Rnote vs Stylus Labs Write
We give Rnote and Stylus Labs Write the same GPA: 3.4 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Rnote
Open-source app for sketching and handwritten notes with a stylus
Free
Stylus Labs Write
Open-source handwriting word processor for desktop and mobile
Free plan · from $8.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.4GPARnoteVery good | 3.4GPAStylus Labs WriteVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. Rnote is free software under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence, with no paid version. If you want to chip in, donations go through GitHub Sponsors or Liberapay. | AFree on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. On iPhone and iPad the full version is $8.99 once on the US App Store, where paid plans in this category typically start at $5.99 a month. Nothing recurs. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free on Linux, macOS and Windows. Nothing is held back, because there's no paid plan to hold it for. | AThe desktop and Android versions are free downloads with nothing held back, and the code is on GitHub. Only the iPhone and iPad app is limited: it puts a watermark on every page until you buy the full version. |
| Features | BPressure-sensitive pen strokes, a shape tool, PDF and image import, tabs, and export to SVG, PDF and Xopp. Pages can be fixed, continuous or infinite in every direction. Solid for handwriting. But the site warns that the file format is still unstable. | BInsert Space reflows a handwritten paragraph, erase and select work a line at a time, and a dial winds back through unlimited undo. Bookmarks, handwritten links and split view too. But it can't edit typed text, and sync isn't built in. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It's a Flatpak on Linux and an installer on Windows. The Mac build is a bit more roundabout: a community contributor packages it on a separate GitLab project. | B4.8 from about 300 App Store ratings, which would be an A. But there's setup to do off the iPad: sync means pointing a third-party tool at your documents folder, and the current Android build is an APK from the vendor's site, not Google Play. |
| Platforms and integrations | BLinux, macOS and Windows. There's no phone or tablet app and no web version, and no integrations on record. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad, and documents are SVG files any browser can show. But nothing connects them for you. The FAQ points you to tools like Syncthing or Nextcloud, or cloud folders in the iOS Files app. |
| Best for | handwritten notes with a stylus on Linux | handwritten notes you can edit like typed text |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Rnote and Stylus Labs Write. How we grade
Where they differ
- Rnote is free. Stylus Labs Write starts at $8.99 one-time for the full iOS version; free on desktop and Android.
- Only Stylus Labs Write lists iOS and Android apps.
- Stylus Labs Write also covers whiteboard.
In commonFree planLinuxmacOSWindowsOpen sourceNotes
At a glance
| Rnote | Stylus Labs Write | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $8.99 one-time for the full iOS version; free on desktop and Android |
| Free plan | The whole app is free software under the GPL-3.0-or-later license. The project takes donations through GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay. | The Windows, macOS, Linux and Android versions are free downloads. The free iPhone and iPad app shows a watermark on each page until the full version is bought. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Felix Zwettler | Stylus Labs |
| Price read from | rnote.flxzt.net | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Rnote
- Students and teachers who write by hand with a stylus or drawing tablet
- Annotating PDFs and pictures on a Linux desktop
- People who want a free, GPL-licensed handwriting app
Stylus Labs Write
- People who take handwritten notes on both a tablet and a desktop computer
- Stylus users on Linux or Windows who want an open file format
- Editing handwriting after the fact: inserting space, moving and reflowing lines
Worth knowing
Rnote
- The site warns that the file format is still unstable and may break compatibility between versions.
- Installs are listed for Linux, macOS and Windows only; there is no phone or tablet app or web version.
- The macOS app bundle is packaged by a community contributor and downloaded from a separate GitLab project.
Stylus Labs Write
- Typed text is not supported: the FAQ says Write can display text in an SVG document but cannot edit it.
- There is no built-in sync; the FAQ suggests syncing the document folder with a third-party tool, or saving to cloud folders in the iOS Files app.
- Google Play updates are suspended, and that listing was last updated in December 2021; the current Android build is an APK from the vendor's site.
- The free iOS app watermarks every page until the $8.99 full version is bought.
Key features
Rnote
- Stylus-focused input
- Pressure-sensitive stylus input with several configurable stroke styles, stylus button shortcuts that can be reassigned, and optional pen sounds.
- Page and canvas layouts
- A document can use fixed pages, a continuous vertical layout or a canvas that is infinite in every direction, with custom background colors, patterns and page formats.
- Shapes and selection tools
- A shape tool creates many kinds of shapes, and a selection tool moves, rotates, resizes and modifies content already on the page.
- PDF and image import
- PDFs, bitmap images and SVGs can be brought in for annotation, with drag and drop and clipboard support.
- Export to open formats
- Documents export to SVG, PDF and Xopp, and single pages or selections to SVG, PNG and JPEG. Files are saved in the native .rnote format, which a command-line tool can also handle.
- Workspace browser and tabs
- A built-in workspace browser gives quick access to related files, and tabs keep several documents open at once. Autosave and printing are included.
Stylus Labs Write
- Tools that follow lines of handwriting
- Insert Space adds blank lines or room between words and reflows the paragraph, including multicolumn layouts. Ruled erase and select work on whole lines of writing in one pass.
- Bookmarks and handwritten links
- A bookmark dropped beside text appears in a bookmark view for navigation. Handwritten links can point to bookmarks, web sites or other documents.
- Undo/redo dial
- A dial moves backward and forward through an unlimited undo history with one continuous motion instead of repeated taps.
- SVG documents
- The native format is SVG, which any modern web browser can display. Documents are plain files that can also be saved as HTML or exported to PDF.
- Shared whiteboarding
- Several people can work on a document in real time through a whiteboard server. The vendor publishes the server and recommends running it on your own network.
- Split view, clippings and pens
- Two documents, or two parts of one, can be open side by side. Frequently used content is saved as clippings, and pens, page size, color and ruling can be customized.
Plans
Rnote
Rnote$0
The full app as a Flatpak for Linux, an app bundle for macOS and an installer for Windows.
Stylus Labs Write
Write for desktop and Android$0
Windows, macOS, Linux and Android builds downloaded from the vendor's site. The source code is on GitHub under the AGPL-3.0 license.
Stylus Labs Write (iOS)$0
The free iPhone and iPad app, which the download page calls the trial version. It puts a watermark on each page.
Full version (iOS)$8.99
one-time in-app purchase (US App Store)
Removes the watermark from the free iPhone and iPad app.
Stylus Labs Write Pro$8.99
one-time purchase (US App Store)
The iPhone and iPad app sold as a paid download instead of an in-app upgrade. Family Sharing covers up to six people.
