Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Jarnal VS Rnote

Compare Jarnal VS Rnote and see what are their differences

Jarnal logo Jarnal

Jarnal is an open-source application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal, making a...

Rnote logo Rnote

Rnote is a vector-based drawing app for sketching, handwritten notes and to annotate documents and pictures.Disclaimer: The file format is still unstable. It might change and break compatibility between versions.
  • Jarnal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-23
  • Rnote Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

Jarnal features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    Jarnal is a free and open-source application, which means there are no costs involved, and users have the ability to modify the software to suit their needs.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Jarnal is a Java-based application, allowing it to run on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad accessibility.
  • Digital Notetaking and Annotation
    The application provides features for digital notetaking and document annotation, which is useful for users who need to mark up PDFs and other document types.
  • Supports Stylus Input
    Jarnal supports tablet input for drawing and writing with a stylus, making it a suitable choice for hand-drawn annotations and sketches.
  • Lightweight Application
    As a relatively lightweight application, Jarnal performs well on less powerful hardware and doesnโ€™t require cutting-edge specifications to operate smoothly.

Possible disadvantages of Jarnal

  • Outdated User Interface
    Jarnal's interface is considered outdated by modern standards, which may affect user experience and make it less intuitive for new users.
  • Limited Features Compared to Alternatives
    Jarnal lacks some features that are common in more modern applications, which could be a drawback for users looking for advanced functionalities.
  • Documentation and Support
    Being an older and less widely-used software, Jarnal has limited documentation and support resources available, potentially making troubleshooting more difficult.
  • Not Actively Maintained
    The application has not been actively maintained or updated, which could lead to compatibility issues with newer operating systems and less security assurance.

Rnote features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Jarnal videos

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Rnote videos

Issue with RNote on Ubuntu.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Jarnal and Rnote)
Note Taking
37 37%
63% 63
Task Management
40 40%
60% 60
Todos
36 36%
64% 64
Personal Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rnote seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 7 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Jarnal mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Jarnal yet. Tracking of Jarnal recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Rnote mentions (7)

  • Been urbancarliving for ~2 years now. Here's my battle station. I use Arch btw ;)
    It runs great! There's a few quirks since I'm not using the linux-firmware-full-surface-pro-3 , but other than that it's awesome. (it just has some issues recognizing when the flip cover is open once closed.) I especially love using Rnote with it. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I HATE CAPACITORS!!! What happens after you discharge a capacitor? Laplace transforms, integrals,...
    It's available on https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.github.flxzt.rnote for all Linux distributions. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Best compatible apps, extensions and tweaks for Linux on convertible laptops
    - Rnote : Follows Gnome HIG, but doesn't have input stabilization (the pen is not smoothed and is the least fluid I find. Source: about 3 years ago
  • An ode to Flatpak (and Fedora Silverblue)
    Flatpak also allowed me to greatly simplify my documentation, as most (apart from packages not available as a Flatpak) of the software installation process is now the same across all Linux distributions, no matter if I use Fedora, Ubuntu or Arch. And finally, I am now always excited whenever I see someone posting about their new Linux application with a link to Flathub, so that one can try it immediately. No need... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Fedora a good choice for school, stability-wise? Also, KDE or GNOME for Surface pro (touch + stylus)?
    Recently found Rnote and its the best one I've seen so far. These are for handwritten/drawing stuff. For typed notes, I just use notion. Source: about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Jarnal and Rnote, you can also consider the following products

xournal - Lightweight notetaking and sketching app.

Xournal++ - Xournal++ is a handwriting notetaking software with PDF annotation support. Written in C++ with GTK3, supporting Linux (e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, SUSE), macOS and Windows 10. Supports pen input fr...

GoodNotes - GoodNotes lets you take notes and annotate PDF documents.

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.

NoteLab - NoteLab brings the power of digital note taking to Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Solaris.

MrWriter_PDF - MrWriter fork. It has the ability to annotate PDF files and has a few other options.