Evernote alternative

[Alvinc]

Please explain – where in the interface is that request a copy option located?

Go to privacy.apple.com and log in. Choose the first item on the menu: Obtain a copy of your data > Request a copy of your data. Then choose "iCloud Notes".

You will have to wait around two days for the email with the link to download all your copies (remark: iPad and iPhone are not allowed to download. Desktop and laptop only. Not sure if Windows is okay). Plain text files with attachments are sorted into folders (according to notes) as well. Formats and links will be lost in this case.

 

[MacBH928]

I am a Standard Notes user and I wouldn't really go to it for "lightness," because as an electron app it's not that much better than a website. For instance, no command-n to make a new note. It has other things to recommend it, principally top tier security and good sync across all platforms.

I feel similarly about Obsidian, although it seems like if you put a lot of effort into customizing it you could probably get everything just so.

For work notes I've landed on "The Archive," which just reads a folder of markdown files on your Mac. It supports wiki-like interlinking, which can be handy for making connections, and it actually has a pretty slick way of allowing you to insert images inline into plain markdown so that you can see them right in the note. It is also inspired by the legendary Notational Velocity, which was probably the pinnacle of "light" UI. All while remaining a folder of plain text files and an Images folder, which means I can switch to BBEdit, or even just work in BBEdit instead for a week, without breaking anything.

Not for everybody, works for me. Until something new comes along!

nice find with The Archive. Very obscure it seems no one ever mentioned it

 

[Tagbert]

Go to privacy.apple.com and log in. Choose the first item on the menu: Obtain a copy of your data > Request a copy of your data. Then choose "iCloud Notes".

You will have to wait around two days for the email with the link to download all your copies (remark: iPad and iPhone are not allowed to download. Desktop and laptop only. Not sure if Windows is okay). Plain text files with attachments are sorted into folders (according to notes) as well. Formats and links will be lost in this case.

It is annoying that links are stripped out. A lot of my notes are mainly organized groups of links.

 

[MacBH928]

It is annoying that links are stripped out. A lot of my notes are mainly organized groups of links.

what is a notes app that sustains the links? is it the markdown ones?

 

[pshufd]

I use iCloud notes heavily and you could say that I run my life with it.

I use Growly Notes when I want to save large volumes of stuff, particularly PDFs, where I don't want the information on the WWW.

I just started using Evernote again because of one feature that's missing from iCloud Notes and that is the ability to have a link with a link title and the actual link where the actual URL doesn't show up in the document. Some of these link URLs are 1/4 of a page long and I'd rather not see them. I only have one document where I need this. I have tried other Note programs as well but the simple note programs don't have it.

If you know of a program that does have it, I'm all ears. I only need it to run on macOS as I don't use this document on mobile devices.

 

[sracer]

I use iCloud notes heavily and you could say that I run my life with it.

I use Growly Notes when I want to save large volumes of stuff, particularly PDFs, where I don't want the information on the WWW.

I just started using Evernote again because of one feature that's missing from iCloud Notes and that is the ability to have a link with a link title and the actual link where the actual URL doesn't show up in the document. Some of these link URLs are 1/4 of a page long and I'd rather not see them. I only have one document where I need this. I have tried other Note programs as well but the simple note programs don't have it.

If you know of a program that does have it, I'm all ears. I only need it to run on macOS as I don't use this document on mobile devices.

I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to, but I suggest giving Joplin a try. It supports markdown where links have a text description that is separate from the URL link. I use this feature in Joplin and it is very handy.

 

[pshufd]

I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to, but I suggest giving Joplin a try. It supports markdown where links have a text description that is separate from the URL link. I use this feature in Joplin and it is very handy.

I installed it and had a look but it doesn't have an option to save to a local file - just export and import, and some cloud services but it doesn't include iCloud.

 

[sracer]

I installed it and had a look but it doesn't have an option to save to a local file - just export and import, and some cloud services but it doesn't include iCloud.

