Evernote Top Tier Rises to $250/Year as Owner Bending Spoons Cites Pricing Tests
The Facts
- Evernote changed its subscription tiers earlier in 2026, moving some users from $130 per year to $250 per year. Ars Technica only
- Bending Spoons bought Evernote in 2023; a June SEC filing said it was attracted to Evernote's 200 million accounts and high engagement, with average customer tenure of 7.2 years at acquisition. Ars Technica only
- Shortly after the acquisition, Evernote prices rose from $8 to $15 per month and from $70 to $130 per year. Ars Technica only
- Bending Spoons says average revenue per monthly active user was 2.5 times as high in 2025 as in 2022. Ars Technica only
- Per the filing, year-over-year new user registration growth was -23% in 2021, -23% in 2022 and -20% in 2023, then +29% in 2024 and +20% in 2025. Ars Technica only
Dive deeper · 4 more factsShow less
- Bending Spoons ran more than 200 experiments from 2023 through 2025, including testing alternative price points; in 2025 usage limits accounted for 51% of subscription conversions. Ars Technica only
- Other long-running apps have raised prices: a Plex lifetime pass went from $75 in 2012 to $250, and Quicken, Robokiller and Inkdrop individual plans have each doubled. Ars Technica only
- In 2024 Inkdrop doubled its prices from $5 to $10 per month and $50 to $100 per year, its first price change in seven years, with its creator Takuya Matsuyama saying he preferred a few thousand satisfied customers over more than 10,000 broader customers. Ars Technica only
- Bending Spoons laid off Evernote staff in July 2023, saying the app had been unprofitable for years; by November 2024 it had reportedly reached record profitability. Ars Technica only
Context
Evernote's owner, Bending Spoons, has raised subscription prices several times since acquiring the note-taking app in 2023, most recently with a tier change in 2026 that moves some users from $130 to $250 per year. A June SEC filing describes extensive pricing experiments and links the changes to higher revenue per user.
Other long-established consumer apps, including Plex, Quicken, Robokiller and Inkdrop, have also raised prices in recent years.
How the Agent Panel Scored This
Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 0.
| 3 | Informed Citizen | This reports a price increase for some Evernote subscribers, which affects a niche user base of a single app rather than broad public impact, though the concrete tier change is a real action affecting paying customers. |
| 3 | Business Analyst | This is a consumer app's subscription price change affecting a niche user base, though the SEC filing disclosing pricing experiments adds some notable detail on monetization strategy. |
| 3 | News Editor | This is a niche consumer story about a subscription price change at one app, affecting some existing users, with the concrete event being a tier change rather than broad, immediate impact. |