Springpad or Evernote?

[Markus729]

I've recently downloaded both to my phone and set up online syncing, etc. and I see pros and cons to each, but the cons for BOTH is that all the various items are listed as a whole, random list on my phone, rather than inside labeled and organized categories like on the desktop versions.

Am I missing something, and why can't the organized categories show up on my phone? I don't want to see recipes mixed with links mixed with reminder notes and tasks...

 

[edbro]

I use both.

With Evernote you can search by tags to get what you want. With Springpad you can filter by category of what you want to see.

I use Evernote to collect most everything. I use Springpad for notes and checklists.

 

[jeffjaner]

For Springpad on your mobile; just tap MyStuff and you'll see all your stuff is organized by category and you can sort by when created, most popular and alpha by name.

 

[frankbonatelli]

And last I checked Springpad has offline note saving while Evernote did not. I was a heavy Evernote user during my enfeebled days with that fruity product. Came to the healthy world or Android and free thinking, quickly discovered that Evernote did not function with out a connection and Springpad did. This may have changed by now but I have since become devout user of the Springpad app since it had what I needed right off the hop.

 

[Lukehluke]

I personally think Springpad is one of the best ones out there.

 

[jimdroid]

I *love* Springpad (and I used to be a dedicated Evernote user). The Springpad widget is a really nice touch too.

jd

 

[hrbib21]

Since Easy Note has been flaky with 2.2, I just switched to Springpad today. LOVE IT.

 

[3gAndroid]

I use Springpad after using Evernote.

The problem with Springpad?

No problems... ha..ha..ha..

 

[Markus729]

For Springpad on your mobile; just tap MyStuff and you'll see all your stuff is organized by category and you can sort by when created, most popular and alpha by name.

Cool! That's what I was hoping for. Not sure why I never tapped MyStuff and it was there. I swear I did, but I must have not.

I've had both for the weekend, and tho that really isn't a lot of time, I'm pretty much leaning to Springpad.

I've heard a lot about Evernote, and am surprised at how many reviews and expats there are, moving over to Springpad.

thanks for the insight, all!

 

[Markus729]

Just an update:

I've gone with Evernote. Springpad had some nice things I like, but Evernote has better accessibility and a little better organization, though it could be better, still.

I've spent time on their dev forums, and like anything, folks are always wanting this improved. In my day-to-day trials and errors, Evernote just seemed more comfortable and easier to use.

I don't want to use both for separate things, I want to use one app for everything, and tho not perfect, I've decided on EN.

 

[DenverRalphy]

I personally use Catch Notes (formerly Snaptic/3Banana).

It has offline notes, great tagging system, option to passcode your app, note sharing, geotagging, QR code/Barcode scanning, and more. It's UI is simplistic and nothing fancy though.

SpringPad is really good too, and I keep toying with it. The UI of the mobile app is great. However I keep reverting back to Catch Notes. The inline tagging feature is really nice, and I find the simplicity of the UI more convenient.

SpringPad is evolving quickly though. That's why I keep an eye on it. As well, the stagnation of Evernote's Android support is why I stopped using their service.

 

[Deleted User]

the stagnation of Evernote's Android support is why I stopped using their service.

You might want to check out version 2.0 beta of Evernote. It allows offline notebooks (for premium members) and supposed to be faster than the previous version. I just installed it yesterday. Too soon for me to say how much better (or worse) it is than the current Market version.

 

[DenverRalphy]

You might want to check out version 2.0 beta of Evernote. It allows offline notebooks (for premium members) and supposed to be faster than the previous version. I just installed it yesterday. Too soon for me to say how much better (or worse) it is than the current Market version.

Yeah I've had it installed a couple days now, and have played with it. There are numerous bugs yet. I'd almost consider it an Alpha release. Sync is pretty flakey, editing notes sometimes results in duplicate notes, tagging notes doesn't always stick, and numerous other bugs.

I think making Offline Notes available to premium users only will do them more harm than good though. Especially considering that the newer up-and-coming similar services provide it free.

 

[Deleted User]

Yeah I've had it installed a couple days now, and have played with it. There are numerous bugs yet. I'd almost consider it an Alpha release. Sync is pretty flakey, editing notes sometimes results in duplicate notes, tagging notes doesn't always stick, and numerous other bugs.

I think making Offline Notes available to premium users only will do them more harm than good though. Especially considering that the newer up-and-coming similar services provide it free.

