Why I Ditched Multiple Note-Taking Subscriptions for Notion

I canceled Evernote, Bear, and Roam Research because Notion does everything they did, in one place, for less money. This article explains the practical reasons behind that switch, what Notion does better, and where it still falls short.

Background: The Subscription Trap

Note-taking apps have exploded in the last decade. Evernote was the early king, then Bear won over Apple fans, Roam Research introduced networked thought, and Obsidian brought local Markdown files. Each one charges a monthly or yearly fee for premium features like sync, offline access, or unlimited devices. Before I switched, I was paying for three of them simultaneously—Evernote for work notes, Bear for personal journaling, and Roam for research. That added up to roughly $20 per month, and I still had to remember which app held which note.

How Notion Replaced All Three

Notion is a workspace that combines notes, databases, and project management into a single tool. Instead of a list of notes, you build pages that can contain text, tables, calendars, and linked databases. That flexibility let me replace my three subscriptions with one free personal plan. Here’s what I actually use:

• Work notes: A database of meeting notes with tags for project, date, and action items.
• Personal journal: A simple page per day, nested under a month page, with a calendar view.
• Research: A database of articles with a “summary” property and a relation to a “topics” database.

The key is that Notion’s block-based editor lets you embed anything—images, code, even other pages—without leaving the app. That single workspace eliminated the need to copy notes between apps.

Cost Comparison: What I Actually Saved

Let’s break down the numbers. At the time I switched, Evernote Personal was about $7.99/month, Bear Pro was $1.49/month, and Roam Research was $15/month. That’s $24.48/month, or roughly $294/year. Notion’s Personal Pro plan was $4/month (billed annually), and the free plan was enough for my needs. I went with the free plan, so I saved $294 in the first year. Even if I had upgraded to Pro, I would have saved $246/year. The savings come from consolidation, not from Notion being dramatically cheaper per feature—it’s that you only pay once.

How to Choose: When Notion Makes Sense

Notion isn’t for everyone. It’s a good fit if you:

• Want to store notes and manage projects in one place.
• Need to link notes together (like a wiki).
• Use databases to filter and sort notes by tags, dates, or status.
• Prefer a visual, drag-and-drop interface over plain text files.

It’s a poor fit if you need offline-first access on a plane, if you want end-to-end encryption, or if you prefer plain Markdown files that you own. For those cases, Obsidian or Bear might be better. But for most people who just want to stop juggling apps, Notion is enough.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

The biggest misconception is that Notion is slow or unreliable. It’s true that the web app can feel laggy with very large databases, but for typical note-taking, it’s fine. The mobile app is also not as polished as Bear’s, but it’s usable. Another common complaint is the learning curve. The block-based editor and database system are powerful, but they take a few days to get used to. I found that starting with a simple page and gradually adding databases worked better than trying to build a complex system from day one.

Migration: How I Moved My Notes

Moving from Evernote, Bear, and Roam was the hardest part. Here’s what worked:

1. Export from each app: Evernote exports to ENEX files, Bear exports to Markdown, Roam exports to JSON or Markdown.
2. Import into Notion: Notion has built-in importers for Evernote and Markdown. For Roam, I used the Markdown export and then cleaned up the formatting.
3. Use a simple structure first: I created a “Notes” database with a title, tags, and body. I imported everything there, then later organized into sub-pages.
4. Purge as you go: I deleted notes that were outdated or duplicates. This saved time and made the workspace cleaner.

The whole migration took about two evenings. I didn’t preserve every attachment perfectly, but I kept the content, which was what mattered.

Limitations and When I Still Use Other Tools

Notion isn’t perfect. I still use a separate app for quick capture on my phone because Notion’s widget is slower than a dedicated note app. For offline access, I use Notion’s offline mode on mobile, but it’s not as seamless as Bear’s. And for end-to-end encryption, Notion doesn’t offer it—so I don’t store sensitive passwords or financial info there. But for 95% of my note-taking, Notion is enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Notion really free?

Yes, Notion has a free personal plan that includes unlimited pages and blocks, but it limits you to 5MB file uploads and 7-day version history. For most note-taking, that’s plenty. The paid Pro plan adds unlimited file uploads and more version history, but you can start free and upgrade later.

Can I use Notion offline?

Yes, Notion has offline mode on mobile and desktop apps. You can view and edit your pages, and changes sync when you’re back online. However, the web app requires an internet connection. If you need full offline access on a laptop, consider using the desktop app.

How is Notion different from Evernote?

Evernote is a note-taking app with a focus on clipping web pages and organizing notes into notebooks. Notion is a workspace that lets you build databases, kanban boards, and wikis. Notion is more flexible but has a steeper learning curve. Evernote is simpler but less powerful for project management.

Will Notion replace my to-do app?

It can. Notion has checkboxes, due dates, and calendar views, so you can manage tasks. However, it lacks natural language input like “remind me tomorrow at 9am” that dedicated to-do apps have. If you need quick task entry, you might keep a separate app.

Is my data safe in Notion?

Notion uses encryption in transit and at rest, and it offers two-factor authentication. However, it is not end-to-end encrypted, meaning Notion’s staff can technically access your data. For most notes, that’s acceptable, but don’t store passwords or sensitive financial info there.

Can I import from Roam Research?

Yes, you can export your Roam graph as Markdown or JSON and import it into Notion. The built-in importer handles Markdown files, but you may need to clean up formatting. The process is manual but doable.

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