This free tool finally let me move from Evernote to a better app

A lot went wrong with Evernote before I dumped it for Obsidian. However, migrating from Evernote to another note-taking app is a bit tricky. Evernote doesn’t offer a one-click export option and only exports in its proprietary ENEX format or the web .html format, which honestly isn’t very useful.

While Obsidian supports ENEX format, you can only import 50 notes at a time without risking file corruption. After trying a few options, I ended up using a free ENEX to Markdown converter to export over 1,000 Evernote notes to Obsidian.

Why I switched from Evernote to Obsidian

Evernote’s free plan is painfully limited

I had more than a few thousand notes in Evernote before the company decided to restrict free users to 50 notes. I primarily used it as a text editor to write articles, because why not? It had a familiar UI similar to most WYSIWYG editors, the then-revolutionary web clipper was a lifesaver (until it failed), and overall, it worked well for my workflow.

Over the years, though, I encountered multiple issues with Evernote. In 2013, it saw a major breach that compromised user data (usernames and emails). Since I didn’t have any sensitive information in my notebooks, I decided to continue with the service.

By 2023, the desktop client started having random performance and sync issues, so much so that it rendered the app useless. The last straw was when the company announced the 50-note limitation on free accounts. Even if you opted for the premium Starter plan at $99.99 yearly, you’re still limited to only one thousand notes. For unlimited notes, you’d have to splurge $249.99 on the Advanced plan.

Looking for an alternative, I initially landed on Notion, but it didn’t fit my workflow. I needed an app that saved my files locally on my device, so I switched from Notion to Obsidian and haven’t looked back.

I love writing in Obsidian. It didn’t take much time to familiarize myself with the Markdown format, and I think it’s superior to conventional rich text editors. Obsidian is completely free, so you can create unlimited notes and never pay a cent. Plus, if you don’t want to pay for sync, you can set up your own Obsidian sync using Google Drive and sync across devices.

Using Notes Migrator to export Evernote notes to Obsidian

Convert ENEX format to markdown format

Moving from Evernote to Obsidian is easy if you have fewer than 50 notes. For someone with thousands of notes, though, the built-in import plugin was inadequate. Any attempt to import the notes would create an overcooked noodles-like mess.

Since Obsidian stores all notes in Markdown format, I used a free open-source app called Notes Migrator to convert files from ENEX format into Markdown format. It’s a secure, browser-based tool that lets you migrate your notes between popular services like Google Keep, Apple Notes, Evernote, and Notion.

To use the app, you need to download Notes Migrator from GitHub. Extract the ZIP and run the index.html file. Then, select Evernote under the From dropdown and choose Markdown / Notion under the To dropdown.

Instead of selecting individual notes in Evernote, select Notebooks and export them. This is the easiest way to export notes if you have thousands of Notebooks to work with. To do this, open the Notebooks tab in the left pane, click the three-dot menu, and choose Export Notebook. Choose ENEX format, select all the Export Note Attributes, and click Export.

In the Notes Migrator interface, drag and drop the Evernote (.enex) export. Once the file is uploaded, click Convert and Download. Extract the newly downloaded ZIP file and move the Markdown files to your Obsidian directory to access them from your new note-taking app. Repeat the steps for all the exports.

The result

Moved all of my thousands of notes successfully

For the most part, Notes Migrator did an excellent job converting ENEX format into Markdown format, and Obsidian didn’t have any issues recognizing them.

If you have tons of Evernote webclips, though, Obsidian will have issues handling them. Personally, I had switched to Zotero to organize my research, so I didn’t have many webclips that I wanted to carry over. I purely use Obsidian for writing articles and taking text-based notes, and it works great.

And if I need to switch again in the future, having files in Markdown format is less of a headache. I’m not tied down by yet another proprietary format that may or may not exist in the future.

Notes Migrator makes it easy to migrate from Evernote to Obsidian

If you’re looking to escape Evernote’s increasingly restrictive plans and feature bloat, Notes Migrator makes the transition painless. The browser-based tool handles the heavy lifting of format conversion, and unlike Obsidian’s built-in importer, it doesn’t choke on large note collections. The best part is it’s completely free and open-source, so you’re not trading one paid service for another just to move your data.

The whole process took me a few hours to migrate all the notes in batches, and most of that time was spent exporting notebooks from Evernote. Once you’ve got your ENEX files, Notes Migrator can convert them locally without sending any data to a third-party server. You end up with clean Markdown files that work perfectly in Obsidian, and you’re finally free from Evernote’s limitations.