Evernote App Review Analysis

1. Summary of Key Insights

• Evernote is a well-established note-taking app with a long history, but recent changes, particularly around pricing and features, have created a mixed user experience. While many long-time users appreciate the core functionality and improvements under new ownership (Bending Spoons), others are frustrated by increasing costs, intrusive upsells, and perceived bloat. The sentiment is polarized, with a strong base of loyal users alongside a significant number of detractors.
• Strengths: Core note-taking functionality, cross-platform syncing, search capabilities (especially OCR), organizational features (notebooks, tags), recent performance improvements, and a dedicated user base.
• Weaknesses: High and increasing subscription costs, aggressive upsell tactics, UI/UX issues (clunky interface, difficult navigation, pop-up ads), customer support issues, bugs, and lack of certain features (offline access in free tier, better task management).
• Overall Sentiment: Mixed, with a significant number of positive and negative reviews. Recent improvements seem to be winning back some users, but pricing remains a major sticking point.
• Quantitative Metrics:
  • Overall Rating (Implied): Approximately 4.15 stars (based on review distribution).
  • Score Distribution: 1-star (19.6%), 2-star (5.8%), 3-star (6%), 4-star (8.6%), 5-star (60%).

2. Data & Methodology Overview

• Data Sample Size: 500 reviews.
• Time Frame: The reviews span a significant period, with many referencing usage over several years (some over a decade). The majority appear to be recent, referencing current versions and pricing.
• Analysis Methods:
  • Sentiment Analysis: Categorization of reviews as positive, negative, or neutral based on the expressed opinions.
  • Keyword Extraction: Identification of frequently used words and phrases to identify key themes and issues.
  • Thematic Analysis: Grouping of reviews based on recurring topics (e.g., pricing, features, performance, customer support).

3. Key User Pain Points

• High Subscription Costs: Many users complain about the high and increasing subscription costs, especially for features they don't need or use. This is the most frequent complaint.
• Aggressive Upselling: The app is perceived as being overly aggressive in pushing users to upgrade to paid plans, with frequent and intrusive pop-up ads.
• Poor Customer Support: Many users report difficulty contacting customer support and resolving issues, even as paying customers.
• Bugs and Performance Issues: Some users experience bugs, crashes, slow loading times, and syncing problems.
• UI/UX Issues: Some users find the UI clunky, difficult to navigate, and overly complex, especially with recent updates.
• Limited Functionality in Free Tier: The free version is seen as too restrictive, limiting the number of notes, devices, and features.
• Loss of Functionality: Some long-time users lament the removal of features they relied on in the past (e.g., email a copy, bulk export).
• Lack of Offline Access (Free Tier): Many users desire offline access to their notes, even in the free version.
• Issues with Specific Features: Some users report problems with specific features, such as voice control, right-to-left language support, printing, and camera integration.
• Unwanted Automatic Updates: Users complain about constant updates with accompanying pop-ups detailing update fixes, interrupting quick access to notes.
• Broken Hierarchies and Search: Some users report problems with note hierarchies and search functionality not working as expected.

4. Frequently Requested Features

• More Flexible Pricing Options: Tiered pricing based on features used, rather than a one-size-fits-all subscription.
• Improved Task Management: More robust task management features, including the ability to rearrange tasks on mobile devices, print tasks, and better integration with other task management apps.
• Better Customer Support: More responsive and helpful customer support, including phone support.
• Additional Color Options for Highlighting: More options for highlighting text in different colors.
• Improved Offline Access: Offline access to notes in the free tier.
• Better Right-to-Left (RTL) Language Support: Improved support for RTL languages like Arabic.
• Unified Reminder List: A unified reminder list that sorts by due date.
• Ability to Turn Off Pop-up Notifications: Ability to turn off pop-up notifications regarding updates.
• Easy Import/Export: An easy way to import or export notes to other platforms.

