iki vs evernote
Evernote invented the everything notebook, and many people have twenty years of life inside it. Since 2023 the deal has kept changing; the notes shouldn't have to.
The facts, without editorializing: after the Bending Spoons acquisition, prices rose about 86%, the free plan was cut repeatedly and now caps at 50 notes on one device, and a documented wave of long-time users left. Evernote still makes sense for people deeply invested in its ecosystem who want cloud AI and clients on every platform, and Advanced does deliver unlimited notes with an AI Assistant. IKI is built on the opposite premise: the library is markdown files on your device, the AI runs on your phone, and no future pricing decision of ours can hold your notes hostage, because we never hold them at all.
| Evernote | iki | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (annual) | Starter about $99/yr; Advanced about $249.99/yr | $49/yr Pro, or $6.99/mo. Founder: $99 once, 500 seats |
| Free tier | Capped: 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device | Yes: unlimited saves, on-device AI, 3 recipes |
| Where your data lives | Their cloud | Your device |
| Data format / export | ENEX, an Evernote-specific XML | Markdown files, the plainest format there is |
| Works offline | Varies by plan | Yes, offline-first |
| AI (where it runs) | AI Assistant and semantic search on Advanced, cloud-side | On your phone, Apple's on-device models; your own Claude key optional |
| Ask your library | AI Assistant, on the $249.99/yr plan | Yes, free, with citations; says "not in your library" when it isn't |
| Device limits | Free: 1 device. Starter: 3 devices | iPhone, iPad, Watch, Safari on Mac; nobody counts seats |
| Voice capture | Varies | Yes, on-device transcription in English, Russian, Portuguese |
| No account needed | No, account required | Yes, no account, ever |
| Import path into IKI | Export notebooks as .enex | IKI reads .enex directly, on the device |
Competitor details checked August 2026; prices change, check their site.
Platforms. Evernote runs on Windows, Android, the web and everything in between. IKI is Apple-only, and if your life spans ecosystems that settles it.
Depth. Twenty years of features is a real thing: clipping, search operators and workflows refined over decades. Advanced also removes the note cap entirely, with cloud AI on top.
Maturity. Evernote has outlived most of its obituaries. It is a large, established product; IKI is a young one.
Export your notebooks from Evernote's desktop app as .enex files, one per notebook. Share them into IKI or drop them into the library folder in the Files app. IKI reads .enex directly and the import runs on your phone, with progress in the Dynamic Island: each note becomes a markdown file and a card with a summary and tags. From then on the format question is closed; the notes are plain text on your own hardware.