The $0 Plan That Costs You $300
Evernote’s pricing page calls its free tier “Free.” Let me be blunt: that is not a free plan. It is a trial dressed up as something it is not. What you actually get at $0: 50 notes, 1 notebook, and 1 device. That is not enough for a week of genuine note-taking, let alone a semester or a project. The moment you want to take notes on your phone and your laptop, you have to pay.
How much? Evernote Starter at $15/month gives you 1,000 notes and 3 devices. Advanced at $25/month ($250/year) unlocks “unlimited” notes and AI features. Over two years, that is $300 to $600 – for a note-taking app. The global digital note-taking app market is worth $13.3 billion in 2026. That money has to come from somewhere. The question is whether you should be the source.
I am going to walk through what each popular app actually gives you at $0, then add every hidden cost – storage overage, sync subscriptions, AI add-ons, device caps – and show you the total cost over two years. You will see a range from $0 to over $600, and I will tell you which app is the best value for which use case.
What You Get for $0
Not all free plans are created equal. Some are genuinely usable for real work. Others are marketing bait. Here is my audit of the major apps.
| App | Free tier limit | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| OneNote | 5 GB storage (Zapier, PCMag) | Usable for light use, but fills fast with images and PDFs |
| Apple Notes | 5 GB iCloud storage (Zapier, Prime Tech Insights) | Solid if you are all Apple, but storage shared with photos and backups |
| Google Keep | 15 GB across Google services (Zapier) | Best free limit for text notes and lists; photos eat storage quickly |
| Obsidian (core) | Unlimited local notes, no cloud sync (multiple sources) | Truly free if you sync manually – no caps |
| Notion (personal) | Free for personal use, 7-day page history (Zapier) | Good for one person, but that history limit is real |
| Evernote (free) | 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device (Zapier) | Not usable – this is a trial |
| Bear (free) | Limited features, no cloud sync (Prime Tech Insights) | Barely usable for serious note-taking |
Apple Notes, Google Keep, and Obsidian core are genuinely free options – no artificial caps that break your workflow. If you only need plain text, light lists, or local-first notes, you can stop reading right here. But if you need cross-device sync, handwriting, AI, or collaboration, you will have to pay something.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Puts on the Pricing Page
The subscription price is only the beginning. Note-taking apps hide costs in plain sight. Here are the usual suspects, in my experience:
These costs feel small per month. But they compound. A $0.99 storage upgrade plus a $5 sync subscription plus a $24 AI add-on turns a “free” app into a $360/year habit. I have seen people sign up for all three without realizing the total.
Two-Year Total Cost: The Only Table That Matters
This is the table you came for. I have calculated the total cost over two years for each popular note-taking app, including the base subscription and all foreseeable hidden costs (storage, sync, AI, device upgrades). For apps with lifetime options, I included that as a separate row.
| App | Base price (2yr) | Storage (2yr) | Sync (2yr) | AI (2yr) | Total (2yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Notes (free only) | $0 | $0 (5 GB) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Apple Notes + iCloud+ (50 GB) | $0 | $23.76 | $0 | $0 | $23.76 |
| Google Keep (free only) | $0 | $0 (15 GB) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Google Keep + Google One (100 GB) | $0 | $47.76 | $0 | $0 | $47.76 |
| OneNote (free only) | $0 | $0 (5 GB) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| OneNote + storage (100 GB) | $0 | $47.76 | $0 | $0 | $47.76 |
| Obsidian core + free sync (manual) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Obsidian + official Sync ($5/mo) | $0 | $0 | $120 | $0 | $120 |
| Notion Free + AI | $0 | $0 | $0 | $576 | $576 |
| Notion Plus ($10/mo) | $240 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $240 |
| Notion Plus + AI | $240 | $0 | $0 | $576 | $816 |
| Evernote Starter ($15/mo) | $360 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $360 |
| Evernote Advanced ($25/mo) | $600 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $600 |
| UpNote monthly ($1.99/mo) | $47.76 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $47.76 |
| UpNote lifetime ($39.99) | $39.99 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $39.99 |
| Bear Pro ($2.99/mo) | $71.76 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $71.76 |
| GoodNotes ($9.99/yr) | $19.98 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $19.98 |
| Notability ($14.99/yr) | $29.98 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $29.98 |
| Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/yr) | $199.98 | $0 (1TB incl.) | $0 | $0 (Copilot incl.) | $199.98 |
The standout is UpNote lifetime at $39.99. That covers sync and all features with no recurring fee. For plain text on multiple devices, Obsidian free plus manual sync works. Notion’s Plus plan is free for students with a .edu email – check that before paying. Evernote? I would avoid it unless your employer covers the bill. The best value often comes from mid-tier or lifetime purchases, not free plans. Free plans are only free if your needs are minimal and your discipline is high.