I don't use iCloud nor their cloud service.
Notes are locally stored in:

~/.config/joplin-desktop

Notes that have images will have the images stored in the resources folder under that folder.

 

[Tagbert]

I don't use iCloud nor their cloud service.
Notes are locally stored in:

~/.config/joplin-desktop

Notes that have images will have the images stored in the resources folder under that folder.

would the new iCloud end to end encryption make a difference for you on that?

 

[sracer]

would the new iCloud end to end encryption make a difference for you on that?

No. The lack of end-to-end encryption wasn't what caused me to not use iCloud.

 

[sracer]

For anyone interested in Obsidian but not a fan of subscription plans, LogSeq is an open-source work-alike that is free and can set its database to be stored on a local folder that is synced (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)

I've been kicking the tires on it, and I'm able to access the same data (synced via Dropbox) from different desktop/laptop devices.

This method won't work with mobile devices so I'll be staying with Joplin for now. But I'll definitely be playing with it.

 

[Token]

I just started using Evernote again because of one feature that's missing from iCloud Notes and that is the ability to have a link with a link title and the actual link where the actual URL doesn't show up in the document. Some of these link URLs are 1/4 of a page long and I'd rather not see them. I only have one document where I need this. I have tried other Note programs as well but the simple note programs don't have it.

If you know of a program that does have it, I'm all ears. I only need it to run on macOS as I don't use this document on mobile devices.

I Apple Notes, write the link title, select the text, press cmd+k and paste in the URL. Easy peasy.

Regarding the Notes export at privacy.apple.com – thanks, I have submitted a request. For now, the free Exporter App on App Store seems to do a pretty good job exporting to markdown, although it is of course a 3d party solution.

 

[MacBH928]

I had to settle on Apple Notes. Its the only note app that is light, simple, syncs, and has GUI editor over Markdown. Of course I will not use it for privacy sensitive notes.

Skiff is near but it has huge startup time as if its an electron app even on iOS.

Its hard to believe with all the options there is nothing as simple and light as TextEdit that will simply sync securely and list notes in List View. I am not sure whats the hype with Markdown since RTF should be transferable AFAIK or they could use the open sourced OpenDocument

 

[MacBH928]

would the new iCloud end to end encryption make a difference for you on that?

Its better but I wouldn't trust them. I think Apple has the keys to decrypt that. Plus I like to support competition and keep options open over Apple (or any other) controlling every aspect of my life. Do not create your own monster.

For anyone interested in Obsidian but not a fan of subscription plans, LogSeq is an open-source work-alike that is free and can set its database to be stored on a local folder that is synced (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)

I've been kicking the tires on it, and I'm able to access the same data (synced via Dropbox) from different desktop/laptop devices.

This method won't work with mobile devices so I'll be staying with Joplin for now. But I'll definitely be playing with it.

i do not understand the appeal of this "wiki" notes linking unless you are trying to do some sort of a database which I hardly see a reason for personal use case. Either way, i found Obsidian to be very heavy to use I think its electron.

Maybe it has a use in corporate environment but then, there might be better solutions for that?

 

[sracer]

i do not understand the appeal of this "wiki" notes linking unless you are trying to do some sort of a database which I hardly see a reason for personal use case. Either way, i found Obsidian to be very heavy to use I think its electron.

Maybe it has a use in corporate environment but then, there might be better solutions for that?

This type of wiki notes linking isn't helpful for every approach to personal notetaking. It highly depends upon what information is being captured in the notes and how those notes will be used.

The right tool for the right job.

For example: If one is capturing a list of things to buy at the store, then a dual-linked info base is overkill.

The benefit of wiki linking of notes is to have another dimension of connection between notes beyond a simple outline/folder structure or hashtag scheme.

I have countless notes saved over the decades that span various topics. Not all can benefit from wiki linking.

But in capturing family history and memories, it is invaluable to me. It creates connections between people, places, things, and events that can't be done easily or at all using other methods.

