Evernote alternative
Unlimited notes on your Mac, iPhone and iPad, for $0.
Evernote’s free plan holds 50 notes in one notebook on one device, and Starter costs $99 a year for 3 devices and up to 1,000 notes. Varlig keeps as many notes as you like on your Mac, iPhone and iPad, synced through your own iCloud, free.
What comes with you
- Every note in your Evernote exports
- Tags
- When each note was created and last edited
- Pictures and attachments
- Common formatting
Move in three steps
- In Evernote for Mac or Windows, export your notebooks as ENEX files (.enex). Varlig reads files of up to 100 MB each, so export a large notebook in several batches of notes.
- In Varlig on your Mac, choose File › Import Notes… and choose the ENEX files. On iPhone and iPad, use Import Notes… in a note list’s … menu.
- Check the review, choose Keep original dates if you like, and import. Turn on iCloud sync, and your notes are on every device.
Varlig has tags instead of notebooks. To keep notebooks apart, give each one a tag of its own after importing.
Varlig and Evernote, side by side
| Feature | Varlig | Evernote |
|---|---|---|
| Notes on the free plan | Unlimited, on your Mac, iPhone and iPad | 50 notes in one notebook, on one device |
| Sync between your devices | Free, through your own iCloud | Evernote Starter, $99 a year: 3 devices and up to 1,000 notes |
| More features | Varlig Pro, $24.99 a year or $59.99 once | Evernote Advanced, $249.99 a year |
| Calculator in your notes | Built in, with units, currencies and dates | Basic arithmetic as you type, after “=” |
| Your notes, as files | Plain Markdown, to export any time | ENEX export |
| Where it runs | Mac, iPhone and iPad | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web |
Checked October 2026. Prices in US dollars, as each app lists them; they may change.
Questions about switching from Evernote
Where do I export the ENEX files?
In Evernote for Mac or Windows. Export a notebook, or the notes you select, as an .enex file, and import the files into Varlig.
What happens to my notebooks?
Varlig has tags instead of notebooks. Give each notebook’s notes a tag of their own after importing, and they stay apart.
Do I need more iCloud storage?
Perhaps, for a large library. Varlig syncs through your own iCloud storage, of which Apple gives 5 GB free; many attachments can need more from Apple.
Write the plan.
Varlig does the sums.
Get Varlig FreeImport, iCloud sync and shared notes are free in Varlig. Varlig Pro adds power tools when you want them.