The Best Open Source GoodNotes AlternativesTop Note-taking Tools & Todo List Managers like GoodNotes

The best open source alternative to GoodNotes is Xournal++. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to GoodNotes and 14 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to GoodNotes are xournal, OpenBoard Whiteboard, Rnote and Linwood Butterfly.

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GoodNotes alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Journaling Apps or Whiteboards you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Windows, Android, Linux, iPad + Free, Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to GoodNotes.
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Alternatives list

  1. 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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Xournal++ screenshot 1
     
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    4
    18
    Comments about Xournal++ as an Alternative to GoodNotes
    violoncello
    Positive
    3

    It allows you to store your notes wherever you want and doesn't force you to use whatever cloud synchronisation

    LinuxDoge
    Positive
    0

    cross platform, not invasive

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    OSS alternative with many great features.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    Xournal++ icon
    Xournal++ icon

    • Most users think Xournal++ is a great GoodNotes alternative.

    • Xournal++ is Free and Open SourceGoodNotes is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Xournal++ is Privacy focused and LightweightGoodNotes is not according to our users
  2. 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
     
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    57
  4. 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 type

    Platforms

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

    Rnote

     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.

    22 Rnote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Rnote screenshot 1
     
  6. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     41 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 type

    Platforms

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

    Saber

     30 likes

    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

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Saber screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Saber as an Alternative to GoodNotes
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is the only somewhat good open-source alternative to Goodnotes & Notability. I know it is currently missing a lot of features found in Goodnotes, but in the future it could become a real competitor, so give it a try.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Saber icon
    Saber icon
    • Saber is Free and Open SourceGoodNotes is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Saber is Privacy focused and LightweightGoodNotes is not according to our users
  9. NoteLab icon

    NoteLab

     12 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    NoteLab screenshot 1
     
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    14
  10. Quillpad icon

    Quillpad

     16 likes

    Quillpad is a fork of an original app called Quillnote. The development stopped on the original app and PR backlogs were not cleared up. The community showed much interest in the app for continued development and so this fork was created.

    77 Quillpad alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
    Quillpad screenshot 1
     
  11. Jarnal icon

    Jarnal

     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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Jarnal in use.
     
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    6
  12. AINotes icon

    AINotes

     1 like

    AINotes is an open-source notebook application similar to OneNote but focused on improving the experience for students.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     

  13. MrWriter_PDF

     1 like

    Notetaking and blackboard replacement application. Inspired by Xournal. Written in C++/Qt for Linux / Windows. It has the ability to annotate PDF files and has a few other options (e.g. markdown support).

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about MrWriter_PDF as an Alternative to GoodNotes
    Ian Dorfman
    Positive
    0

    Though it is not available on iOS, this application supports handwritten notetaking as well as PDF annotation. This makes it an alternative based on featureset.

    MrWriter_PDF icon
    • MrWriter_PDF is Free and Open SourceGoodNotes is Freemium and Proprietary
  14. MrWriter icon

    MrWriter

     7 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    MrWriter screenshot 1
     
12 of 14 GoodNotes alternatives