5. Strengths and Positive Aspects

• Core Note-Taking Functionality: Users appreciate the core note-taking functionality, including the ability to write, collect, and organize ideas.
• Cross-Platform Syncing: The ability to sync notes across multiple devices is a major strength.
• Search Capabilities: Evernote's search capabilities, especially the ability to search for text in images (OCR), are highly valued.
• Organizational Features: Notebooks, tags, and other organizational features are praised for helping users stay organized.
• Recent Improvements: Many users acknowledge recent performance improvements and new features under the new ownership (Bending Spoons).
• Web Clipper: The web clipper is a popular tool for saving articles and web pages.
• Long-Term Reliability: Many long-time users appreciate the app's reliability and the fact that it has been around for many years.
• Versatility: Users employ Evernote for a wide variety of purposes, from journaling to project management to recipe storage.
• AI Integration: The AI features are appreciated by some, particularly the AI edit and cleanup.
• OCR Capabilities: Many users value the OCR capabilities of Evernote, allowing them to easily scan and organize paper documents.

6. Prioritized Action Recommendations

Priority	Issue	Recommendation
High	High Subscription Costs & Upselling	Re-evaluate pricing structure, offering more flexible options based on features used. Reduce the frequency and intrusiveness of upsell prompts. Consider offering a lower-priced tier with limited features.
High	Poor Customer Support	Invest in improving customer support, providing more responsive and helpful assistance. Consider offering phone support or live chat.
High	Bugs and Performance Issues	Prioritize bug fixes and performance improvements. Conduct thorough testing before releasing new updates.
Medium	UI/UX Issues	Redesign the UI to be more intuitive and user-friendly. Simplify navigation and reduce clutter.
Medium	Limited Functionality in Free Tier	Increase the functionality of the free tier to attract new users and encourage upgrades.
Medium	Lack of Offline Access (Free Tier)	Provide offline access to notes in the free tier, with limitations on the number of notes or features.
Medium	Task Management Improvements	Enhance task management features, allowing users to rearrange tasks on mobile devices, print tasks, and better integrate with other task management apps.
Low	Right-to-Left (RTL) Language Support	Improve support for RTL languages like Arabic.
Low	Ability to Turn Off Pop-up Notifications	Allow users to disable pop-up notifications about updates.
Low	Easy Import/Export	Provide a simple and reliable way to import and export notes to other platforms.

7. Opportunities for Startup Ideas

• Evernote Data Migration Service: A service that helps users easily migrate their notes from Evernote to other platforms, addressing the "data hostage" concern.
• AI-Powered Note Summarization Tool: A tool that uses AI to automatically summarize long notes, making it easier to find key information.
• Contextual Note Taking App: An app that uses AI to provide contextual information and suggestions as users take notes, helping them to connect ideas and generate new insights.
• Simplified Note-Taking App: A note-taking app that focuses on simplicity and ease of use, targeting users who find Evernote too complex.
• Collaborative Note-Taking Platform: A platform focused on team collaboration, with features for sharing notes, assigning tasks, and tracking progress.

8. Trends and Observations

• Polarization of Sentiment: The reviews reveal a stark contrast between loyal users who appreciate Evernote's core functionality and detractors who are frustrated by recent changes.
• Pricing as a Major Driver of Sentiment: Pricing is the single most important factor influencing user sentiment.
• Appreciation for Bending Spoons' Efforts: Many users acknowledge the positive impact of Bending Spoons' ownership and the improvements they have made.
• Long-Term Users' Frustrations: Long-term users are more likely to express frustration with the loss of features and the increased cost.
• Feature Creep Concerns: Some users worry that Evernote is becoming too bloated with unnecessary features.

9. Conclusion

Evernote remains a powerful and versatile note-taking app, but its future success depends on addressing key user concerns, particularly around pricing and customer support. By re-evaluating its pricing structure, improving its customer service, and focusing on core functionality, Evernote can regain the trust of disgruntled users and attract new customers. The company should also prioritize bug fixes and performance improvements to ensure a smooth and reliable user experience.

10. Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/evernote-notes-organizer/id281796108?uo=2