Rnote vs Xournal++

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

Xournal++

• Handwritten notes with a stylus or drawing tablet on a computer
• Writing over PDFs and exporting the annotated result
• Math and science notes that mix handwriting with LaTeX formulas

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.

Xournal++

• Desktop only: the project says development of the separate Android and iOS app has stalled and the web app is no longer available.
• A journal is stored separately from its background PDF, so moving either file breaks the link unless attach mode is used.
• The macOS release will not open until two terminal commands are run to clear and re-sign the app.
• Annotations exported to PDF cannot be edited afterward, and the export drops annotations built into the source PDF.

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.

Xournal++

Stylus and tablet input

Supports pressure-sensitive styluses and drawing tablets from makers such as Wacom, Huion and XP-Pen, with configurable pen, highlighter and eraser tools.

PDF annotation

A PDF can be set as the background of a journal and written over. Text in the PDF is searchable, and the result exports back to PDF.

Shapes, images and snapping

Draws lines, arrows, circles, rectangles and splines, inserts images, and snaps objects to a grid or to steps of rotation.

LaTeX editor

A built-in LaTeX tool places typeset formulas on the page. It depends on a working LaTeX installation on the computer.

Audio recording

Records audio while you write and attaches the recording to objects in the note, which the Play Object tool plays back.

Layers, toolbars and Lua plugins

Notes can be split into layers that are hidden or edited separately, toolbars can be rearranged, and plugins are written in Lua.

Rnote

• Rnote$0

  The full app as a Flatpak for Linux, an app bundle for macOS and an installer for Windows.

Xournal++

• Xournal++$0

  The full app for Windows, macOS and Linux, as stable or nightly builds. The Windows version is also in the Microsoft Store.