they support offline storage as well as no storage limits), but waiting for them to add a feature to import and export data. I will not try a product that locks in user data.
jrandomuser123 16y ago
Great tool, most tech folk that I come in contact with end up using it (not just IT, also my veterinarian, for example)
faitswulff 16y ago
I tried it and then moved on. Now I use dropbox and a .txt file with the .LOG timestamp hack. Works beautifully.

writeclick 16y ago

It's even better now on the new iPhone app. I use it to remember and organize everything that's not a task or appointment. The only thing I wish it supported was Markdown in the editor, and maybe more export formats. Highly recommended.

MatthewPhillips 16y ago

I used Evernote for quite a while as my primary note app, and I liked it generally but had problems with their web app which was overly complicated and not nice to look at. I know they are (or were?) working on a new version of the web app, but I've since moved on to Springpad, which gives you the same UX on all platforms (web and mobile), so I'm happy with using it exclusively.

hparra 16y ago

I used Evernote extensively for a few months. Their mobile apps did not support rich text, which frustrated me, but I found myself using the desktop clients exclusively. Evernote may be excellent for certain workflows, but it just didn't jive with me. The concepts of documents, books, and tagging became a sort of work in itself. What I really needed was a giant flexible outline: WorkFlowy. I recommend this simple but powerful mind tool without reservation.

mrexroad 16y ago
workflowy ftw.
sdm 16y ago
Same boat here. Evernote was great for moving between devices but the limitations of the plain text note format way a pain to a list maker like me. When WorkFlowy started supporting iPad an iPhone through the web, I switched and never looked back.

schwit 16y ago

Android: The EverNote installer says the app requires access to certain areas of the device. - Hardware Controls - Network Communications - Your Location - Your personal Information - Storage - Phone Calls - System Tools This is absurd. I passed.

tekacs 16y ago
Well location and storage might be something to do with its ability to tag with location and add pictures? Network comms, sure, the rest, who knows... ? Thankfully it's locked down on iOS, with access to my location only after a prompt, else I'd never bring myself to trust it. I'm worried enough that notes aren't encrypted server-side.

rome 16y ago

I use the Evernote plugin in Chrome as a delicio.us replacement. I clip blog posts and sites adding notes and tagging them for future reference. It's a notebook for my life.

misterbwong 16y ago

I use evernote on OSX/Windows/iPhone/iPad. So far it's OK. It does what I need it to do, but the web and desktop clients are a bit clunky IMO. I'd probably switch if there was a service that was a) fast b) supports a wide range of devices c) was able to import my current notes from evernote and d) was free for a low volume of notes

flyt 16y ago

For whatever reason it was a nonstarter for me. Notational Velocity + Simplenote has worked much better.

CamT 16y ago
Evernote just didn't click for me either. I felt overwhelmed by its potential (photos, devices, external services), when all I really wanted was to write flat text. The mobile experience on Android was also not ideal for this goal. I also moved on to using Simplenote with Notational Velocity as a desktop client. By having NV store files in a Dropbox folder, you gain some redundancy and flexibility for editing the notes.

Contractor69 16y ago

You need to add an iPhone/SmartPhone option too. Never used it on the desktop, just on my phone.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

u48998 16y ago

I use the older desktop version at work just to jot down notes etc. Don't want to upgrade it, don't care for anything else.

exhnlurker 16y ago

I use it a lot to keep track on what i do during the day so I keep myself honest on what I have done for the day. I think the biggest thing to using evernote effectively for me was to have a standardized set of tags that you will remember. common tags that i use. (not a complete list) - blog (notes to jot down stuff for the current day.) - howto (tricks and gotcha when learning new things.) - temp (notes that i will delete in the next day or two.) - reminder (a simple reminder note to pay bills, go to meet people, etc...)

dminor 16y ago

I love it, but pretty much just use it as a searchable repository for paper bills/letters. Scanner scans to a directory that's monitored by Evernote, then the bill gets shredded.

