Evernote free users could see their accounts limited to a single notebook containing just 50 notes, under a potential plan being tested by the company.
The change would effectively render the free option completely useless to most people, forcing them to either upgrade to a paid account or switch to a competing product – and could drive many to switch to Apple’s Notes …
TechCrunch says one of its readers was included in a test being performed by Evernote owner Bending Spoons.
TechCrunch was alerted to the test by an Evernote user who logged in to a pop-up message that informed them that unless they upgraded to a paid plan, they would now be limited to only 1 notebook and 50 notes. That change would dramatically limit the service for longtime Evernote users who have accumulated hundreds or thousands of notes over the years […]
The company confirmed to TechCrunch it’s been running a small test that placed limits on the number of notes free users could create, but said the new plan is not yet finalized.
Currently, free users don’t get access to all the features offered to paying subscribers, but they do get reasonably generous usage limits:
- 60MB monthly uploads
- 25MB maximum note size
- Up to three widgets
- Attach all supported file formats
Paid plans currently start at $10.83 per month.
The company said that the test is currently limited to fewer than 1% of free users, and even if you do find your account selected, you will not lose access to any existing notes – just been unable to add any more once you’re over the free limits.
The company has seemingly been in difficulties for many years now, laying off staff in 2015, 2018, 2022, and 2023. It lost no fewer than four senior execs and 15% of its workforce in 2018, when one insider said the company was in a death spiral.
Evernote has slashed the price of its Premium membership as a new report indicates the company is struggling financially and facing leadership departures. According to a new report from TechCrunch, Evernote has lost its CTO, CFO, CPO, and HR head in the last month […]
The report cites an anonymous source, however, who said that Evernote is in a “death spiral” due to flat user growth and a lack of enterprise adoption.
Things got worse after the app was sold to Milan-based Bending Spoons. Earlier this year, almost all Evernote staff were laid off, and the company ceased US operations altogether.
This test may be a desperate push to try to convert free users to paid ones, but seems every bit as likely to lead Evernote users to abandon the app altogether. Apple’s own Notes app has grown increasingly powerful over the past few years, with links between notes a key new feature in iOS 17 and macOS 14.
Image: Evernote
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