Evernote v11: The Comeback Story Powered by AI

The note-taking pioneer reinvents itself with OpenAI partnership and long-awaited features

Evernote, the once-dominant note-taking app that seemed to fade into obscurity, is making a bold play for relevance with its most significant update in five years. Version 11, released today, represents a dramatic shift in strategy as the company goes all-in on artificial intelligence, partnering with OpenAI to transform how users interact with their notes.

The timing of this comeback attempt is notable for anyone who’s written off Evernote in recent years. The company has been quietly rebuilding since Milan-based developer Bending Spoons acquired the struggling app in 2022 and subsequently relocated operations to Europe after significant layoffs. Now, with over 200 improvements and a major version release, Evernote is ready to reclaim its place in the productivity conversation.

AI Assistant: ChatGPT Inside Your Notes

The centerpiece of version 11 is AI Assistant, developed in collaboration with OpenAI. This isn’t just another chatbot bolted onto an existing app—it’s a deeply integrated tool that fundamentally changes how users can work with their accumulated knowledge.

AI Assistant goes beyond simple search functionality. Users can ask questions about their notes in natural language, generate new content, and interact conversationally with their entire note library. During a demonstration, Evernote’s product lead Federico Simionato showed how AI Assistant could add specific details like flight numbers to travel notes, suggesting a future where the tool becomes a true digital assistant rather than just a search interface.

The implementation comes with important privacy safeguards. Users maintain granular control over which content AI Assistant can access, and Bending Spoons’ agreement with OpenAI explicitly prevents user data from being used to train models. Any information sent for processing is only retained for the duration needed to complete the request.

Interestingly, Bending Spoons is taking a more aggressive approach with AI Assistant than with previous AI features. The tool will be enabled by default for all paid users, a decision informed by earlier missteps. When the company released AI Search in 2023, they buried the activation deep in settings out of privacy concerns. Users found this approach too cumbersome, and with AI tools becoming mainstream, Evernote decided to make AI Assistant immediately accessible.

Semantic Search: A Decade in the Making

Perhaps even more significant than AI Assistant is the introduction of Semantic Search—a feature longtime Evernote users have requested for over a decade. Traditional keyword search requires users to remember exact words or phrases from their notes. Semantic Search understands context and meaning instead.

The practical implications are substantial. Type “Barcelona trip” into the search bar, and Evernote might surface notes about a journey to Girona, recognizing the geographical and contextual relationship even though Barcelona isn’t mentioned in the document. This contextual understanding transforms Evernote from a digital filing cabinet into something closer to a second brain that actually understands what you’re looking for.

According to Simionato, Semantic Search tops the list of most-requested features from the Evernote community. Its arrival in version 11 suggests Bending Spoons is listening to longtime users while simultaneously courting new ones with AI-powered capabilities.

Enhanced Transcription and Recording

Building on the AI Transcribe feature introduced in 2024, version 11 expands Evernote’s audio capabilities significantly. The app can now record and automatically transcribe both in-person meetings and online conversations, then generate summaries of what was discussed. The feature supports every language currently available in Evernote, making it useful for international teams and multilingual users.

Earlier this year, Evernote increased the file size limit for AI transcription to 100MB, accommodating hour-long meetings or lectures. The transcription engine uses advanced speech recognition designed to handle various accents and background noise, though optimal results still require relatively clear audio.

The Road Ahead

All new AI features will roll out first to desktop and web versions this month, with mobile support following later. Currently, these capabilities are exclusive to paid subscribers, though Bending Spoons plans to offer free users a trial period in the coming months.

There’s a caveat worth noting: price increases are on the horizon. Simionato acknowledged that the company will adjust pricing soon, partly because the gap between Personal and Professional tier offerings has narrowed considerably.

For Evernote, version 11 represents more than just a feature update—it’s an argument that the app deserves another look. Simionato’s hope is simple: that people will give Evernote a try and discover it’s no longer the slow, unreliable application many remember.

Whether this AI-powered transformation can truly resurrect Evernote’s fortunes remains to be seen. The productivity app landscape has grown crowded with formidable competitors like Notion, Obsidian, and Roam Research. But with OpenAI’s technology under the hood and long-requested features finally arriving, Evernote at least has a compelling story to tell.

The question now is whether anyone’s still listening.

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