Example:
Memory = [[Uncle Leo]] drove his [[1966 Bel Air station wagon]] upstate to the [[bungalow]] in the Summer of 69 and was caught in the traffic jam caused by the Woodstock festival.

As other family members share their memories, I add them as notes with links. So when I click on the [[Uncle Leo]] link, I see the note on Uncle Leo (basic biographical info) along with a list of references where he is mentioned by other notes.

 

[RumorConsumer]

Ulysses seems to rock. Im giving it a trial now.

 

[sgtaylor5]

I had to settle on Apple Notes. Its the only note app that is light, simple, syncs, and has GUI editor over Markdown. Of course I will not use it for privacy sensitive notes.

Skiff is near but it has huge startup time as if its an electron app even on iOS.

Its hard to believe with all the options there is nothing as simple and light as TextEdit that will simply sync securely and list notes in List View. I am not sure whats the hype with Markdown since RTF should be transferable AFAIK or they could use the open sourced OpenDocument

You can use Apple Notes for privacy sensitive information. You can set a global password in the app and then lock the notes you want to protect.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205794

 

[ignatius345]

It's hard to fathom with all the note apps out there, that I can't find a single one I really like.

I gave UpNote a try for a couple months - very quirky UI, but the deal-breaker was losing data.

I gave "Craft" a shot for a few months - couldn't get over the wonky text editing UI is just unbearable - I bet that's why it hasn't caught on - it's terrible for text editing.

Now I'm on Joplin, which has been workable so far, very fast, very affordable cloud syncing, though the limited text formatting and non-functionality of hyperlinks (e.g. URL's) is very frustrating and has me still looking for something better.

I've looked at just about every app in this thread - they're either too basic (SimpleNote), too heavy (OneNote), too slow (Evernote, Nimbus), terrible UI (Craft, Nimbus, UpNote), lack decent import/export (Apple Notes, Notability), are geared towards developers (Bear, Joplin, Obsidian), and one doesn't even have any sort of trial/free version (GoodNotes).

I even considered going back to Evernote, but it's still unfathomably slow, and now that it's been sold to some no-name, it appears to be in a business death-spiral. Wow, they really blew it - I used to recommend that app as an essential top 10 app.

I can't believe no developer has taken what Evernote originally did right - fast and stable, solid formatting tools, decent UI, easy syncing between devices on Macs, iPhone/iPad, and import/export of common file formats, and reasonably priced for folks that don't use it for business. Really, why is that so hard to do?

I'll throw one more at you: https://agenda.com/

It's got some nice organization tools, and the UI is quite good on Mac and iOS. There's a subscription for "pro" features, but you get to keep the features you paid for forever, even if you stop paying.

I use it a ton at work because it ties into your calendar events and links to them. Perfect for meetings. I also use it for just generally collecting info, and it's excellent for that.

Syncing is over iCloud, works reliably.

 

[MacBH928]

This type of wiki notes linking isn't helpful for every approach to personal notetaking. It highly depends upon what information is being captured in the notes and how those notes will be used.

The right tool for the right job.

For example: If one is capturing a list of things to buy at the store, then a dual-linked info base is overkill.

The benefit of wiki linking of notes is to have another dimension of connection between notes beyond a simple outline/folder structure or hashtag scheme.

I have countless notes saved over the decades that span various topics. Not all can benefit from wiki linking.

But in capturing family history and memories, it is invaluable to me. It creates connections between people, places, things, and events that can't be done easily or at all using other methods.

Example:
Memory = [[Uncle Leo]] drove his [[1966 Bel Air station wagon]] upstate to the [[bungalow]] in the Summer of 69 and was caught in the traffic jam caused by the Woodstock festival.

