Jotter is the better app overall, scoring 8.4 to 7.6. Jotter wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Evernote on 1.
iPhone and iPad users who want a quick, private notepad with handwriting
Long-time users with large archives of clipped articles and scanned documents
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Jotter | Evernote |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #8 of 10 | #10 of 10 |
| Developer | The Big Head | Bending Spoons |
| Pricing | Free | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | — | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Strengths and weaknesses
Jotter
- No titles, folders or save buttons to slow you down
- Handwriting and voice notes are searchable on the device
- Free, no account, synced through your own iCloud
- Apple devices only, with no Mac or web app
- No backlinks, plugins or collaboration
Jotter is built around one idea: open it and start typing. The first line names the note and it saves as you go. Checklists, Apple Pencil handwriting, scans and voice notes live in the same note, and search reads the text inside pictures and handwriting on the device. It lacks the linking and plugins of Obsidian, but as a free, private everyday notepad it is quick and pleasant.
Full Jotter review
Evernote
- Excellent web clipper for saving articles
- Finds text inside images, PDFs and scans
- Mature apps on every major platform
- Free plan is too limited for regular use
- Paid plans cost more than most rivals
Evernote is still a capable place to capture everything. The web clipper is excellent, search finds text inside images and PDFs, and notes, tasks and calendar links live together. Since Bending Spoons took over, the apps have become faster and gained AI-powered search. The problem is value: the free plan is now very restrictive, and paid plans cost more than most rivals. Hard to recommend unless you already rely on it.
Full Evernote review
