In short
- It imports your Evernote notes with tags and attachments.
- You sync with the service you choose, with no compulsory subscription.
- Some heavily formatted notes may look different after conversion.
It’s for you if…
- Your Evernote plan falls short and you do not want to pay.
- You store notes, web clippings and reference documents.
- You want your notes in an open format.
Better pick something else if…
- You depend on Evernote’s document scanning and search inside images.
- Your team works on shared notes in real time.
From Evernote to Joplin: equivalents
| Evernote | Joplin |
|---|---|
| Notebooks | Notebooks and sub-notebooks |
| Tags | Tags |
| Web Clipper | Joplin Web Clipper |
| Tasks | To-do notes and alarms |
| Attachments | Attachments |
| Search | Full-text search |
| Sync | Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or Joplin Cloud |
| Templates | Templates plug-in |
Step by step
Export from Evernote
In the desktop app, open each notebook and use its menu to export it as .enex. Do one export per notebook to keep your organisation.
Install Joplin
Download it from joplinapp.org. It is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
Import your notebooks
In File > Import, choose ENEX. You can import as Markdown, easier to edit, or as HTML, more faithful to the original look. Start with a small notebook to compare.
Check the result
Open notes with tables, images and attachments. If a notebook does not convince you in Markdown, import it again as HTML.
Set up sync
In Tools > Options > Synchronisation, choose your service and sign in. Then install the phone app and connect it to the same place.
Turn on encryption and add the clipper
Turn on end-to-end encryption and keep your master password safe. Add Joplin Web Clipper to your browser to keep saving pages.
Files and formats
Joplin imports Evernote .enex files and Markdown, and stores notes in Markdown. It exports to JEX, Markdown, HTML and PDF. Attachments are kept. Complex tables may convert poorly to Markdown, in which case it is better to import them as HTML. Notes other people share with you may not be included in the export.
What you won’t find
- No document scanning of the same quality, and image search is less convenient.
- Heavily formatted notes may look different.
- No real-time editing between several people.
Tips
- Keep your .enex files as a backup, even after importing them.
- Choose a single sync service and let the first upload finish before opening your phone.
- If you like keeping notes as separate files, Obsidian is also a good option.
Frequently asked questions
Do tags and attachments carry over?
Yes. The .enex file includes tags and attachments, and Joplin imports them. Notebooks are created according to the file you import.
Do I have to pay to sync?
No. You can use services such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Nextcloud. Joplin Cloud is a paid option.
Will my notes look the same?
It depends. Simple notes will. Heavily formatted ones are better preserved if you import them as HTML.
Independent: we have no commercial relationship, sponsorship or affiliation with Evernote or with these alternatives, and nobody pays us to recommend them. Links go to their official websites and are not affiliate links; the site is funded only by Google AdSense ads, which don't influence the selection. Learn more.