Evernote vs Obsidian vs Note Cargo: Which is better? (2026)
Evernote is a veteran cloud note-taking app with web clipping and OCR. Obsidian is a local-first knowledge base with a powerful plugin ecosystem.
TL;DREvernote is a veteran cloud note app with web clipping and OCR. Obsidian is a local-first app with a rich plugin ecosystem and strong offline support.
Note Cargo stores standard Markdown in your own S3/R2 bucket - always in sync, any browser, no desktop app required.
Evernote wins on OCR and web clipping. Obsidian wins on offline and plugins. Note Cargo wins on ownership and simplicity.
Evernote
Obsidian
Note Cargo
Pricing
Data & Privacy
Platform
Markdown & Portability
Collaboration
Self-Hosting
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best for data privacy - Evernote, Obsidian, or Note Cargo?
Note Cargo stores files in your own S3/R2 bucket. Obsidian keeps files local (though sync goes through their servers). Evernote stores everything on their servers with a history of privacy policy changes. Note Cargo gives you the most control.
Which has the best value for money?
Note Cargo is a one-time payment. Obsidian is free for personal use but charges for sync. Evernote starts at $14.9/month. Note Cargo wins on long-term cost by far.
Which supports Markdown best?
Note Cargo and Obsidian are both fully Markdown-native with standard .md files. Evernote uses rich text with limited Markdown support and no plain-text file access.
Ready to switch to Note Cargo?
Self-hosted, Markdown-native, stored in your own S3/R2. One-time payment, no subscriptions.