Evernote vs Notability: Comparison Between the Best Note-Taking Tools

Part 1. User Interface and Design

Evernote recently introduced several vital improvements, and an updated user interface is one of them. This new interface features a clean and simplified design, unlike prior versions that had more of a cluttered look. The latest user interface has been designed with both functionality and experience in mind. Now, you can easily navigate through the app with recent notes, notebooks, and shortcuts, all listed clearly on the homepage.

While there are limited customization options, you can still choose between dark and light themes according to your preference. Overall, a modern, clean, smooth, and visually appealing interface not only enhances readability but also improves the overall note-taking experience. This makes Evernote an excellent note-taking app for everyone.

On the other hand, Notability is known for its simple and sleek user interface, which is designed specifically for taking notes. However, the layout is different than Evernote. When you open the app, you will see your subjects and dividers on the left sidebar that are used to simplify organization.

Moreover, handwritten notes and all the tools are prominently displayed on the homepage, making search and navigation easy. Just like Evernote, customization options are limited, allowing you to work only on writing tools, subjects, and dividers according to your needs.

While both apps feature a simple and clean interface, based on your preferences, you can choose which app is easier for you to navigate and use.

Part 2. Note-Taking Features

Evernote is one of the most popular note-taking apps that allows its users to create, store, organize, and share information in various formats. Using this app, you can create text-based notes, insert images, create checklists, create tables, and even attach files, making the note-taking experience intuitive and interactive.

The app features a wide range of note-taking features, such as AI-powered search, offline access, note linking, automatic online saving, and whatnot. Evernote also offers other valuable note-taking features like Web Clipper, attachments, PDF annotation, and more. All these features make Evernote the top choice for making notes and organizing data.

On the contrary, Notability does not come with all the fancy note-taking features that Evernote does. Instead, the app focuses primarily on handwritten notes and sketches. One of the reasons why Notability is hailed as an excellent app for making notes is its ability to capture your ideas quickly. Whether you are in a meeting, in a lecture, or simply documenting your thoughts, this app has you covered.

To make the note-taking experience much more convenient and fun, you can personalize your notes using a range of writing tools. You can highlight your text, choose from different pen types, and pick a color to jot down ideas. Moreover, its ability to capture audio notes quickly makes it a formidable contender to Evernote.

So, if you need a tool specifically for taking notes quickly and easily, Notability takes the lead.

Part 3. Organization Tools

In Evernote, notebooks are an excellent way of organizing your notes by project, category, location, and purpose. The app offers a comprehensive range of organizing tools, including customization, notebook stacks, tags, shortcuts, search, reminders, note links, offline working, offline syncing, and more. For example, if you need to create two separate notebooks with different categories, you can do so using powerful organization tools to keep the notes separate and easy to find.

You can create notebooks for your work projects, creative projects, travel planning, or any other project. All these tools are designed to make the process of organizing files simple and easy.

So, whether you are a business executive, entrepreneur, or a creative person, you can capture ideas and organize files easily with Evernote.

While Evernote is known for its organization tools, Notability also has an impressive range of organization tools. The tools include dividers, subjects, a favorites toolbar, a search function, and color-coding. Moreover, there is multi-note support, note sorting, bookmarks, and PDF annotations to manage notes effectively.

Notability’s approach to organizing notes, tasks, and files is simple and perfect for those looking for an easy-to-use app. On the opposite, Evernote offers more flexible and in-depth tools, making it an ideal choice for both professional and casual use.

Part 4. Collaboration Features

When it comes to collaboration features, Evernote vs Notability is still the topic of discussion. Both apps cater to different user preferences and collaboration needs. At this point, there is nothing that Evernote cannot do, and collaboration is no exception. The app is designed for individuals and teams to collaborate by sharing notes and notebooks that allow for real-time collaborations. You can share notes with anyone to keep them informed, even if they are not an Evernote user.

Moreover, individuals can edit and comment on notes simultaneously without one person overlapping the other. This allows for real-time discussions within the document, making it convenient for teams to communicate without having to call for in-person meetings again and again. Oveall, Evernote allows its users to create a shared workspace, which makes it an ideal option for businesses that constantly require file editing, organization, and sharing.

As for the Notability, it is designed with individual use in mind, which makes it a perfect tool for solo note-taking, sharing notes, and working on personal projects. It is important to know that Notability does not support real-time collaborative work like Evernote.

However, you can share the notes through email, AirDrop, iCloud, Google Drive, and other cloud services. In essence, Notability is an excellent tool for sharing notes, but it does not support real-time collaborations. So, based on your personal or professional use, you choose between the two apps.

