Google Keep vs. Evernote – The Winning Note-Taking App

There are only so many things your brain can keep track of. You have to pay to the meeting you’re in, you need to remember to set up a babysitter for that mom’s night out, there are groceries that need to be bought, the client wants you to adjust the colors on that design (again), you need to buy a card for Father’s Day, and isn’t that chicken in the fridge going bad tomorrow, so you need to cook it today? Your brain is overloaded. There are so many things to do, remember, and pay attention to, that it’s no wonder you get lost.

Enter, note taking apps. Sure, you might look incredibly sophisticated or hipster by having a paper notebook to take—but who has room to lug a notebook around, and there’s no fast way to search through old notes or to collaborate with other people? Note apps are on your phone—ready at any time.

But which note-taking app is the best? The point of these apps is to save time—so you don’t want one that is clunky, or more trouble to use than it is worth. We did all the hard research for you, investigating two of the top note-taking apps. Let’s dive into our comparison of Google Keep vs. Evernote to see which app is right for you!

Google Keep vs. Evernote Meet the Sites

Google Keep

Google Keep is a note-taking service, part of the web-based Google Doc Editor. Though it’s not as famous as its cousins—Google Docs/Sheets/Maps—it’s part of the same free program. If you have any sort of Google account, you can already access Google Keep!

Google Keep allows you to take notes wherever you, whether that’s on the web or on your device. You can create notes with texts, lists, images, sketches, or audio—whatever you need to keep your thoughts straight.

Once you create your note, you need to keep track of it. Google Keep allows you to color-code notes (so you can make all meeting notes a certain color, and notes with coffee orders a different color), as well as labels that connects different notes together. You can also adjust how Google Keep looks. You can keep it all in one column, or use a multi-column view.

Then it’s all about time management, you need to actually follow through with what you wrote down! Google Keep allows you to set reminders for certain dates, times of day, or even when you are in certain locations (as long as you give it location permission). That way, you can be reminded about finishing the slides for the evenings’ project in the morning, and be reminded to pick up milk when you stop by the store.

Finally, Google Keep allows you to collaborate with others in real time. Just like a Google Doc or Google Sheets, you can share a note with anyone through their email address or Google account. All changes will instantly be reflected in the note—so you’ll know right away what’s going on.

Evernote

Evernote is “designed for note-taking, organizing, task management, and archive.” It allows you to take notes, with a few extra bells and whistles.

You can note down text, but you can also include different things like scans, PDF’s, audio recordings, and sketches.

Evernote also connects with different parts of your life to help you keep everything organized. It syncs across your devices, but it can also integrate with Google Drive, Gmail, Slack, and Outlook.

Evernote is just now rolling out a new feature—tasks. When you hit the green + button to take a note, you have the option of making it a task—specialized checklists that are kept separate from the rest of your notes. They’re less likely to be lost in old notes, though you can still add them to notes. However, this feature is just now rolling out—so we’ll have to see whether it will make any impact on your note-taking abilities.

You can also collaborate and share notes with others in Evernote, simply type in their email and they will get in invitation to collaborate with you. You can give them access to edit the note itself—or you can allow certain people in with a “view-only” mode as well.

Google Keep vs. Evernote: Ease of Use

Google Keep

Google Keep is laid out cleanly, simply, and is very intuitive. To add a new note, all you have to do is click on the “take a note” button on the top of the screen, and start typing. Need to edit anything? Simply click on it, and you’ll see all the options.

Want to find something? You can use the filter and search function to search by color, or for audio notes, or for shared notes, or even for something specific like lists that include images. Labels help you keep track of things as well—they become their own tabs in your navigation bar, so you can see everything that has to do with the work project, family vacation, or that hobby you’re working on.

Evernote

Evernote has a simplicity in its goal—it is a note-taking app, and all you do is take notes. Click on “add new note” to start, and just start typing, talking, or take a photo. At the bottom is a navigation bar that allows you to make a checklist, and templates to get you started—but the process is very intuitive.

However, Evernote has recently rebranded their dashboard—and it’s not a great look. It’s a bit more cluttered, with a random background picture and your notes all squished into one place (and you can’t see them all unless you click through), and other items like a “scratchpad” taking up room. There’s not much difference between a scratchpad and just creating a new note—so there’s some clutter to deal with.

Conclusion: Ease of Use

Both Google Keep and Evernote make it incredibly easy to create a note, and their search functions make it simple to find old notes as well. However, Google Keep’s single-column view is much more streamlined than Evernotes, and Google Keep’s color-coding makes it easier to keep track of your tasks in a single glance.

Google Keep vs. Evernote: Different Devices

Just like Google Docs or Sheets, you can access Google Keep on all your devices. You may have to download the app onto your device, but once you do, as long as you are logged into your Google account, you can access your Google Keep notes on Android, iOS, or the web.

Evernote also lets you access on any device—web, Android, or iOS. However, Evernote will only sync on a certain number of devices. On a free plan, you can only have Evernote on 2 of your devices—you’ll have to upgrade to use it on any other device.

Conclusion: Different Devices

Both are accessible wherever you are—but Evernote will only allow a certain number of devices on its free plan, while you can access Google Keep on any device that you’re logged into your Google account.

Google Keep vs. Evernote: Price

Just like its more famous cousins, Google Keep is completely free. There’s no need to pay to upgrade—it’s not even attached to your Google Drive memory, so it’s not taking up the 15 GB of free space offered there.

Evernote also has a free plan, which allows you to use Evernote on 2 devices, with a 60 MB monthly upload limit. However, Evernote’s Premium Plan costs $7.99 per month, and allows you to access your notes offline, annotate PDF’s, use custom templates, and has a 10 GB monthly upload limit. Evernote’s Business plan costs $14.99 per user per month, and gives you shared spaces, business data ownership, and activity history.

Conclusion: Price

There’s no beating free—especially when there’s no limits on devices, the number of notes, or how much storage you have. Google Keep is a much better deal than Evernote.

Google Keep vs. Evernote: Which is Better?

There are tons of organization and time management apps out there, from Pomodoro style options to Planners apps and more. But when it comes to note-taking apps, Google Keep and Evernote are two excellent options. So, which is the better choice?

Google Keep often falls under the radar—but this little-known note keeping tool is a powerful one. You probably already have access to it, it is completely free, and it allows you to collaborate, set reminders, and even organize with color coding and labels. The best way to keep track of your notes is with something simple but powerful—and Google Keep is that. Check it out for yourself!

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