From 250 Million Users to Bending Spoons
Evernote was founded in 2004 by Stepan Pachikov and launched publicly in 2008, defining the category of digital note-taking. At its peak, it had over 250 million registered users (according to TechCrunch), pioneered web clipping, OCR search, and cross-platform sync. For years, "Evernote" was synonymous with note-taking.
The landscape shifted dramatically. Bending Spoons acquired Evernote in November 2022 and executed massive layoffs in February and July 2023, letting go of essentially all US and Chile-based staff. The free tier was gutted to just 50 notes, 1 notebook, and 1 device. Prices increased over 70%, with the current lineup being Free (severely limited), Starter at $99/year, and Advanced at $250/year. Many long-time users migrated to Notion, Obsidian, or newer tools.
On the flip side, Bending Spoons (valued at $11B with roughly $700M in 2024 revenue) has reportedly made Evernote profitable — but at the cost of the community and feature breadth that made the product beloved.
Evernote once had 250 million registered users. After the Bending Spoons acquisition, its free tier was cut to 50 notes on 1 device — a 70%+ price increase pushed many loyal users to alternatives.
AI Bolt-On vs AI-Native Architecture
Evernote introduced AI features post-acquisition, focused on note cleanup — reformatting text, fixing formatting inconsistencies, and improving search results. These are incremental improvements to an existing product, not a new paradigm.
Moryflow's AI is agent-based from the ground up. Agents autonomously plan research, execute multi-step tasks, call external tools, and maintain persistent memory across sessions. The BYOK model connects to 24+ providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and open-source models. A Telegram remote agent extends the workspace beyond the desktop.
The gap is generational. Evernote bolts AI features onto a 2008-era architecture under new ownership focused on profitability. Moryflow is built around AI agents as a core capability, not an afterthought.
Data Risk: Ownership Changes and Cloud Lock-In
Moryflow stores notes locally by default. The app works offline, your data stays on your device, and cloud sync is optional. Standard Markdown export means zero lock-in. The codebase is open source under the MIT license.
Evernote is cloud-only. All notes live on Evernote's servers, and the app requires internet access for sync. Export is available via ENEX format, but converting years of notes with attachments is a non-trivial effort. Evernote is closed source with no self-hosting option.
For users concerned about data sovereignty, offline access, or long-term portability — especially given Evernote's ownership changes — the architectural difference carries real weight.
Publishing: The Feature Evernote Never Built
Moryflow includes a built-in publishing pipeline. Any note or collection becomes a live website with SEO metadata, custom domains, and digital garden aesthetics. The path from draft to public page takes seconds.
Evernote has no publishing feature. Notes can be shared via links, but shared notes look like Evernote pages, not websites. There is no SEO control, no custom domains, and no site structure. For public content, you need to move your writing to a separate platform.
For knowledge workers who want their notes to serve double duty as public content, Moryflow's publishing pipeline is a significant differentiator.
Pricing After the Overhaul
Evernote's pricing has been overhauled since the acquisition. The free tier now limits you to 50 notes, 1 notebook, and a single device — effectively pushing all serious users to paid plans. Starter costs $99/year; Advanced costs $250/year. These represent a 70%+ increase over pre-acquisition pricing. Bending Spoons has made the product profitable, but many long-time free and paid users felt the rug was pulled.
Moryflow is open source with a free tier that includes local AI, unlimited notes, and core agent features. Pro adds cloud sync, advanced agents, and publishing. The open-source model means you can always self-host if the hosted service changes.
The economic argument is straightforward: Moryflow offers more capability at a lower cost, with better portability guarantees. Evernote's premium pricing made sense when it was the category leader with a generous free tier. In 2026, with a gutted free plan and $99-250/year subscriptions, that value proposition has fundamentally shifted.
Web Clipping and Capture
One area where Evernote still holds a historical advantage is web clipping. The Evernote Web Clipper has been refined over more than a decade and can capture full pages, simplified articles, screenshots, and selections with reliable formatting preservation.
Moryflow does not ship a dedicated web clipper. Content capture focuses on the desktop workspace, Telegram agent, and standard copy-paste. For users whose workflow depends heavily on saving web pages, Evernote's clipper remains a practical strength — though many users find that AI agents that can read and summarize web sources reduce the need for raw clipping.