Open Source Drawboard PDF AlternativesTop PDF Readers & Note-taking Tools like Drawboard PDF

The best open source alternative to Drawboard PDF is Okular. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Drawboard PDF and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Drawboard PDF are Xournal++, Excalidraw, Evince and KOReader.

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Alternatives list

  1. Okular icon

    Okular

     480 likes

    Multi-platform document viewer offering extensive format support, including PDF, comics, images, EPUB, and Markdown, with annotation tools, sidebar previews, text-to-speech, DRM management, cross-platform compatibility, and integration with KDE Frameworks libraries.

    114 Okular alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Linux Mobile
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    Okular screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about Okular as an Alternative to Drawboard PDF
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    The annotation for okular doesn't function as seamless drawing on a PDF

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    dsohad
    Positive
    -1

    The pen isnt work with this app.

    Okular icon
    Okular icon
    • Okular is Free and Open SourceDrawboard PDF is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Okular is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDrawboard PDF is not according to our users
  2. Xournal++ icon

    Xournal++

     187 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.

    55 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Xournal++ screenshot 1
     
  4. Excalidraw icon

    Excalidraw

     101 likes

    Excalidraw is an open-source whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them. Available directly online as a web app and also through CodeSandbox to easily see how the code works, and the app is available for self-hosting.

    81 Excalidraw alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Excalidraw screenshot 1
     
  5. Evince icon

    Evince

     460 likes

    Evince (or GNOME Document Viewer) is a document viewer for multiple document formats: PDF, Postscript, djvu, tiff, dvi, XPS, SyncTex support with gedit, comics books (cbr,cbz,cb7 and cbt) and others. See Supported Document Formats for details.

    115 Evince alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Evince screenshot 1
     
  6. KOReader icon

    KOReader

     73 likes

    An ebook reader application supporting PDF, DjVu, EPUB, FB2 and many more formats, running on Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, Linux and Android devices.

    69 KOReader alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    • AppImageHub
    • Kobo Books
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Kindle Fire
    • Android Tablet
    KOReader screenshot 1
     
  7. OpenBoard Whiteboard icon

    OpenBoard Whiteboard

     70 likes

    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.

    91 OpenBoard Whiteboard alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 1
     
  9. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     42 likes

    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.

    44 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 1
     
  10. xournal icon

    xournal

     74 likes

    Xournal is an application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal using a stylus. It is free software (GNU GPL) and runs on Linux (recent distributions), Windows and other GTK+/Gnome platforms.

    50 xournal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    xournal screenshot 1
     
  11. Papers icon

    Papers

     12 likes

    A document viewer for the GNOME desktop. You can view, search or annotate documents in many different formats.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • Flatpak
    A clear, simple Ul
     
  12. Skim icon

    Skim

     92 likes

    PDF viewer for macOS supports scientific papers, annotations, highlights, bookmarks, split view, exporting notes, AppleScript, multiple annotation types, bibliography integration, full-screen, search, and compatibility with various macOS versions.

    87 Skim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    The PDF Window
     
  13. Atril icon

    Atril

     15 likes

    Atril is a simple multi-page document viewer. It can display and print PostScript (PS), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), DJVU, DVI, XPS and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. When supported by the document, it also allows searching for text, copying text to the clipboard...

    107 Atril alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  14. qpdfview icon

    qpdfview

     44 likes

    qpdfview is a Qt-based tabbed document viewer using the Poppler library for PDF rendering and CUPS for printing. Support for the DjVu and PostScript formats can be added via plugins.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Haiku
    • Qt
    qpdfview screenshot 1
     
12 of 24 Drawboard PDF alternatives