All comparisons
Compare
Memos vs Evernote
Evernote is a mature cloud notebook app with clipping and search on a freemium plan. Memos is a free, open-source, self-hosted alternative focused on lightweight Markdown capture without subscriptions or note limits.
Side by side
The practical differences.
Compare the operating model and the daily workflow before comparing feature counts.
| Dimension | Memos | Evernote |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open source (MIT) | Proprietary |
| Hosting | Self-hosted web server | Cloud SaaS (hosted by Evernote) |
| Data ownership | Your database, zero telemetry | Stored on Evernote's servers |
| Format | Markdown-native | Rich-text notebooks |
| Best for | Lightweight private capture | Web clipping & cross-notebook search |
| Cost | Free (you host) | Freemium; paid plans for full use |
The decision
Choose for the work in front of you.
Choose Memos when
You want a free, self-hosted tool with no subscription or note limits.
You prefer Markdown and a lightweight capture flow.
You want full ownership of your data.
Choose Evernote when
You rely on web clipping, OCR, and document search.
You want polished native apps across every platform.
You do not want to self-host.
Memos in detail
Inspect what matters.
Own your notes.
Install Memos and keep quick capture on your own server — open source, self-hosted, and free.