Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

fatTribble

macrumors 68000
Sep 21, 2018
1,796
4,645
Dayton
I used OneNote at the office for years. Every meeting I had I used OneNote to capture minutes and take notes. It was my go-to app. Personally I can’t imagine swapping Apple Notes for OneNote even though I love Apple and the Notes app. Notes just doesn’t seem as robust as OneNote to me.
 

TorbenIbsen

macrumors regular
Feb 22, 2021
176
153
Yes. I had 3000 notes in Evernote and attempted to use Apple Notes instead. - Don't do it. Apple Notes is really not designed to be a good replacement for Evernote. And there is no native escape possibility from Apple Notes again.

There are two Made-for-Apple (only) apps which actually are much better than Evernote. Those are the ones you should look at.

"Keep It" ("Keep It Mobile" on iPhone/iPad) is the natural choice. It has all the features you would want from Evernote and much more. You have folders in 9 levels and you can also "bundle" notes across folders so you get an extra "dimension" in you data. - The interface is similar to the Apple Notes app, so it is very Apple-like. My non-IT wife simply loves Keep It. So do I because you can store all sorts of files in the notes and add many meta-data too. So this app is what you want. - You move from Evernote to Keep It by exporting .enex files from Evernote and importing those files into Keep It. - We use this app with about 3000 notes, most of them with attachments. Synchronizing works well between all our devices. You can "share" to Keep It/Keep It Mobile and "print as PDF" to Keep It and drag files into Keep It. But you cannot (directly) sent a mail to Keep It.

Then there is the ultimate database solution for "everything": Devonthink 3. It is much more than just an "Evernote" or "Keep It". It is more like a new way of working with all you data. You can put most of your data in there or you can simply ask the app to work with all files as referenced files which stays where they are on you Mac. - But do not attempt to use this app until you actually have read the book/help about what this app/database is and how to use it. It is only for "IT adults". Read the forums. - One smart thing is that it can read data directly from Evernote on a Mac, so the import is automatical. The folder structure will also be intact when data are imported this way.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: max2 and circatee

Beards

macrumors 65816
Mar 22, 2014
1,389
679
Derbyshire UK
Yes. I had 3000 notes in Evernote and attempted to use Apple Notes instead. - Don't do it. Apple Notes is really not designed to be a good replacement for Evernote. And there is no native escape possibility from Apple Notes again.

There are two Made-for-Apple (only) apps which actually are much better than Evernote. Those are the ones you should look at.

"Keep It" ("Keep It Mobile" on iPhone/iPad) is the natural choice. It has all the features you would want from Evernote and much more. You have folders in 9 levels and you can also "bundle" notes across folders so you get an extra "dimension" in you data. - The interface is similar to the Apple Notes app, so it is very Apple-like. My non-IT wife simply loves Keep It. So do I because you can store all sorts of files in the notes and add many meta-data too. So this app is what you want. - You move from Evernote to Keep It by exporting .enex files from Evernote and importing those files into Keep It. - We use this app with about 3000 notes, most of them with attachments. Synchronizing works well between all our devices. You can "share" to Keep It/Keep It Mobile and "print as PDF" to Keep It and drag files into Keep It. But you cannot (directly) sent a mail to Keep It.

Then there is the ultimate database solution for "everything": Devonthink 3. It is much more than just an "Evernote" or "Keep It". It is more like a new way of working with all you data. You can put most of your data in there or you can simply ask the app to work with all files as referenced files which stays where they are on you Mac. - But do not attempt to use this app until you actually have read the book/help about what this app/database is and how to use it. It is only for "IT adults". Read the forums. - One smart thing is that it can read data directly from Evernote on a Mac, so the import is automatical. The folder structure will also be intact when data are imported this way.
Quick question…… Does ‘Keep It’ support Password Protection like Apple Notes?
Disregard… Downloaded. It’s subscription model only.
 
Last edited:

TorbenIbsen

macrumors regular
Feb 22, 2021
176
153
Quick question…… Does ‘Keep It’ support Password Protection like Apple Notes?
Disregard… Downloaded. It’s subscription model only.
Yes, it is subscription based, like Evernote as I recall. The other option, Devonthink 3 from https://devontechnologies.com/ is one-time purchase of a licence per Mac. And Devonthink 3 can create encrypted databases. But it is much, much more complicated than Apple Notes. - So it all depend on what you need and expect. Like always.
 

ScottoH

macrumors newbie
Jan 1, 2023
1
2
I have recently done the migration from Evernote to Apple Notes and haven't experienced any issues so far. It seems that Apple Notes has really improved its feature set in recent times.

