Free xournal Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to xournal for Linux and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best free Linux alternative is Xournal++, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to xournal and 18 are free and available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Linux alternatives to xournal are Notesnook, OpenBoard Whiteboard, Linwood Butterfly and Rnote.

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Alternatives list

  1. Xournal++ icon
     189 likes

    Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation using pen input and pressure sensitivity, shape drawing, customizable toolbar layouts, image insertion, audio recording, multi-language options, LaTeX integration, and complete export in PDF or PNG formats across all platforms.

    57 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    3
    Xournal++ vs xournal Comments
    violoncello
    Positive
    1

    Xournal++ is the successor of Xournal

    Guest
    Positive
    2

    Direct successor, working in MacOS ;)

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    DV Yost
    Positive
    0

    It's the new version of it.

    • Xournal++ is Free and Open Sourcexournal is also Free and Open Source
    • Xournal++ is Privacy focused and Lightweightxournal is not according to our users
  2. Notesnook icon
     182 likes

    Notesnook is a simple and cross-platform private notes app that keeps your notes organized and synced on your phone, tablet and computer. Take notes, capture ideas, create to-do lists, keep a journal, write your assignments and manage projects, we have got you covered.

    316 Notesnook alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
     
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    1
    Notesnook vs xournal Comments
    Lu Pin
    Negative
    0

    Is note taking. Other thing.

    • Notesnook is Freemium and Open Sourcexournal is Free and Open Source
    • Notesnook is Privacy focused and Lightweightxournal is not according to our users
  3. OpenBoard is a cross-platform (Linux / Windows / macOS) interactive whiteboard application. It is currently maintained by the Education Department (DIP) of the Canton of Geneva in Switzerland.

    94 OpenBoard Whiteboard alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  4. Butterfly is a note-taking app where your ideas come first. You can paint, add texts, and export them easily on every device. This app works on android, windows, linux, and in the web.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
     
  5. Rnote icon
     37 likes

    Rnote aims to be a simple but functional note taking application for freehand drawing or annotating pictures or documents. It eventually should be able to import / export various media file formats.

    24 Rnote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  6. Write is a word processor for handwriting, designed primarily for tablets with an active stylus. Write has the functionality of a vector drawing application, plus a unique set of tools which ease the editing of handwritten text.

    36 Stylus Labs Write alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPad
    • iPhone
     
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    3
    Stylus Labs Write vs xournal Comments
    Cristóbal Vio
    Positive
    2

    It has a very intuitive UI. It's easy to zoom, pan, erase in various modes. There's the insert space feature, you can move stuff around, etc. Also exports are quite easy and it automatically saves notes in html.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    After a first pratice where it is poor you see that it's minimal but very functional and it become easier to control thing than xournal. Pdf export is great, writing is better than journal, making frame is quite easy better than xournal. But you don't have the option for drawing circle.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    -3

    It's like Xournal but with much more functionalities for really good handwriting note taking on the go

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Stylus Labs Write is Free and Open Sourcexournal is also Free and Open Source
    • Stylus Labs Write is Minimalistic and Lightweightxournal is not according to our users
  7. Lorien icon
     15 likes

    Lorien is an infinite canvas drawing/note-taking app that is focused on performance, small savefiles and simplicity. It's not based on bitmap images like Krita, Gimp or Photoshop; it rather saves brush strokes as a collection of points and renders them at runtime (kind of...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  8. MrWriter icon
     7 likes

    Notetaking and blackboard replacement application. Inspired by Xournal. Written in C++/Qt for Linux / Windows / Mac.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  9. Spiral icon
     5 likes

    Spiral is a program that allows users to take notes in a format similar to a spiral notebook. Unlike traditional word processors and text editors that are configured in a way that makes it difficult to document things in a non-linear fashion, Spiral pages allow users to click...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  10. Jarnal icon
     13 likes

    Jarnal is an open-source application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal, making a presentation, annotating a document - including pdf - or collaborating using a stylus, mouse or keyboard. It is similar to Microsoft .

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  11. P3X OneNote icon
     2 likes

    P3X OneNote Linux is, actually, an independent browser window for the online OneNote. You can use this program without having to clutter your browser. The main functions are:

    271 P3X OneNote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Electron / Atom Shell
     
  12. NoteLab icon
     12 likes

    NoteLab brings the power of digital note taking to Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Solaris.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
12 of 18 xournal alternatives