Rnote AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Note-taking Tools

The best Note-taking alternative to Rnote is Microsoft OneNote, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 10 alternatives to Rnote and 18 are Note-taking Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Note-taking Tool alternatives to Rnote are Xournal++, Linwood Butterfly, Saber: Handwritten Notes and GoodNotes.

Rnote iconRnote
  31
  • ...

Rnote aims to be a simple but functional note taking application for freehand drawing or annotating pictures or documents....

More about Rnote
More about Rnote
Rnote alternatives page was last updated Mar 1, 2025
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  1. Microsoft OneNote icon

    Microsoft OneNote

     1140 likes
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    Comprehensive digital notebook offering organizers, shared notes, multi-device syncing, and optical character recognition, plus cloud-based data management for efficient information handling and accessibility.

    100 Microsoft OneNote alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Android Wear
    • Kindle Fire
    Microsoft OneNote screenshot 1

    Top Microsoft OneNote Features

    1.  Handwritten Notes
    2.  Web Clipper
    3.  Visual Organization
    4.  Hierarchical Structure
    5.  Text formatting
    6.  Insert images
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Cloud Sync
    9.  Support for styluses
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Pressure Sensitivity
    12.  Multiple Account support

    Microsoft OneNote VS Rnote

     

    • Microsoft OneNote is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to Rnote.

    • Microsoft OneNote is the most popular free alternative to Rnote.

    • Microsoft OneNote is Freemium and ProprietaryRnote is Free and Open Source
  2. Xournal++ icon

    Xournal++

     171 likes
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    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.

    50 Xournal++ alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Xournal++ screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    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.  Freehand Writing
    11.  Multi layer drawing
    12.  Ad-free

    Xournal++ VS Rnote

     

    • Xournal++ is the most popular Linux alternative to Rnote.

    • Xournal++ is the most popular Open Source alternative to Rnote.

    • Xournal++ is Free and Open SourceRnote is also Free and Open Source
  4. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     34 likes
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    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.

    41 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 1
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 2
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Distraction-free
    3.  Privacy focused
    4.  Support for Themes
    5.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Handwritten Notes
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Real time collaboration
    7.  Cloud Sync
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Decentralized
    10.  End-to-End Encryption
    11.  Portable
    12.  Handwriting

    Linwood Butterfly VS Rnote

     

    • Linwood Butterfly is the most popular Android Tablet & Self-Hosted alternative to Rnote.

    • Linwood Butterfly is Free and Open SourceRnote is also Free and Open Source
    • Linwood Butterfly is Lightweight and DecentralizedRnote is not according to our users
  5. Saber: Handwritten Notes icon

    Saber: Handwritten Notes

     23 likes
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    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.

    24 Saber: Handwritten Notes alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    • Mac
    • iPad
    Saber: Handwritten Notes screenshot 1
    Saber: Handwritten Notes screenshot 2
    Saber: Handwritten Notes screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Distraction-free
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Handwritten Notes
    3.  Support for styluses
    4. Nextcloud icon  Nextcloud integration
    5.  Cloud Sync
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Pressure Sensitivity
    9.  No registration required
    10.  No Tracking
    11.  Palm Rejection

    Saber: Handwritten Notes VS Rnote

     
  6. GoodNotes icon

    GoodNotes

     77 likes
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    Experience "digital paper" with seamless note-taking on iOS devices. Annotate PDFs, PowerPoint, and Word, plus organize notes in unlimited folders. Enjoy searchable handwritten notes that sync across devices with iCloud, intuitive QuickNote feature, and customizable templates.

    60 GoodNotes alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • HK flagHong Kong SAR China

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    GoodNotes screenshot 1
    GoodNotes screenshot 2
    GoodNotes screenshot 3

    Top GoodNotes Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Handwriting
    3.  Pressure Sensitivity
    4.  Integrated Search
    5.  Handwritten Notes
    6.  OCR
    7.  Support for Gestures
    8.  Apple Pencil support
    9.  Handwriting recognition
    10.  Folders
    11.  Freehand Writing
    12.  Drag and Drop

    GoodNotes VS Rnote

     
  7. xournal icon

    xournal

     73 likes
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    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.

    48 xournal alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    xournal screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    It hasn't been updated since 2017, but there is an active fork Xournal++ icon Xournal++

    xournal Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Handwritten Notes
    3.  Edit PDF
    4.  Support for styluses
    5.  Drawing Tablet Support
    6.  Sketching

    xournal VS Rnote

     
  9. Freeform icon

    Freeform

     8 likes
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    Freeform is a great place to bring your ideas to life. Sketch out a project, design a mood board or start a brainstorming session on a flexible canvas that supports almost any kind of file. And with iCloud, all your boards stay in sync, whether you’re on your Mac, your iPad or...

    29 Freeform alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Freeform screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Handwritten Notes
    2.  No registration required
    3.  Visual Pinboard
    4.  Upload Screenshot
    5.  Support for @mentions
    6.  Support for Gestures
    7.  Automatic Backup
    8.  Infinite canvas

    Freeform VS Rnote

     
  10. Lorien icon

    Lorien

     13 likes
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    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...

    33 Lorien alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Lorien screenshot 1

    Lorien Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Pressure Sensitivity
    3.  Infinite canvas
    4.  Drawing 2D
    5.  Shape Tools
    6.  Notebook

    Lorien VS Rnote

     
  11. Notes icon

    Notes

     38 likes
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    Use Notes to capture a quick thought, create checklists, sketch ideas, and more. And with iCloud, you can keep your notes up to date across all your devices.

    125 Notes alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Notes screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Real time collaboration
    3.  No registration required
    4.  Cloud Sync
    5.  Full-Text Search
    6.  Sync with iCloud
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Handwritten Notes
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Spell Checking
    11.  WYSIWYG Support
    12.  Tagging

    Notes VS Rnote

     
  12. NoteLab icon

    NoteLab

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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    NoteLab screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The last update is from 2013.

    NoteLab Features

    1.  Handwritten Notes
    2.  Sketching
    3.  Handwriting

    NoteLab VS Rnote

     
  13. CollaNote icon

    CollaNote

     6 likes
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    CollaNote is a note-taking, PDF markup, and digital planning software. It includes 25 pens and brushes, an advanced ink engine, and stabilizer for accurate writing. It has a Smart Dark Mode for visibility in different light settings.

    32 CollaNote alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • VN flagVietnam

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad
    CollaNote screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Educational

    Features

    1.  Handwritten Notes
    2.  PDF annotation
    3.  Real time collaboration
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Planner
    6.  Drawing Board
    7.  Notebook
    8.  Shared whiteboard
    9.  Built-in translation
    10.  Scan to PDF
    11.  Collaborative writing

    CollaNote VS Rnote

     
  14. Capture - Quick Notes icon

    Capture - Quick Notes

     2 likes
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    Capture's intuitive interface and smart features turn your mobile device into a powerful thought organizer, letting you seize, sort, and execute your ideas with unprecedented ease.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    Capture - Quick Notes screenshot 1

    Top Capture - Quick Notes Features

    1.  Reminders
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Sync with iCloud
    6.  Desktop Widget
    7.  Note Manager
    8.  iOS widget
    9.  Note organization
    10.  Idea management
    11.  Widgets

    Capture - Quick Notes VS Rnote

     
12 of 18 Rnote alternatives