GoodNotes AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Note-taking Tools for Linux

GoodNotes is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux Note-taking Tool alternative is Xournal++, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to GoodNotes and 12 are Note-taking Tools available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux Note-taking Tool alternatives to GoodNotes are xournal, OpenBoard Whiteboard, Butterfly and Saber: Handwritten Notes.

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GoodNotes alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools but may also be Todo List Managers or Digital Painting Tools. Other popular filters includes iPad + Free and Kindle Fire + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of GoodNotes.

GoodNotes

Note-taking Tool
Freemium • Proprietary

GoodNotes for iPhone and iPad is a notetaking app with the theme of "digital paper." It's usable for all your handwritten notes and formerly paper-based information. Take handwritten notes in digital,...

More about GoodNotes

GoodNotes alternatives page was last updated Aug 9, 2023

Xournal++
Xournal++ (a fork of Xournal) is a handwriting Notetaking software with PDF annotation support. Written in C++ with platform independent GTK, supporting Linux, e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Suse, macOS and Windows 10. Supports Pen input like Wacom Tablets.
48 Xournal++ alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Digital Painting Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+1
Top Xournal++ Features
1. Handwritten Notes
2. PDF annotation
3. Support for styluses
4. Handwriting
5. Export to PDF
6. Works Offline
7. LaTeX Math
8. Pen Support
9. Pressure Sensitivity
10. Multi layer drawing
11. Freehand Writing
12. Audio with notes
Show all NaN Xournal++ features ▾
Xournal++ VS GoodNotes
Is Xournal++ a good alternative to GoodNotes?
Comments about Xournal++ as an Alternative to GoodNotes

violoncello
It allows you to store your notes wherever you want and doesn't force you to use whatever cloud synchronisation
Positive comment •Dec 31, 2020
3
LinuxDoge
cross platform, not invasive
Positive comment •Nov 7, 2022
0
Guest
Pen works with cursive but not so well with print.
Negative comment •Sep 28, 2020
1
Guest
OSS alternative with many great features.
Positive comment •Sep 2, 2022
0
- Most users think Xournal++ is a great GoodNotes alternative.
- Xournal++ is the most popular Linux alternative to GoodNotes.
- Xournal++ is the most popular Open Source alternative to GoodNotes.
- Xournal++ is Free and Open SourceGoodNotes is Freemium and Proprietary

xournal
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.
47 xournal alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
xournal Features
1. PDF annotation
2. Handwritten Notes
3. Edit PDF
4. Support for styluses
5. Drawing Tablet Support
6. Sketching
Show all NaN xournal features ▾
Discontinued
It hasn't been updated since 2017, but there is an active fork Xournal++
xournal VS GoodNotes
Is xournal a good alternative to GoodNotes?

OpenBoard Whiteboard
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.
82 OpenBoard Whiteboard alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Whiteboard
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+2
Top OpenBoard Whiteboard Features
1. Interactive Whiteboard
2. Handwritten Notes
3. Fullscreen support
4. Freeform notes
5. Pressure Sensitivity
6. Pencil
7. Dark Mode
8. Lightweight
9. Ad-free
10. Real time collaboration
11. Handwriting
12. Dual screen support
Show all NaN OpenBoard Whiteboard features ▾
OpenBoard Whiteboard VS GoodNotes
Is OpenBoard Whiteboard a good alternative to GoodNotes?

Butterfly
Butterfly is a note 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.
37 Butterfly alternatives
+3
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Digital Painting Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- Android Tablet
- Self-Hosted
- F-Droid
Top Butterfly Features
1. Dark Mode
2. No Tracking
3. Handwritten Notes
4. No registration required
5. Ad-free
6. Works Offline
7. End-to-End Encryption
8. Distraction-free
9. Privacy focused
10. Portable
11. Cloud Sync
12. Lightweight
Show all NaN Butterfly features ▾
Butterfly VS GoodNotes
Is Butterfly a good alternative to GoodNotes?
- Butterfly is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to GoodNotes.
- Butterfly is Free and Open SourceGoodNotes is Freemium and Proprietary
- Butterfly is Privacy focused and LightweightGoodNotes is not according to our users

Saber: Handwritten Notes
A (work-in-progress) cross-platform libre notes app. Please note that this app is still in early stages and not ready to trust with your notes yet.
23 Saber: Handwritten Notes alternatives
+1
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- F-Droid
Saber: Handwritten Notes Features
1. Dark Mode
2. Handwritten Notes
3. Nextcloud integration
4. Support for styluses
5. Privacy focused
6. Cloud Sync
7. Works Offline
8. Ad-free
9. Palm Rejection
Show all NaN Saber: Handwritten Notes features ▾
Saber: Handwritten Notes VS GoodNotes
Is this a good alternative to GoodNotes?

Rnote
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.
17 Rnote alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Digital Painting Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
- Flatpak
+1
Top Rnote Features
1. Handwritten Notes
2. Support for styluses
3. PDF annotation
4. No registration required
5. Lightweight
6. Ad-free
7. Dark Mode
8. WYSIWYG Support
9. Works Offline
10. Privacy focused
11. No Tracking
12. Pressure Sensitivity
Show all NaN Rnote features ▾
Rnote VS GoodNotes
Is Rnote a good alternative to GoodNotes?

NoteLab
NoteLab brings the power of digital note taking to Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Solaris.
20 NoteLab alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Journaling App
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
NoteLab Features
Handwritten Notes
Sketching
Handwriting
Show all NaN NoteLab features ▾
Discontinued
The last update is from 2013.
NoteLab VS GoodNotes
Is NoteLab a good alternative to GoodNotes?

Jarnal
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 .
76 Jarnal alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Journaling App
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Jarnal Features
Handwritten Notes
Sketching
Handwriting
Show all NaN Jarnal features ▾
Jarnal VS GoodNotes
Is Jarnal a good alternative to GoodNotes?

MrWriter
Notetaking and blackboard replacement application. Inspired by Xournal. Written in C++/Qt for Linux / Windows / Mac.
20 MrWriter alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Journaling App
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
MrWriter Features
Handwritten Notes
Ad-free
Portable
Lightweight
Show all NaN MrWriter features ▾
MrWriter VS GoodNotes
Is MrWriter a good alternative to GoodNotes?

gournal
Gournal is a note-taking application written for usage on Tablet-PCs (such as the Toshiba M200)
11 gournal alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Journaling App
Platforms
- Linux
gournal Features
Support for MarkDown
Handwritten Notes
Sketching
Show all NaN gournal features ▾
gournal VS GoodNotes
Is gournal a good alternative to GoodNotes?