I haven't played with it enough to encounter those bugs. Yeah, they call it beta, but from what you describe, it sounds like Alpha....

I might have to check out Catch Notes. I think I used 3banana notes when I first got my Hero, but don't remember why I uninstalled it....

 

[singsong]

I have just tried to use all three note taking apps.
Catch note is just too simple with very few instructions to be useful enough with versatility for my taste.
Springpad, on the other hand, is way too structured and complex for me.
It will work well with people who like structure and organization pre-formatted.
I find Evernote to be a happy medium between the two above.
Simple and yet, versatile enough. I like their Android interface as well.

 

[JohnJeans]

On my Springpad the reminder dosen't go on when the due date accur, some tasks goes on and some is not..I really love it but I'm dispointed because of that..
Any idea ?!!!

 

[waynester]

I know this is old thread but those that like simple should try out the new spring pad update to web and android apps.
evernote might be the snit for most people but it is more than i need

Springpad Blog

 

[chrs]

I might be old fashioned about this, but I wanted to have the ability to have my notes on my local hard drive on my laptop, as well as saved on my phone and (optionally) in the cloud. That way, for example, if I'm on a trip, working on my laptop without internet, I can still look something up or make a note.

The solution I found that does that is a combination of Simplenotes as the cloud server with Jade Notes as the Android app and Resophnotes as the pc app. Resophnotes is great--quick and easy to use, supports tags, etc. Jade Notes is OK but note ideal for me. My biggest complaint is that I can't select a tag (category) from a menu---rather I need to type in the tag for each new note. Other minor issues are that I find the colors in the list of notes hard to read and I don't see an option to change that, and the app opens to a full list of all my (hundreds) of notes, whereas I'd rather have it open to a list of categories, or a category I choose.

Do any of the solutions you are discussing above have the option of syncing to a file on the PC?

 

[ct2020]

The Evernote Desktop app saves notes to your HD. When I was in Mexico at a resort that didn't have internet I still had access to all my notes I had made prior.

 

[Deleted User]

Also, if you are a premium Evernote member, you can download notebooks to your SD card on your phone.

 

[chrs]

So I'd need to pay $45/year for premium service just to have notes available on my phone when I'm not connected to the cloud? No thanks.

 

[jonesf]

The biggest issue I have with EN for Android and EN for iPhone is the weak logical menu and what I perceive to be an overreliance on search and tagging. Tags and searches are great, but good logical organization is also important. Their public stance on this issue seems to be "if you rely on navigating through folders that much, you're probably doing it wrong".

I've heard that they plan to introduce stacks to the mobile apps, at some point. That could change things for me, depending on how they implement it. Anyone know anything about that?

My premium subscription is up for renewal in the spring. Unless I have reassurance by then that the mobile versions of EN will improve in this regard somewhat soon, I doubt I'll be able to justify resubscribing.

Springpad looks pretty interesting so far, will investigate more (I'm new to Android). Are they working on a desktop app, by any chance? Also plan to investigate chrs' approach at some point.

 

[cdf3]

I'm currently using Evernote, but have decided to give Springpad a try.
I'm unable to search tags, but I am able to create Tags and Notebooks for free, unlike Evernote. I use Catch as well, but it's rather bland, but it does get the job done.


I noticed that I was able to place an item in more than one Notebook and add more than one label to an item using the PC web interface, using Springpad. I wasn't able to do so use using Evernote. Perhaps there's a way to do it, but I wasn't able to find it.

I wish both apps had some type of drop down box for adding Tags to items. I do notice that as I type the Tag it will prompt with actual word to select. A drop down box would be easier, because I tend to forget the names of all of my tags.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

I prefer Evernote for a few major reasons: first, it is compatible on several platforms. I love Android now, but what if I decide to go BB or WinMo down the line? Evernote is more accessible across mobile platforms. This isn't something that we mobile tech fiends think about to often, but I tend to look for apps that won't freeze me into one platform due to their unavailability in another.

Secondly, Evernote integrates well with other apps (like Reqall, Docscanner and Olivetree Bible). That alone makes it worth it for me.

 

[allambition]

Evernote is awesome though I haven't tried Springpad. I like that I can take pictures and insert them into a note. It works offline for me though I'm not a premium member. Maybe there is some functionality i'm missing out on but it serves its purpose for me.