Evernote, the once dominant note-taking app, has made a major change to its free plans.

Evernote's free users will be limited to a maximum of 50 notebooks and one notebook starting December 4, the company announced in a controversial blog post Wednesday (November 29). This is a far cry from the existing free plan, which allows for 100,000 notebooks and 250 notebooks. In its announcement, Evernote tried to soften the blow by saying that users will be able to delete old notebooks to make room for new ones. However, if you have 50 notes you want to keep, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan or find another way to keep your notes.

Evernote has long been considered the best notes app for users worldwide. However, as competitors continued to enter the market, Evernote lost its position. Last year, developer Blending Spoons acquired Evernote and said it did not intend to make any changes to the platform. But with this move, that promise hardly lasts a year.

Of course, the announcement of such a change raises many questions for existing users; Evernote announced that existing users with more than 50 notebooks and one notebook can view, edit, export, share, and delete all their notes and notebooks, regardless of limitations The company announced that they could do so, at least attempting to allay their fears. However, these users will not be able to create more notebooks or notebooks unless they upgrade to a paid plan.

Evernote added that it chose its restrictions carefully and said "most" of its free users would not be affected by the change.

"For free users who have or want more than 50 notebooks and one notebook, this change may cause you to reconsider your relationship with Evernote. If you are interested in maximizing Evernote's potential and supporting its future development, please consider a paid subscription."

But for affected users, supporting Evernote's future may be a tough pill to swallow. And it may not be so easy to opt for a $15/month personal plan or an $18/month professional plan after paying nothing for so long.

Fortunately, for these users (and others who may not like Evernote's decision), there are many Evernote alternatives to consider: Notion and Joplin are the most popular choices, along with Microsoft OneNote and Zoho Notebook Google Keep and Otter are also good choices if you are looking for an alternative to Evernote.

Needless to say, there are many alternatives to Evernote. And Evernote may soon find that its shakeup could come at a greater cost than expected.