I only had a little over 300 notes after completing a clean out of older notes. I have been an Evernote subscriber since 2008 but could no longer justify the expense as I wasn't utilising the 'extra' features and templates.

Check out this video and several others by Peter Akkies on Apple Notes -


Hope this helps,

Scott
 

circatee

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,504
3,065
Georgia, USA
I have recently done the migration from Evernote to Apple Notes and haven't experienced any issues so far. It seems that Apple Notes has really improved its feature set in recent times.

I only had a little over 300 notes after completing a clean out of older notes. I have been an Evernote subscriber since 2008 but could no longer justify the expense as I wasn't utilising the 'extra' features and templates.

Check out this video and several others by Peter Akkies on Apple Notes -


Hope this helps,

Scott
...thanks for your feedback Scott. Much appreciated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: max2

4743913

Cancelled
Aug 19, 2020
1,564
3,716
Has anyone here moved from the likes of OneNote/Evernote, to Apple Notes?

Any regrets?

I let my Drafts subscription expire last month and moved to Notes. The tradeoff was loss of automation/sharing for ability to add graphics to notes, which I needed. I guess its a wash.
 
  • Like
Reactions: circatee

Jeepguy01

macrumors member
Aug 29, 2008
40
45
I moved from Evernote to Notes in the last month and really regret it. Notes is surprisingly unstable/buggy, and it's caused some serious problems. (I'm on M1 MBA and iPhone 13):

1. The search function is unusable most of the time. Searching my notes for a word often reveals NO results, or results that are just incorrect. It's totally bizarre, and I've found no solution for it.

2. The cut/copy/paste function frequently doesn't work. I've cut text in a note to move it up in the same note, and while the 'cut' worked, the 'paste' doesn't. I now know to watch it like a hawk and edit/undo to undo the cut, but I've lost some key information because of this.

Looking online, there appear to be many other people experiencing these issues — for years — but Apple apparently doesn't care enough to fix them.

So no, I don't recommend switching unless your workload is fairly light.
 

circatee

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,504
3,065
Georgia, USA
I moved from Evernote to Notes in the last month and really regret it. Notes is surprisingly unstable/buggy, and it's caused some serious problems. (I'm on M1 MBA and iPhone 13):

1. The search function is unusable most of the time. Searching my notes for a word often reveals NO results, or results that are just incorrect. It's totally bizarre, and I've found no solution for it.

2. The cut/copy/paste function frequently doesn't work. I've cut text in a note to move it up in the same note, and while the 'cut' worked, the 'paste' doesn't. I now know to watch it like a hawk and edit/undo to undo the cut, but I've lost some key information because of this.

Looking online, there appear to be many other people experiencing these issues — for years — but Apple apparently doesn't care enough to fix them.

So no, I don't recommend switching unless your workload is fairly light.

Interesting. Are you going to be moving back?

I might get a trial account of Evernote and try it again. It’s been a while…
 

Jeepguy01

macrumors member
Aug 29, 2008
40
45
Interesting. Are you going to be moving back?

I might get a trial account of Evernote and try it again. It’s been a while…
I'm exploring my options. I don't miss Evernote's yearly fee, but Notes' glitches are intolerable.

Evernote did get much faster when it became optimized for M1, FWIW.
 
  • Like
Reactions: circatee

PhoenixDown

macrumors 6502
Oct 12, 2012
465
375
I use both... One Note for permanent stuff I need to keep organized and notes for stuff that I can quicker / faster access to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: circatee

Easttime

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2015
708
506
I was once big into Evernote then Onenote for several years. Moved to Apple Notes and no regrets. Tight integration with Apple devices. Key is a good folder/sub folder system. But some might prefer a third party app for specific features.
 

circatee

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,504
3,065
Georgia, USA
In Jan 2023, I switched from OneNotes to Apple Notes.
I must say, it is certainly restrictive with certain features. Currently contemplating moving back to OneNote.

Any thoughts, or experience with note taking apps? I would prefer a perpetual license application, versus subscription based...
 

SnowCrocodile

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2022
500
509
SouthEast of Northern MidWest
I have been using Onenote for ages, Apple Notes since I've bought a MacBook.

It should be an easy choice as Onenote has multiple advantages. It's cross platform, has version history, much better handling of ink and file attachments, better export. Historically, it's been very reliable for me for many years. Apple Notes functionality advantage is tags and smart folders, and the fact that it can search inside attached pdfs without having to use printouts.