Part 5. Platform Compatibility

When it comes to compatibility across platforms, Evernote wins by a mile. This popular note-taking app is compatible with several platforms, including operating systems, devices, and browsers. So, if you are a Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad, Android, or Evernote Web user, the app should work fine on all these platforms without any interruptions.

This cross-platform compatibility ensures you can synchronize your notes, files, and other information on different devices, providing a seamless note-taking and organizing experience. However, it is important to know that at a time, you can only sync Evernote on two devices, which can be inconvenient.

While Notability is a free note-taking app, it is exclusive to Apple devices. If you are a loyal Apple user and work only on Apple devices, having an app designed specifically for such users can be a plus. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision, or any other device, Notability might be the tool for you.

Also, with the Plus subscription, you will be able to sync the notes on up to 10 devices at a time, which can be convenient for users. Of course, you will need to consider other features as well when making a choice. In the end, the choice really comes down to your preferences and needs.

Part 6. Integration with Third-Party Apps

Evernote is known for its exceptional integration capabilities with other apps and tools. You can easily integrate this app with the tools that you already use. From calendars to emails and project management apps to file management and spreadsheets, you name it, Evernote will integrate with that app.

Evernote can be integrated with Asana, Dropbox, Trello, Todoist, Google Tasks, Google or Outlook Calendar, and more. All these integrations allow users to centralize their information and access it using various apps.

In contrast, Notability offers limited integration options as the app works only on Apple devices and platforms. This means you can integrate Notability with iCloud to sync your notes across all your Apple devices. Plus, you can import files from other apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive, and AirDrop using a share feature in those apps.

Again, if you want to stay within the Apple ecosystem, Notability offers a seamless note-taking and sharing experience. On the other hand, if you are someone who uses different apps, Evernote is an ideal option.

Part 7. Pricing Model

In the Notability vs Evernote debate, the pricing model is where customers really make a choice. Both apps boast amazing features, intuitive interfaces, and sharing capabilities, and the prices are a reflection of that. For Evernote, several subscription models cater to different users and requirements. You can always start with a free plan that offers core note-taking features, connection with 1 device, 60 MB monthly uploads, and 25 MB max. Note size and access to Evernote's top features and some advanced tools.

For more advanced features, you will need to upgrade to a personal plan, professional plan, or business plan, which would cost you $10.83, $14.16, and $20.83 per month, respectively. These are the discounted prices for now. The original prices for these plans are $14.99 for personal, $17.99 for professional, and $24.99 for a business plan. The pricing model is one of the main reasons why people are switching from Evernote to other note-taking apps.

If you are on a budget and looking for a basic note-taking, sharing, and organizing app, Notability is an excellent alternative. It is entirely free to use, and you can access limited editing features, record lectures, and create custom templates.

However, for unlimited note-taking and additional features, you will need to upgrade to Notability Plus, which costs $14.99 per year. So, when choosing an app for taking notes, make sure to look for prices and choose according to your needs and budget.

Part 8. Audio Recording

When comparing Evernote and Notability based on their audio recording feature, both offer the feature, but there is a difference. Evernote allows you to record and store audio notes directly into the app. Whether you want to record a meeting, class lecture, or important speech or capture quick ideas, you can do so by storing the recording and playing it back whenever you need to.

Additionally, you can record the audio notes, attach them to individual notes, and even sync them across devices. However, Evernote offers limited features when it comes to editing and organizing the recordings. The app may be best for taking notes, but for making audio notes, you might find other specialized apps.

When talking about specialized audio note-recording apps, Notability stands tall. The app allows its users to capture ideas and detailed audio notes while taking handwritten notes. With this app, you can easily record audio and link it with specific parts of the notes. Plus, with advanced playback features, you can skip to a specific part of the audio, making it ideal for personal, professional, and academic use.

Part 9. Which One is the Best?

In the Evernote vs Notability comparison, one thing is guaranteed: both apps offer excellent note-taking features that cater to different audiences and preferences. Where Evernote excels at integrating with several other apps, Notability stands out in terms of capturing audio notes. Also, for people looking for a budget-friendly option, Notability might be ideal. However, that comes with the cost of not having access to some of the best organizing tools that Evernote offers.

In the end, you need to consider your personal or professional use, budget, organizing, and editing requirements when making the choice. But if you need an additional tool that is a contender for these two, you can search for evernote vs notability vs goodnotes comparisons and reviews.