Evernote and Raindrop overlap in one specific way: both are places to clip and organise web content. But they're otherwise different products. Evernote is an everything-in-one note-taking app with a legendary Web Clipper; Raindrop is a focused bookmark manager.
Short answer
Raindrop is the better pick if you only use Evernote to save web pages. Evernote is the better pick if you need notes, tasks, calendar, PDFs, and AI tools all in one. Most people who think they want Evernote just want the Web Clipper, which makes Raindrop the cheaper right answer.
Evernote
Your second brain: capture notes, clip web pages, and find anything in seconds.
Free, paid from $8.25/mo
Iconic Web Clipper saves full pages, not just links
Does a lot in one app: notes, tasks, PDFs, calendar, and more
Powerful search across text, images, and handwriting
Raindrop wins on bookmark-focused features; Evernote wins on breadth. Here's how they line up across the features that usually decide a choice.
Feature
Evernote
Raindrop
Capture and save
Browser extension
Web Clipper (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
Mobile apps
iOS, Android
iOS, Android
Save from email
Forwarding address
Save tweets
Partial
Save YouTube videos
Partial
Save GitHub stars
Save PDFs
Full-text search Pro only
Save files (docs, spreadsheets)
Attachments
PDF, EPUB, images, video
Save audio files
Voice memos
mp3, wav, aiff, flac
Save via API
Auto-sync sources
RSS auto-sync
Via IFTTT applet
YouTube channel sync
X bookmarks sync
GitHub stars sync
Newsletter inbox sync
Partial
Library and reading
Reader view
Partial
Offline reading
Full-text search
Pro
Semantic / AI search
Pro (Stella)
Highlights
Partial
Notes
Tags
Collections
Notebooks + Spaces
Nested
Public sharing
Full-text RSS extraction
AI and agents
Markdown export for AI agents
Bulk markdown export
MCP server
Official server
CLI tool
Claude Code skill
AI summaries
AI Rewrite, AI Meeting Notes, Advanced+
Pro (Stella)
Public API
Import and export
OPML import / export
Pocket import
Instapaper import
CSV / JSON export
ENEX
HTML, CSV, TXT only
Send to Kindle
Pricing
Evernote: Free (50 notes total), Starter $8.25/mo ($99/yr), Advanced $14.17/mo ($249.99/yr). Raindrop: Free (unlimited bookmarks), Pro $3/mo ($28/yr). Raindrop is dramatically cheaper if you only need the web-saving feature.
Full-text search, permanent web archive, 10 GB/month uploads, Stella AI assistant, annotations on highlights.
$3/mo
Strengths and weaknesses
Evernote's strength is breadth and its Web Clipper heritage. Raindrop's strength is focus and free-tier generosity.
What Evernote does well
Iconic Web Clipper saves full pages, not just links
Does a lot in one app: notes, tasks, PDFs, calendar, and more
Powerful search across text, images, and handwriting
Broad AI suite: Transcribe, Rewrite, Text-to-Speech, Meeting Notes
Where it falls short
Expensive paid tiers relative to focused alternatives
Free tier (50 notes) is too restrictive for real use
Performance and interface feel dated compared to modern tools
Not optimised for the read-later or feed reader workflow
What Raindrop does well
Best-in-class UI for organising a large library of saves
Nested collections and tags for serious curators
Native apps on every major platform including browsers
Genuinely usable free tier with unlimited saves
Official MCP server for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and more
Where it falls short
Not a reading app; reader view is secondary
Export formats limited to HTML, CSV, and TXT (no markdown or JSON)
No native RSS subscription or newsletter intake
Highlights are basic compared to Readwise Reader or Matter
Which one should you pick?
Pick Evernote if…
You want one tool that handles notes, tasks, calendars, PDFs with editing, meeting notes, templates, and the Web Clipper all together. You're willing to pay $8.25/mo (Starter) or $14.17/mo (Advanced) for that breadth.
Pick Raindrop if…
You want the best-in-class bookmark manager with nested collections, tags, highlights, public sharing, file uploads, and an MCP server for AI tools. Raindrop Pro is $3/mo and the free tier is genuinely usable.
About Evernote
Evernote is the grandfather of note-taking apps and the inventor of the modern Web Clipper. After Bending Spoons acquired it in 2022, the product was rebuilt, repriced, and refocused on a more AI-forward direction. The current plans are Free (50 notes total), Starter ($8.25/mo or $99/yr), Advanced ($14.17/mo or $249.99/yr), and Enterprise. Advanced includes the full AI suite: AI Transcribe, AI Rewrite, AI Text-to-Speech, AI Meeting Notes, AI Diagrams, and AI Detector.
The Web Clipper still saves full page context (not just links) and is the feature that pulls read-later workflows into Evernote's orbit.
About Raindrop
Raindrop is a bookmark manager with polished apps on every major platform, a generous free tier with unlimited bookmarks, and a surprisingly thorough AI layer for Pro users. Pro is $3/mo ($28/yr) and unlocks full-text search across saved pages and PDFs, the Stella AI assistant, a permanent web archive, reminders, and annotations on highlights. Highlights themselves are free on every tier.
The product quietly got ambitious on AI in 2025. There's an official MCP server at /rest/v2/ai/mcp that works with Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code with Copilot, Windsurf, and Zed, plus an open REST API with OAuth and token auth.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move my Evernote web clippings to Raindrop?
Partially. Evernote exports as ENEX (its proprietary format), which Raindrop can import. You won't get full-page snapshots with the same fidelity, since Raindrop stores bookmarks with a web archive rather than rich note content.
Is Raindrop's free tier really free forever?
Yes. Unlimited bookmarks, collections, tags, devices, and collaborators. File uploads are limited to 100 MB/month on the free tier (10 GB/month on Pro).
Does Evernote still have a usable free tier?
It's hard to use in practice. 50 notes total (not per month), 1 notebook, 1 device, 1 GB storage. If you want to actually test Evernote, you'll need a paid plan quickly.
Which is cheaper?
Raindrop by a wide margin. Raindrop Pro is $3/month ($28/year). Evernote Starter is $8.25/month ($99/year) and Advanced is $14.17/month ($249.99/year). If you only need bookmark management, Raindrop is far better value.
Does Raindrop have an equivalent to Evernote's AI features?
Partially. Raindrop Pro has the Stella AI assistant for semantic search and summaries. Evernote Advanced has a broader AI suite including Transcribe, Rewrite, Meeting Notes, and more, but much of that is tied to notes and tasks, not saved articles.
Which has the better Web Clipper?
Evernote's Web Clipper is still the gold standard for saving full page context, including handwritten annotations and multiple clip formats (article, simplified, full page, bookmark). Raindrop's extension is simpler and focuses on bookmarks with an archived copy.
Does Raindrop handle notes?
Yes, notes per bookmark on all tiers. It's lighter than Evernote's dedicated notes editor; good for context around saved items, not for writing long documents.
Which has better search?
Evernote's search is famous for recognising text in images and handwriting. Raindrop Pro has full-text search across pages and PDFs. For pure bookmark search, Raindrop is faster and cheaper. For mixed content, Evernote's indexing goes deeper.
Can I use both?
Sure. A common pattern is Raindrop for bookmark-heavy workflows and Evernote (or a replacement like Obsidian or Notion) for notes, tasks, and longer-form writing.
Does either have an MCP server?
Raindrop has an official MCP server that works with Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and other AI tools. Evernote does not yet. If you're building agent workflows, Raindrop or Keep are the better picks.