As other family members share their memories, I add them as notes with links. So when I click on the [[Uncle Leo]] link, I see the note on Uncle Leo (basic biographical info) along with a list of references where he is mentioned by other notes.

this is like a mini family Wiki use case which is perfectly fine but I find it a rare scenario for most people. Either way, wouldn't it be more helpful if the text would be auto-linked to a note with a similar name? So every time you mention "uncle leo" it will point to his biographical info?

speaking of this "wiki" link, not sure why the name changed but I believe this used to be called hyper linking. In fact i think there was a popular early 90s software called hypercard that worked on the same basis and from it (or the opposite) the idea of websites and linking them came into fruition as we know it today.

They used to make games out of it IIRC by navigating the "cards" to different slides.

 

[MacBH928]

You can use Apple Notes for privacy sensitive information. You can set a global password in the app and then lock the notes you want to protect.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205794

Does it protect it from Apple employees snooping? because my iCloud account has a password and I know for a fact Apple holds the keys to unlock my icloud account.

Plus it would be much easier if the whole thing is encrypted either ways just like how Joplin works.

 

[MacBH928]

I have revisited SimpleNote and its the kind of thing I am exactly looking for except it is not encrypted and the GUI editor is a bit lacking. Would like to see underline and bold at least . Also I am not a fan of a dedicated "tags" bar above the keyboard.

Ulysses seems to rock. Im giving it a trial now.

I recall Ulysses being for huge text and was a competitor for Final Draft which is a novel writing tool. Looks like they shifted more into notes writing but if it can be utilized as a simple notes app then great.

I'll throw one more at you: https://agenda.com/

It's got some nice organization tools, and the UI is quite good on Mac and iOS. There's a subscription for "pro" features, but you get to keep the features you paid for forever, even if you stop paying.

I use it a ton at work because it ties into your calendar events and links to them. Perfect for meetings. I also use it for just generally collecting info, and it's excellent for that.

Syncing is over iCloud, works reliably.

I will revisit agenda

 

[MacBH928]

I stumbled upon Etherpad ! Its online collaborative note editor . It has all the functionality I want. If someone can make it into an app that stores notes locally, sync, encrypted it would be what I am looking for 😂

just sharing options, finds, and exchanging ideas

 

[ixxx69]

I'll throw one more at you: https://agenda.com/

Thanks, I already saw that one - you or someone else had suggested it previously in this thread. I checked it out and it's primarily aimed at project/task management. While I'm sure you can use it for general notes, that doesn't appear to be its focus.

 

[ignatius345]

I recall Ulysses being for huge text and was a competitor for Final Draft which is a novel writing tool. Looks like they shifted more into notes writing but if it can be utilized as a simple notes app then great.

Feel compelled to weigh in on this. Final Draft could be used to write a novel, but it's mainly used for TV and film script writing within the industry. It costs something like $300, and I think Pages would do as good or better of a job.

Ulysses pretends it has a screenwriting component, but really they just have a hacked together output stylesheet that no professional or semiprofessional would touch because it's bound to output a non-standard script (which is a super amateurish thing to do in this world). It's frustrating, because Markdown-based script software does exist, but Ulysses has never seen fit to properly add the feature.

I haven't used Evernote in a long time, but I recall it being all about rich clippings (graphics, formatting), whereas Ulysses is strictly Markdown text and has only rudimentary support for images.

So, Ulysses isn't a replacement for Final Draft or Evernote (IMO) but it's a really great tool for long form writing like for a book, short stories, etc.

Honestly, I think good old Apple Notes has come a long way and could do a lot of what Evernote does.

 

[rhett7660]

The last few formatting and organization enhancements of Apple Notes have brought it up to par for me. I also have an Alfred shortcut that allows me to search Notes from any other activity and directly open just the one I want.

[Sorry to keep shilling for Alfred here, but I keep exploring more.]

I know this is a notes thread, but how do you get Alfred to search your notes!?!?!? Off to Google!

I have been slowly moving all of my notes from Evernote to Apple Notes. It works, and it does what I need it to do for now. I didn't need to be cross compatible with other systems, so that wasn't an issue for me. The only issue I have, is keep a lot of drawings and pictures in my notes. My notes folder is getting pretty darn big and I feel it lagging at times.