tekacs 16y ago

I use Evernote a ridiculous amount, with equally preposterous amounts of information in it. I like the idea of notes, with file attachments synced everywhere and as a premium subscriber, I have 'offline notebooks' to ensure that my iPhone always has the latest copy of all of my files. I switched across from DevonThink for Mac, since that only supported WiFi sync and essentially nothing between computers. My biggest qualms with the service are that its notes are in HTML (which is open, but clunky and horrible should I ever have to leave Evernote) and that your notes aren't encrypted server-side (which is pretty hard to achieve, given the way their platform works). I use Evernote on my home desktop (Mac Pro), laptop (MacBook Pro), iPhone, iPad and Linux (both NeverNote and Wine). I suspect it'll suit you most if you like search and tags over folders (note: I use Pinboard (and love it) too) and if you need data portability... If you're just on the one computer and sure of it, there are, ultimately, better apps...

tekacs 16y ago
Oh and incidentally, the ability to e-mail in notes is pretty damn epic. As much as their HTML notes are annoying, e-mailing in a HTML e-mail and finding it flawless and intact is lovely. (and the print PDF to Evernote helper, too)

zumbojo 16y ago

I have yet to give Evernote a full test drive but personally ever since Google implemented two-factor authentication Google Docs seems to have a profound aura of safety that makes notes feel super-private and nigh-unloseable. It’s hard to complete with that. If Evernote were to implement OpenID I would likely be much more interested.

tekacs 16y ago
I don't worry about this so much, on the basis that my entire Evernote database is synced to every computer I use, in a form which can be exported. I'd love to switch to Google Docs, but I worry about keeping data solely in the cloud. Same reason I prefer Dropbox over WebDav as found in iDisk.

brcrth 16y ago

The reason I don't like it is that the interface on the OS X is extremely slow, and it's like a ported version of a non-native application.

talleyrand 16y ago

The UI for the web-based app (I'm a Linux user) is clunky and unpleasant. It seems they haven't changed it for years.....

tingley 16y ago

I've been using Evernote since October, primarily for straight note-taking (logs of things done during coding, draft emails, records of meetings, etc). I used to use vim + dropbox + grep, but a) I finally got a decent phone and wanted to get it involved, and b) I was having trouble getting a metadata system that was easy and worked. Evernote is not perfect -- I rely heavily on bulleted lists, and their (Windows) editor has some weird bugs that I run into with some regularity. But it's definitely made it easier for me to manage and retrieve my own information, which is what I wanted.

Banzai10 16y ago

My biggest problem was not really with Evernote but with create discipline to take important notes. The only version I tried to use was the Android version, and I couldn't create value using it.

deadcyclo 16y ago

I tested evernote for a bit but I never really liked it, but I really couldn't tell you why. I finally ended up using both catch (previously 3banana) and springpad. There's a lot of overlapping features between the two, but I ended up using both because I find catch better for general note taking and springpad better for lists and similar.

aschobel 16y ago

Howdy HN, I'm co-founder at Catch.com and I would love to get some feedback or answer questions about Catch Notes. We are a bunch of hackers trying to make it easy to capture and find what is important.

gavaletz 16y ago

I liked it a lot until I convinced my wife to use it too. Then I realized that I was going to have to pay more than I wanted to be able to collaborate on a note. Then I started to notice the shortcomings of the UI and in particular the abilities of the Android client (at the time there was no local caching). Since I was not using it for text recognition in PDFs and scanned images I came to the conclusion that I would rather have the formatting flexibility of google docs and ability to share it and collaborate easily/freely. If I ever want to just do plain text I think I will install etherpad on one of my servers.

smgoller 16y ago

I use it a lot, it's great. Use it on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android. I scan all my receipts, bills and statements into it. Quite handy.

haridsv 16y ago

Thanks for asking the question, I have been doing the research myself to move away from google notes and google bookmarks. I have been trying Evernote and so far don't like it much. All the interfaces that I tried (web, windows client, chrome extension, iphone and android apps) are clumsy, slow and lacking. I don't especially like the fact that desktop clients have offline support for free, but you need to pay for the mobile clients to get this functionality. I am looking at SpringPad as an alternative (their web and android interface seems snappy, and they support offline storage as well as no storage limits), but waiting for them to add a feature to import and export data. I will not try a product that locks in user data.

jrandomuser123 16y ago

Great tool, most tech folk that I come in contact with end up using it (not just IT, also my veterinarian, for example)

faitswulff 16y ago

I tried it and then moved on. Now I use dropbox and a .txt file with the .LOG timestamp hack. Works beautifully.