Evernote has been the home for many people's notes for years. It holds notes, web clippings, scans and documents, with strong search across all of it. On paid plans you can also add tasks inside your notes. As an archive you can always search, it is a solid choice.
Next Moves Lab does one job. It looks at everything on your plate and hands back one task to do now, the reason it was picked, and a small first step. Your tasks stop hiding inside years of notes.
The short version
- Evernote is a solid pick if you need a reliable place to keep and search notes and documents.
- Next Moves Lab is the better fit if your tasks are spread through your notes and you want something that tells you where to start.
Side by side
Price
- Evernote
- Free plan with limits; paid Starter and Advanced plans, see their site
- Next Moves Lab
- $9.99 a month, 30-day money-back guarantee
Who decides the order
- Evernote
- You, with dates and reminders
- Next Moves Lab
- It does, and shows you the reason
What you see
- Evernote
- Notebooks, notes and a task list
- Next Moves Lab
- One task and a small first step; the rest waits in Later
Rules for your day
- Evernote
- Kept in your head
- Next Moves Lab
- Set once, like "admin on Fridays", and followed every day
Follow-ups
- Evernote
- You add them
- Next Moves Lab
- Suggested from what you finished; tap Yes or No
When a day goes wrong
- Evernote
- You move the dates
- Next Moves Lab
- Nothing turns red; get the next move from where you are
When Evernote is a solid choice
- You keep a lot of reference material. Scans, receipts, articles and documents all live in one place and are easy to search.
- Notes and tasks belong together for you. A task inside the meeting note it came from can be handy.
Where Next Moves Lab wins
- Tasks come out of the notes. When to-dos sit in dozens of notes, it is hard to see which matters today. Next Moves Lab puts your tasks in one place and picks one.
- You get the reason, not just a list. Each pick says why it won, such as a deadline, your goal for the week, or a client waiting. You can swap the pick.
- Starting is easy. Each pick comes with a first step of a couple of minutes.
- Your rules are followed every day. Set "no calls before 10" or "admin on Fridays" once, and every plan respects it.
- Today fits the day you have. Tell it your time and energy, and it sizes today to fit. At most three tasks are in play. There are no overdue counts, and unfinished work waits in Later, which has no limit.
- Follow-ups come to you. Finish an invoice or a quote and it suggests the follow-up. You tap Yes or No. It never sends anything for you.
Using both
Keep Evernote as your archive. Copy the tasks that matter this week into Next Moves Lab, or add a photo of a handwritten list, and let it decide the order.
Common questions
How do I get my Evernote tasks in?
Copy and paste them in plain words, and it turns each line into a task.
Does Next Moves Lab store notes?
No, it is built for tasks and the decision of what to do next.