Rnote
Focus: handwritten notes, infinite canvas and stylus. Shares pdf annotation and open source with Xournal++. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeLinux, Windows
4.6Visit
Desktop App
Xournal++
Take handwritten notes and annotate PDFs with a pen or tablet.
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Xournal++?
Xournal++ is a free, open-source app for handwritten notes, sketches and PDF annotation, made for pens and drawing tablets. Write with pressure sensitivity, add text, shapes and LaTeX formulas, record audio alongside your notes, and export finished pages as PDF or images.
Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.
Pros
- Mark up PDFs as easily as paper
- Audio recordings linked to your notes
- Free and open source
Cons
- Interface looks dated next to newer note apps
- No mobile app or cloud sync
Who should use Xournal++
Students and professionals with a pen tablet who annotate lecture slides, papers or forms.
Who may not need it
People who only type their notes.
Xournal++ alternatives
Similar resources to Xournal++, picked from the directory.
Open Notebook
Focus: notebooklm alternative, research and ai chat. Shares open source and github with Xournal++. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Same 4.6 rating.
AI ToolFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit
Awesome Jev Projects
Focus: awesome list, discovery and curated. Shares open source and github with Xournal++. A website, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.4 (Xournal++: 4.6).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.4Visit
Logseq
Focus: PKM, Note-Taking and Graph Database. Shares Open Source with Xournal++. Adds iOS, Android and Web. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
SilverBullet
Focus: markdown, wiki and self-hosted. Shares notes and open source with Xournal++. A web app, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Same 4.6 rating.
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit
Zettlr
Focus: markdown editor, academic writing and citations. Shares open source with Xournal++. Adds Offline. Rated 4.5 (Xournal++: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
Free alternatives to Xournal++
Free resources that cover similar ground.
Dive into Deep Learning
Focus: deep learning, book and course. Shares open source with Xournal++. A course, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.9 (Xournal++: 4.6).
CourseFreeWeb
4.9Visit
Annotated Deep Learning Paper Implementations
Focus: deep learning, papers and transformers. Shares open source with Xournal++. A course, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.8 (Xournal++: 4.6).
CourseFreeWeb
4.8Visit
LLM Course
Focus: llm, course and roadmap. Shares open source with Xournal++. A course, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.8 (Xournal++: 4.6).
CourseFreeWeb
4.8Visit
nanoGPT
Focus: gpt, llm and training. Shares open source with Xournal++. A framework, not a desktop app. Rated 4.8 (Xournal++: 4.6).
FrameworkFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Awesome LLM
Focus: llm, awesome list and papers. Shares open source with Xournal++. A website, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.7 (Xournal++: 4.6).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Awesome Machine Learning
Focus: machine learning, awesome list and frameworks. Shares open source with Xournal++. A website, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.7 (Xournal++: 4.6).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Are you the maker of Xournal++?Get a free Featured badge for your site, a share image and ready-to-paste posts. No sign-up.
Free Notion database
1,100+ ways people are making money online
Real online businesses, creators and projects, broken down by how they make money: apps, online stores, AI tools and more. Free on Gumroad.
Get the free databaseFree Notion database
399+ ways to make money online
Hundreds of online income methods in one place, so you can compare options and pick one to try. Free on Gumroad.
Get the free listFor research and ideas only. Results vary and nothing here is a promise of income. See our Disclaimer.
Weekly newsletter
Everything new, every Monday.
One short email every Monday with everything shipped that week: new free tools and websites, new guides, new free browser tools and what's new in my free Gumroad libraries, plus how the site is growing. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Join the newsletterYou sign up on Gumroad, which stores your email to send the newsletter. See our Privacy Policy.