Butterfly supports handwritten note-taking, drawing, and organizing ideas in an open-source endless workspace.
The Best Xournalpp Alternatives in 2026
Looking for something like Xournalpp? Here are 24 alternatives, ranked by how closely they match it on purpose, features and platforms. Of these, 21 are open source.
Xournal++ supports handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation on Linux, macOS, and Windows, including pen input from devices such as Wacom tablets.
Top picks at a glance
Quick comparison
| # | Alternative | Pricing | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Butterfly | — | Yes | — |
| 2 | Vnote | — | Yes | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| 3 | Xournal++ | — | Not stated | Linux, macOS, Web |
| 4 | App | — | Yes | Android, iOS, Linux |
| 5 | Notesnook | — | Yes | Web, Android, iOS |
| 6 | Silent Notes | — | Yes | Android, Windows |
| 7 | Org Roam | — | Yes | — |
| 8 | Desktop | — | Yes | — |
| 9 | Saber | — | Yes | Android, iOS, Linux |
| 10 | Simplenote Electron | — | Yes | Linux, Windows |
All Xournalpp alternatives
VNote is a Qt-based open-source note-taking application that combines note management with editing for Markdown, Typst, plain text and code, mind maps, and PDF reading on Linux, Windows, and macOS.
Xournal++
xournalpp.github.ioXournal++ is open-source software for handwritten notes, sketching, and annotation.
Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted note-taking app for capturing notes and files, according to its repository description.
A fully open source and end-to-end encrypted note taking alternative to Evernote.
SilentNotes synchronizes notes between Android and Windows devices, according to its repository description.
Org-roam is a Roam-inspired note-taking project built around Org-mode, as stated in its repository description.
TidGi is a desktop knowledge-management and note app with automated Git backups, according to its repository description.
Saber supports handwriting in an open-source app designed for use across platforms, according to its project description.
Simplenote Electron provides the Simplenote app for Web, Windows, and Linux, according to its project description.
Note Discovery describes itself as a self-hosted knowledge base, according to its repository page.
Obsidian Web Clipper highlights and captures web content, saving it as Markdown files that can be read offline.
This repository implements an open-source alternative to NotebookLM with additional flexibility.
Trilium Notes supports building a personal knowledge base, as described by the project page.
DokuWiki provides an open-source wiki engine, according to its project repository.
KeyNote NF offers a tabbed notebook with a rich-text editor, nested notes, and encryption, according to its project description.
SwarmVault combines a local-first LLM wiki with a knowledge graph, RAG knowledge base, and agent memory store.
Manage knowledge and collaborate with Logseq, an open-source platform described by its project as privacy-first.
Manage Markdown knowledge bases with Tolaria, a desktop app described by its project page.
Docmost is open-source collaborative wiki and documentation software for teams.
SiYuan offers a self-hosted knowledge workspace described as open-source and privacy-first, with collaboration for people and AI agents.
Memos provides a self-hosted timeline for short notes, which users can later find by search, tag, or date.
Joplin
github.com/laurent22/joplinTake notes and sync them across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS using Joplin, the privacy-focused note-taking app.
Noteshelf
noteshelf.netHandwriting, document annotation, diaries, and journals are among the features of Noteshelf note-taking app.
Alternatives to similar tools
What is the best alternative to Xournalpp?
Are there open-source alternatives to Xournalpp?
Alternatives are suggested from the purpose and features described in our listings. Different pages for the same product appear once. Read each description to check whether it fits your task. How we choose alternatives · Suggest an alternative
























