Softwr

Education · head to head

Evernote vs GoGuardian

Evernote logo

Evernote

Education

Remember everything and tackle any project

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GoGuardian logo

GoGuardian

Education

Web filtering, classroom screen monitoring and self-harm alerting for school-issued devices

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Evernote has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Evernote free tier limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces; 20GB storage with Single device sync; GoGuardian beacon generates alerts that a human must act on, often outside school hours, and districts that buy it without agreeing who responds at 11pm have created a liability rather than resolved one.
  • They diverge on capability: Evernote covers Note creation and organization, GoGuardian covers Admin.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Evernote and GoGuardian actually diverge.

Attributes where Evernote and GoGuardian differ
AttributeEvernoteGoGuardian
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, SafariChrome OS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Web
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Evernote

  • Note creation and organization
  • Web clipper
  • Document scanning
  • Handwriting recognition
  • Audio notes
  • Templates
  • Tags and notebooks
  • Advanced search

Only in GoGuardian

  • Admin
  • Teacher
  • Beacon
  • Beacon 24/7
  • Scenes and sessions
  • Smart Alerts
  • Off-campus filtering
  • Reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Evernote

  • Cross-platform note-taking and organisationnot GoGuardian
  • Web clipping and content capture with web clipper extensionnot GoGuardian
  • Task management and calendar integrationnot GoGuardian
  • Document scanning with OCR capabilitynot GoGuardian
  • Real-time collaboration with team membersnot GoGuardian

GoGuardian

  • A US district that must demonstrate CIPA-compliant filtering on federally subsidised broadband and wants the activity logs to survive an audit.not Evernote
  • A one-to-one Chromebook programme where devices go home and the district needs the filtering policy to travel with the device rather than stop at the school gate.not Evernote
  • A school with a documented safeguarding concern about self-harm that needs flagged language escalated to a named counsellor with a timestamped record.not Evernote
  • A teacher running an online assessment who needs pupil browsers locked to a single site for the duration without provisioning a separate lockdown browser.not Evernote

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Evernote

  • Free tier limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces; 20GB storage with Single device sync
  • AI features (AI Assistant, Semantic Search, Transcription) only available in Advanced plan
  • Advanced and Enterprise plans require custom pricing for enterprises
  • Note limit constraints in Starter plan: 1000 notes vs unlimited in Advanced

GoGuardian

  • Beacon generates alerts that a human must act on, often outside school hours, and districts that buy it without agreeing who responds at 11pm have created a liability rather than resolved one.
  • Detection is language-pattern based, so it produces false positives on coursework about difficult subjects and misses coded or oblique expressions, meaning it should never be presented to parents as a safety net.
  • Filtering on school-issued devices follows pupils home, which surveils domestic internet use on a household's own connection, and districts have faced public objections when this was not disclosed clearly in advance.
  • No pricing is published, and the multi-year reseller bundles make it hard to compare against a filtering-only competitor without running a full procurement.
  • Coverage is strongest on Chrome OS and thinner on Windows, macOS and iOS, so mixed-device districts get uneven enforcement and end up running a second filtering product for the non-Chromebook estate.

Pricing, plan by plan

Evernote

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 notes
    • 1 notebook
    • 1GB storage
  • Starter$null/mo
    • 1,000 notes
    • 20 notebooks
    • 5GB storage
  • Advanced$null/mo
    • Unlimited notes
    • Unlimited storage
    • Unlimited device sync

GoGuardian

On request
  • GoGuardian Suite$undefined/year
    • Priced per student or per device, quoted by district
    • Admin, Teacher and Beacon licensed individually or as a bundle
    • Sold heavily through education resellers as three, four and five year terms

Which should you pick?

Choose Evernote if

  • You need note creation and organization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
  • You also want web clipper.
Evernote review

Choose GoGuardian if

  • You need admin.
  • You work on Chrome OS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Web.
  • You also want teacher.
GoGuardian review

Questions people ask

Is Evernote or GoGuardian better?
Neither clearly leads. Evernote starts at Free and GoGuardian at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Evernote or GoGuardian?
Evernote has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Evernote and On request for GoGuardian.
Does Evernote or GoGuardian run on more platforms?
Evernote runs on Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari. GoGuardian runs on Chrome OS, Windows, macOS, iOS, Web.
Can I use Evernote for free?
Yes. Evernote has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GoGuardian starts at On request.
What is Evernote best used for?
Evernote is most often used for cross-platform note-taking and organisation, web clipping and content capture with web clipper extension, task management and calendar integration, document scanning with ocr capability. Of those, cross-platform note-taking and organisation and web clipping and content capture with web clipper extension are not what GoGuardian is typically brought in for.
What can Evernote do that GoGuardian cannot?
Evernote covers Note creation and organization, Web clipper, Document scanning, Handwriting recognition. GoGuardian covers Admin, Teacher, Beacon, Beacon 24/7.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Evernote: Does Evernote publish specific pricing for its paid plans?

No. Evernote's pricing page displays plan tiers (Starter, Advanced, Enterprise) with different features but does not disclose any dollar amounts, subscription costs, or pricing information.

Source
GoGuardian: Is GoGuardian required for CIPA compliance?

No. CIPA requires a filtering policy and technology, not a specific vendor. GoGuardian is one of several products that satisfy it.

Evernote: What storage limit comes with Evernote's free plan?

The free plan includes 1GB of storage, 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces, and 20 tags with access limited to 1 device.

Source
GoGuardian: Does Beacon monitor pupils at home?

On a school-issued managed device, yes, including outside school hours, unless the district explicitly limits the policy. This should be disclosed to families.

Evernote: What are the key differences between Evernote's free, Starter, and Advanced plans?

Free includes 1GB storage and 50 notes. Starter adds 5GB storage and 1,000 notes. Advanced provides unlimited storage, notes, and devices with full AI features.

Source
GoGuardian: Is Beacon included with Admin?

A starter level of Beacon is included with an Admin subscription. The 24/7 human triage service is a separate paid tier.

GoGuardian: Is Pear Deck part of the same licence?

No. Pear Deck Learning products are sold separately from the Admin, Teacher and Beacon suite even though the same company owns both.

GoGuardian: Can teachers view screens outside lesson time?

That depends on how the district configures sessions. Leaving screen viewing available at all hours is a configuration choice, not a product limitation, and it is the setting most worth reviewing.

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