Saber vs Xournal++

Saber

• Students and others who take notes by hand on a tablet
• Marking up PDFs and printouts in a dark room
• People who want an open-source handwriting app on every device

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

Saber

• Syncing needs an account on a Nextcloud server: the official Saber one, another provider's, or your own.
• Extra storage is bought by sponsoring the developer on GitHub Sponsors, then emailing him to have the account upgraded by hand.
• The server owner cannot read notes but can see sign-up details, connecting devices and metadata such as the size of each note.
• On Linux the developer recommends the Flatpak, since the AppImage does not work on all systems.

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.

Saber

Highlighter that keeps its color

The highlighter does not darken where a stroke crosses itself, and it is drawn underneath the ink, so the writing below stays clear.

Dark mode that inverts notes

Dark mode darkens the notes as well as the interface, giving light ink on a dark page. Images and PDFs are inverted too, so printouts and textbooks match.

Nested folders

Notes are organized in folders that can be nested without limit, and the most recent notes are listed on the home screen.

Encrypted sync

Notes are encrypted with a randomly generated key before upload, so the server owner cannot read them. The key stays in secure storage on the device.

Choice of Nextcloud server

Sync runs on Nextcloud: the official Saber server hosted in the Netherlands, another Nextcloud provider, or a server you host yourself.

Apps on five platforms

Saber is on Google Play and F-Droid for Android, the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Mac, Flathub or an AppImage for Linux, and has a Windows installer.

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.

Saber

• Free$0

  The full app, plus 5 GB of storage for every account on the official Saber Nextcloud server.

• StandardAny amount

  per month, as a GitHub Sponsors sponsorship

  10 GB of storage on the Saber server for a monthly sponsorship of any size. Free for students who email proof of status.

• Premium$5

  or more per month, as a GitHub Sponsors sponsorship

  50 GB of storage on the Saber server.

• Hoarder$7

  or more per month, as a GitHub Sponsors sponsorship

  100 GB of storage on the Saber server.

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.

Saber

• Education

  Standard storage plan free for students

  The pricing page gives students the 10 GB Standard plan free. They email the developer their Nextcloud username and proof of student status, such as a UNiDAYS ID.

Xournal++

No public discounts listed.