Benefit of web VS desktop version of the app?

[Cleo Oreo 0]

Just wondering if people prefer using the web or desktop version of the app on PC and why

I used Evernote primarily before the big update that made everything look more like a mobile app, and still haven't really gotten used to it. So I was just kinda trying to figure out if I'm missing something that could make using the 'new' evernote easier. I was kinda hoping if people talked about whatever version they liked it'd make more sense to me.

[gazumped 11,652]

Hi.  Although Evernote are working towards a common UI,  the limitations of getting an app to work within the tight security and space limitations of a browser mean that the web version doesn't have quite so many bells and whistles as the installed client.  If you need the full range of features,  then Installed will always be better than Web.

That said I'm pretty happy to use either and/ or both depending on what I'm doing - although it's a resource-hungry app,  so you're probably better off picking one and running with it.   If you really hate the new layout,  the (now unsupported) Legacy version is still available...

How you use it depends on what device(s) you're using and what processes you're running,  but there doesn't seem to be a real alternative yet if all you need is to save snippets from a variety of sources,  and find them again easily...

[Becky M. 48]

I use and love the desktop client (used on both my PC and my MacBook). I rarely use the web version. I appreciate having access to the full suite of features that the desktop app provides. If you do bulk actions (move, merge, etc) these are much easier on the desktop app. Agree with @gazumped that how you use Evernote will depend in part on which device/app you are using. 

[Dave-in-Decatur 3,938]

I kept the old version of the Windows program for a long time, but gradually began using the Web version for some of the formatting things it could do that v. 6 could not. I began to get used to it and to trust it, and as features were added back and added in, I came to like it and actually find it more usable than the old version. It's all about what one gets used to, I guess. At any rate, I found using the Web version a good transition to finally installing the new Windows desktop program. Among other things, it has a lot of keyboard shortcuts that are not available in the Web version (because browsers snag those for themselves). It also allows you to establish import folders, where you can just deposit files and have them automatically imported into new Evernote notes.

[eric99 978]

FYI: additional advantages of the WEB client:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXYzjItTFpw

 

[PinkElephant 8,077]

Some Web Client scenarios:

• Good option for Free users, who swap computers. The web client counts as one „device“. This leaves one device for mobile use. The installed clients consume one device per computer.
• If you use EN on a company computer, chances are that you are not allowed to install software. Then the web client does the job to access EN. Hint: In some cases the firewall blocks access - then it won‘t connect.
• Privacy: The web client does not leave data on the host computer. Open it in a private window, set the browser to wipe the caches on closing. Good as well if used on a company computer.

Downside is it needs to load everything from the server, which makes it slower than the installed clients on slow networks. Plus a number of missing features - the impact depends on your use case.

[Boot17 1,442]

You can open the web version in as many browser tabs as you want. With the Desktop client you can only have one "main" window open and as many notes in their own new window as you want.

The web version lacks most keyboard shortcuts and can't do the 'Switch To' command at all (which I use all the time).

I used the Legacy client on Mac, Windows, and iPhone and was a little bit frustrated with the difference in UI and even the fonts and the way the note was created. Notes created on Windows looked different in my Mac client than the notes I created in my Mac client.

I really like the new look. Maybe it took me some time to get used to, I don't remember, but when I go back to Legacy now I think it's too compact and cluttered and I prefer the new look and especially like how it's unified across all devices.

[Mishkafofer 25]

I have a suspicion that the web version makes saves much faster than the PC client.

[PinkElephant 8,077]

The web client saves directly on the EN server.

The installed client saves to the local database, and syncs it with the master copy on the server. There is a step in between.

[L-Squared 1]

Is there anywhere you can see a side by side function comparison or the web version vs the desktop client? It seems to me some function shave disappeared from the free web version (e.g. move a note to a different notebook). I really only use Evernote for recipes because of the clipping function. At this point I am leaning to move all of them to OneNote. 

[PinkElephant 8,077]

The Free client will probably receive more serious restrictions, if the current blind test of features will be rolled out to all users. Not being able to move a note will be your least concern. 

The main advantage of the web client is that you can use it on different devices, without a need to install software, while it still counts as only 1 device. Opening it in a Private Window means you leave no trace of usage on the hosting computer. No local data is stored.

The downside is a lack of some functions, like exporting full notebooks. You can’t use the web client offline either.

[ehrt74 240]

The web client works on all operating systems that are supported by a modern browser. The desktop app doesn't 😕