However, Onenote's interface is - subjectively - rather ugly and outdated. I hate the gaudy hot magenta color that can't be changed. And sharing with other family members is much easier with Apple Notes.

So, I am myself undecided...

FYI, there's a Onenote search plugin for Raycast, and Exporter app for Apple Notes that mostly works OK. That helps to bridge the functionality gap (and make the choice even harder...)
 

circatee

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,504
3,065
Georgia, USA
I have been using Onenote for ages, Apple Notes since I've bought a MacBook.

It should be an easy choice as Onenote has multiple advantages. It's cross platform, has version history, much better handling of ink and file attachments, better export. Historically, it's been very reliable for me for many years. Apple Notes functionality advantage is tags and smart folders, and the fact that it can search inside attached pdfs without having to use printouts.

However, Onenote's interface is - subjectively - rather ugly and outdated. I hate the gaudy hot magenta color that can't be changed. And sharing with other family members is much easier with Apple Notes.

So, I am myself undecided...

FYI, there's a Onenote search plugin for Raycast, and Exporter app for Apple Notes that mostly works OK. That helps to bridge the functionality gap (and make the choice even harder...)

Over the past few days, I WAS using OneNote. Within said days I was reminded that I actually now hate it. Honestly, that’s probably more because I’ve gotten used to Apple Notes and it’s simplicity.

So, today I’ve been making sure all my Notes in Apple Notes are up to date/correct.

What I’ve learned is that I probably use 5% of the features in OneNote, if that. And, the framing (where the data is held in your individual note) is what I hate the most.

Anyway, back in Apple Notes, for now
 

SnowCrocodile

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2022
500
509
SouthEast of Northern MidWest
Over the past few days, I WAS using OneNote. Within said days I was reminded that I actually now hate it. Honestly, that’s probably more because I’ve gotten used to Apple Notes and it’s simplicity.

So, today I’ve been making sure all my Notes in Apple Notes are up to date/correct.

What I’ve learned is that I probably use 5% of the features in OneNote, if that. And, the framing (where the data is held in your individual note) is what I hate the most.

Anyway, back in Apple Notes, for now
Try Exporter for Apple Notes. It was really cheap and as I said mostly works OK. Most of issues I had were with file attachments which I use a lot and most people don't use at all.

A couple years ago, I moved all of my long term storage info that I used to keep in Onenote to file system, and use the file indexing built into OS to find stuff. This makes it much easier to backup, move to another location, change OS's etc. The short term notes can reside pretty much anywhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: circatee

djs71a

macrumors regular
Oct 9, 2015
144
118
Try Exporter for Apple Notes. It was really cheap and as I said mostly works OK. Most of issues I had were with file attachments which I use a lot and most people don't use at all.

A couple years ago, I moved all of my long term storage info that I used to keep in Onenote to file system, and use the file indexing built into OS to find stuff. This makes it much easier to backup, move to another location, change OS's etc. The short term notes can reside pretty much anywhere.
I have also moved a lot of long term storage to the file system (yay for PDFs). You may not have this concern, but do you have to access it remotely, like on a Windows computer? Does the Files app on iPhone use the indexing that is available on Mac?
 

SnowCrocodile

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2022
500
509
SouthEast of Northern MidWest
For the documents that don’t require any special protection I use OneDrive. (They are still protected by my MS credentials). It has built in indexing and OCR, so I can search it from any device, and it’s a lot better for data storage than iCloud.

The documents that I need extra protected are a more difficult case… there’s no easy *and* cheap / free way to sync them across different devices *and* have them indexed everywhere. At least none that I found.
 
  • Like
Reactions: djs71a

djs71a

macrumors regular
Oct 9, 2015
144
118
For the documents that don’t require any special protection I use OneDrive. (They are still protected by my MS credentials). It has built in indexing and OCR, so I can search it from any device, and it’s a lot better for data storage than iCloud.

The documents that I need extra protected are a more difficult case… there’s no easy *and* cheap / free way to sync them across different devices *and* have them indexed everywhere. At least none that I found.
Thanks for your insight. I use Google Drive the same way you use OneDrive. I understand some people's aversion to Google, but it works well for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sracer

shenfrey

macrumors 68030
May 23, 2010
2,507
778
Anyone else heavily into Apple Notes?
I recently switched from Apple Notes to Upnote as it has much nicer ui, font and is available on all platforms with free cloud syncing. The only thing I miss from Apple notes is the ability to collaborate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: circatee
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.