I previously wrote about comparing note taking apps in one of my earlier blog posts. Times were simpler then because I had quite a fair bit of flexibility and I have been using the Evernote Basic Subscription since January 2013. I haven’t been the heaviest of users but it suited my needs, which is to access it on my iPhone, iPad and Macbook Pro.

Then I got this email recently in my inbox.

Here is the full text of the email.

Evernote Basic is changing
At Evernote, we are committed not only to making you as productive as you can be, but also to running our business in as transparent a way as possible. We’re making a change to our Basic service, and it’s important that you know about it.

In the coming weeks, Evernote Basic accounts will be limited to two devices, such as a computer and phone, two computers, or a phone and a tablet. You are currently over this limit, but will have at least 30 days to adjust. Plus and Premium accounts will continue to support access from an unlimited number of devices.

Look for additional communication from us explaining how your account is changing and outlining your options. For more information about why we are making this change, see our blog post.

This was then followed by another email.

Here is the full text of the email.

Keep Evernote on all of your devices
As someone who accesses notes on multiple devices, it’s important that you’re aware of an upcoming change.

In 30 days, you will be able to sync your notes to a maximum of 2 devices using Evernote Basic. Upgrading your subscription will allow you to use an unlimited number of devices.
Exclusive offer: Save 50% on a year of Premium
To make this transition as smooth as possible, we’d like to offer you 50% off a full year of Evernote Premium. Take advantage of this exclusive offer before August 6, 2016 for unlimited devices, more space each month, and access to all our best features.

What does it mean for me?

Due to these changes, I am no longer eligible to use the basic plan based on my needs. Prior to this, the basic plan allows users to be able to sync their notes to an unlimited number of devices. Also now, the basic plan is limited to 60Mb a month. A problem especially for those who like to take photos and attach them to notes (e.g. class lecture slides or scribblings on the whiteboard).

That means they are pushing me to use their Plus tier which now costs USD$3.99 a month (previously USD$2.99). I do love how good Evernote is, but I don’t think I love it that much to want to spend USD$3.99 a month for the service. Namely, because I don’t particularly like the feel of how the Apple pencil performs on Evernote. That is my one pet peeve. I have tried to switch to a full digital style of note taking but sadly, the Evernote isn’t as great compared to Apple’s native Notes app when it comes to jotting down notes using the Apple Pencil.

Conclusion

Because of the recent changes, I exported my notes from Evernote to Notes and deleted my account on Evernote.com. So I am now fully reliant on the native Notes app by Apple. Writing with the Apple Pencil is so much better with Notes compared to Evernote. There are a few other features which I wished Apple has included into Notes but at the mean time, it basically meet my basic needs for note taking.

The Migration

Here is a simple step by step method to export all of your notes from Evernote to Apple’s Notes app.

1. In Evernote: On your Evernote application, go to “All Notes“
2. In Evernote: Select all notes (⌘A) or under “Edit“, select “select all“
3. In Evernote: Select “File” and then select “Export Notes…“
4. Save the file on your Mac’s desktop. The file name will come with the extension “.enex” which is the Evernote XML Format
5. In Apple Notes: Select “File” and then select “Import Notes…“
6. In Apple Notes: Navigate to the file you saved earlier and all of your notes will be available under “Imported Notes“
7. Voila, you have migrated your notes over.