Caliu vs Evernote
Evernote pioneered the everything-bucket: clip a web page, scan a receipt, search the text inside a photo. Caliu is not trying to be that. It is a writing app for people whose notes are mostly words, who want them in Markdown, offline, and easy to take elsewhere.
| Feature | Caliu | Evernote |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown editingEvernote is rich text; there is no Markdown mode. | ||
| Works fully offline on every deviceCaliu is local-first everywhere, no account required. Evernote has historically gated offline notebooks on mobile behind a paid plan. | ||
| Opens with no account | ||
| Unlimited notes on the free tierEvernote's free plan caps how many notes and notebooks you can keep. Caliu's free tier does not count notes. | ||
| Free sync across devicesEvernote's free plan limits how many devices can be connected. In Caliu, having a free account is what syncs everything. | ||
| Web clipperEvernote's clipper is still the best in the category. Caliu accepts shared text from the iOS and macOS share sheet instead. | ||
| OCR search inside images and PDFsA genuine Evernote strength with no Caliu equivalent. | ||
| Nested hashtag organizationEvernote has flat tags plus notebooks. Caliu nests tags (#work/project) straight out of the text. | ||
| Export to open formatsCaliu exports Markdown, TXT, HTML, RTF, ePub, PDF and TextPack. Evernote exports its own .enex format, or HTML. | ||
| REST APIEvernote has an API, but access for new developers has been restricted for years. | ||
| MCP server for AI agents | ||
| PriceCaliu Pro is $1.99/month or $17.99/year. Evernote's paid plans cost several times that. |
Pick Caliu if
- Your notes are mostly writing, and a rich-text everything-bucket is more app than you need.
- You want Markdown and open export formats, so leaving is always possible.
- You have hit Evernote's free-tier note or device limits and do not want to pay their subscription to get past them.
- You want the notes on device and instant, with no account required to start.
Pick Evernote if
- The web clipper is central to how you work: nothing in Caliu replaces it.
- You search text inside scanned documents and photos, which Evernote's OCR does well.
- You keep receipts, PDFs and clipped articles more than you write, and you want them all searchable in one place.
Switching from Evernote
This one takes a detour, and it is fair to say so up front. Caliu does not read Evernote's .enex format. Export your notebooks from Evernote as .enex, run them through an .enex to Markdown converter (several free ones exist), then import the resulting Markdown files, or a .zip of them, into Caliu. Tags in the converted files come across as Caliu tags, nested ones included.
Frequently asked questions
Can Caliu import my Evernote notes directly?
Not directly. Caliu imports Markdown files, ZIP archives, TextBundle, Bear backups, Notion exports and Google Keep Takeout archives, but not .enex. Convert your Evernote export to Markdown first, then import those files.
Is Caliu cheaper than Evernote?
Considerably. Caliu's free tier is a complete notes app with unlimited notes and free sync, and Caliu Pro is $1.99/month or $17.99/year. Evernote's paid plans cost several times that, and its free plan limits both how many notes you can keep and how many devices you can connect.
Does Caliu have a web clipper?
No. On iPhone, iPad and Mac you can send text to Caliu through the system share sheet, and the REST API lets you script your own capture, but there is no browser extension that clips a formatted page the way Evernote's does.
What happens to my attachments?
Caliu stores images and file attachments on notes, and they sync with a free account. What it will not do is index the text inside them: there is no OCR, so a photographed receipt is an image in Caliu, not searchable text.