Capacities vs Evernote

What Capacities is

Capacities organises notes as typed objects — people, books, ideas — rather than as files in folders. Typing objects means a book, a person and a meeting behave differently and can be queried as sets, which is closer to a database than a notebook. The cost is up-front modelling, and it is hosted, so local-first users will look elsewhere.

What Evernote is

Evernote stores notes, web clippings and documents with search that reaches inside images and PDFs. Search that reaches inside scanned documents and images is still its strongest argument, which is why archives live there long after people stop writing in it. The cost is a heavier client and a pricing history that has pushed many users to lighter tools.

What Capacities is built to do

Typed objects

Models notes as people, books or ideas with their own properties.

Daily notes

Captures into a dated page that links out to objects.

Object-based search

Filters and lists notes by type and property.

What Evernote is built to do

Search inside attachments

Finds text within PDFs and images, not just note bodies.

Web clipper

Saves pages and articles with formatting into a notebook.

Cross-platform sync

Keeps the same archive on desktop, mobile and web.

Choose Capacities if

• People who found folders too rigid and outliners too loose.

Choose Evernote if

• People with years of notes already inside it.

Capacities: pros & cons

• Object model suits linked knowledge
• Attractive, calm interface
• Daily notes as an entry point
• Object thinking takes adjustment
• Younger than the incumbents
• Offline and export options are limited

Evernote: pros & cons

• Search inside attachments and images
• Web clipper remains excellent
• Mature apps on every platform
• Price rose sharply while free tier shrank
• Performance complaints persist
• Ownership changes unsettled users