Evernote’s Competitor Catch.com Shuts down its App – Says Company Heading in a Different Direction

Catch.com is shutting down its Evernote competitor, called Catch Notes, which allowed users to capture and save notes on iOS and Android, as well as on the web through browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and IE, and even via email.

The company announced the closure in a message posted to its website and in an email sent to former Catch.com users yesterday (see below) which explains that the service is closing August 30. Users have until then to export their data from Catch.com via this provided export tool. The tool produces either a CSV or ZIP archive of your data, which can be imported into OneNote, Springpad or Simplenote, per Catch’s further instructions.

The startup, which had previously raised $9.3 million in seed and Series A funding led by Boston-based Excel Venture Management, hints in its announcement that the team is now taking the company in “a different direction” following the Catch.com closure, but didn’t provide any other details about what their plans are at this time.

It’s unclear what will become of Catch’s other applications, like AK Notepad and Compass, following the news of the Catch shutdown, as the company has not yet responded to our requests for more information.

The company’s consumer-facing mobile apps were fairly popular in months past. For example, the Android application had reached somewhere between 5 million and 10 million installs, according to Google Play, where more limited competition had allowed the app’s solid design to stand out a bit more than on iOS. Users there are already lamenting the loss, begging Catch.com to reconsider, or release a paid version.

In past years, many news outlets and reviewers had listed Catch’s app as a “top” productivity tool for mobile. And, as a TechCrunch reader just pointed out, the app also benefitted from promotions in Apple’s own retail stores, as well as being featured on the Apple.com homepage.

But Evernote has long since surpassed Catch as the preferred note-taking tool for PC, web and mobile, with native applications for desktop, phones and tablets, as well as a standalone web app. (Oh, and some $251 million in outside funding, too.)

Catch.com’s Notice:

Via: TechCrunch

Image Credit: Idashum