Xournal++ AlternativesNote-taking Tools & PDF Readers like Xournal++

Xournal++ is described as 'Handwritten notes and PDF annotation app with pen input, shape drawing, customizable toolbar, image insertion, audio recording, and multi-platform support' and is a very popular Note-taking tool in the office & productivity category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Xournal++ for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone apps. The best Xournal++ alternative is Notesnook, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Xournal++ are Microsoft OneNote, Evince, Excalidraw and MuPDF.

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Xournal++ alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for PDF Readers or Whiteboards you can filter on that. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Xournal++.
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Alternatives list

  1. Notesnook icon

    Notesnook

     169 likes
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    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.

    287 Notesnook alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    Notesnook screenshot 1
     

    • Notesnook is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to Xournal++.

    • Notesnook is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Xournal++.

    • Notesnook is Freemium and Open SourceXournal++ is Free and Open Source
  2. Microsoft OneNote icon

    Microsoft OneNote

     1138 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.

    133 Microsoft OneNote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

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

    Evince

     459 likes
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    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

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Evince screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Comments about Evince as an Alternative to Xournal++
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    totally different purposes

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Xournal++ Icon
    Evince icon
    • Evince is Free and Open SourceXournal++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Evince is MinimalisticXournal++ is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Adobe Acrobat Reader icon
    Adobe Acrobat Reader

    Seamlessly view, annotate, and collaborate on PDFs with freehand drawing and sticky notes. Utilize cloud storage for effortless access and upgrade for advanced editing and conversion to formats like Word and Excel.

    https://www.adobe.com
    Learn More
  6. Excalidraw icon

    Excalidraw

     93 likes
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    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.

    78 Excalidraw alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Excalidraw screenshot 1
     

    • Excalidraw is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Xournal++.

    • Excalidraw is Freemium and Open SourceXournal++ is Free and Open Source
  7. MuPDF icon

    MuPDF

     157 likes
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    MuPDF offers a highly versatile PDF, XPS, and eBook interpreter, customizable as a renderer, viewer, or toolkit. Features include digital signatures, redactions, form filling, annotations, and page manipulation, ideal for mobile, eBooks, and embedded apps supporting Java, C++, and Python.

    89 MuPDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Xfce
    MuPDF screenshot 1
     
  8. Adobe Acrobat Reader icon

    Adobe Acrobat Reader

     443 likes
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    Seamlessly view, annotate, and collaborate on PDFs with freehand drawing and sticky notes. Utilize cloud storage for effortless access and upgrade for advanced editing and conversion to formats like Word and Excel.

    107 Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Adobe Acrobat Reader screenshot 1
     
  10. OpenBoard Whiteboard icon

    OpenBoard Whiteboard

     67 likes
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    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.

    89 OpenBoard Whiteboard alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 1
     
  11. Rnote icon

    Rnote

     37 likes
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    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.

    21 Rnote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Rnote screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Rnote as an Alternative to Xournal++
    komp12321
    Positive
    0

    Has better gui and features xoutnal++ misses like workspaces

    Xournal++ Icon
    Rnote icon
    • Rnote is Free and Open SourceXournal++ is also Free and Open Source
  12. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     41 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.

    44 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

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

    Saber

     29 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.

    25 Saber alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Saber screenshot 1
    Saber screenshot 2
    Saber screenshot 3
     
  14. Heynote icon

    Heynote

     19 likes
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    Heynote is a dedicated scratchpad for developers. It functions as a large persistent text buffer where you can write down anything you like. Works great for that Slack message you don't want to accidentally send, a JSON response from an API you're working with, notes...

    55 Heynote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Heynote screenshot 1
     
  15. 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.

    64 GoodNotes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    GoodNotes screenshot 1
    GoodNotes screenshot 2
    GoodNotes screenshot 3
     
    |
    1
    Comments about GoodNotes as an Alternative to Xournal++
    wyvian
    Negative
    1

    GoodNotes is a IOS app, whilist Xournal++ is used in Linux and Windows

    Xournal++ Icon
    GoodNotes icon
    • GoodNotes is Freemium and ProprietaryXournal++ is Free and Open Source
12 of 54 Xournal++ alternatives