How do I migrate from Evernote in 2026?

Evernote's 2024-2025 price hikes and data breaches have driven a mass exodus in 2026. The migration path depends on where you're going. Here's the playbook.

Step 1: Export from Evernote

• Open Evernote desktop app (Mac or Windows — the web app's export is limited).
• Right-click each notebook → Export Notebook → choose .enex (Evernote XML) format.
• Save each notebook as a separate .enex file.
• For very large libraries (>10,000 notes), export one notebook at a time to avoid hangs.

Step 2: Pick your destination

→ Apple Notes (free, native, simple)

• Tool: Evernote2Notes (Mac, free, open source).
• Strengths: free, syncs across Apple devices via iCloud, end-to-end encrypted with ADP.
• Weaknesses: no tags (Evernote's bread and butter), no advanced search, no databases.

→ Bear (free + $2.99/mo Pro)

• Tool: Bear has a built-in .enex importer (Preferences → Import & Export → Import).
• Strengths: tag-native (preserves Evernote tags), markdown, beautiful design, iCloud sync.
• Weaknesses: Mac/iOS only (no Windows or web).

→ Obsidian (free for personal use)

• Tool: Yarle (open-source, terminal-based, very robust).
• Strengths: local-first, plugins, fully owns your data as Markdown files.
• Weaknesses: steeper learning curve, mobile sync requires a separate $8/mo Obsidian Sync subscription (or self-hosted git).

→ Notion ($10/mo Plus tier)

• Tool: Notion's built-in importer (Settings → Import → Evernote).
• Strengths: databases, collaboration, AI features.
• Weaknesses: cloud-only, not private, Notion AI shares with OpenAI.

→ Némos (free)

• Tool: import .enex via the standard import flow.
• Strengths: iPhone-first, on-device AI, free tier covers unlimited notes, screenshots, voice notes, and Apple Watch capture.
• Weaknesses: not a 1:1 Evernote replacement — Némos is capture-heavy and search-heavy; less suited for long-form writing.

Step 3: Pre-migration cleanup (optional but recommended)

Before exporting, log into Evernote and:

• Delete obvious junk (old web clippings, dead links, duplicates).
• Consolidate scattered notebooks.
• Re-tag inconsistent items.

This saves migration time and gives you a fresh start on the new app.

Step 4: Verify

After import, spot-check:

• Note counts match between Evernote and the new app.
• Images and attachments came over (some tools drop these).
• Tags survived (Apple Notes will lose them; Bear/Obsidian/Notion preserve them).
• Internal note links (Evernote's "note link" feature) — most tools don't preserve these.

Step 5: Cancel Evernote

Once you've verified the migration is clean, cancel your subscription. Don't delete your Evernote account immediately — keep it dormant for 90 days in case you discover gaps.

Common pitfalls:

• Audio recordings: not all importers handle Evernote's audio attachments. Verify before deleting source.
• Encrypted text: Evernote's per-note encryption doesn't survive most exports. Decrypt before exporting.
• Reminders: Evernote's reminder dates rarely survive migration. Re-set important ones manually.

Plan for 2-6 hours total. Block out a Saturday morning.