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Xournal++ VS (Un)colored

Compare Xournal++ VS (Un)colored and see what are their differences

Xournal++ logo 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...

(Un)colored logo (Un)colored

Next generation desktop rich content editor that saves documents with themes.
  • Xournal++ Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-20
  • (Un)colored Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

Xournal++ features and specs

  • Open-Source
    Xournal++ is open-source, which means its source code is publicly available for anyone to inspect, modify, and contribute to. This promotes transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Cross-Platform
    Xournal++ is compatible with multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This makes it accessible to a wider range of users.
  • Feature-Rich for Note-Taking
    Xournal++ offers a variety of features tailored for note-taking, including annotations, handwriting recognition, and PDF support. This makes it a versatile tool for both professional and personal use.
  • Customization
    The application offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor the interface and tools to meet their specific needs.
  • Regular Updates
    Being actively maintained by a community of developers, Xournal++ receives regular updates and bug fixes, ensuring that it remains stable and incorporates the latest features.

Possible disadvantages of Xournal++

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users might find Xournal++ challenging to navigate due to its extensive array of features and customization options, resulting in a steep learning curve.
  • Less Polished UI
    Compared to commercial alternatives, the user interface of Xournal++ may appear less polished and slightly outdated, which can affect user experience.
  • Limited Customer Support
    As an open-source project, Xournal++ relies on community support rather than dedicated customer service. Users may encounter difficulties in getting timely assistance for troubleshooting issues.
  • Performance Issues with Large Files
    Some users have reported performance issues when working with very large files or complex documents, which can lead to slowdowns or crashes.
  • Less Integration with Other Software
    Xournal++ may offer fewer integrations with other commonly used software tools compared to some commercial alternatives, which can limit workflow automation and efficiency.

(Un)colored features and specs

  • Minimalistic Design
    The application provides a clean and minimalistic user interface, which allows users to focus on the content without distractions.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, (Un)colored allows developers and users to contribute to its development and customize it to fit their needs.
  • Theme Customization
    Users have the ability to switch between dark and light themes, enhancing readability and user comfort, especially in different lighting conditions.
  • Privacy Oriented
    The tool does not track user data, ensuring a high level of privacy and security for its users.

Possible disadvantages of (Un)colored

  • Limited Features
    (Un)colored may lack advanced features found in more robust text editors, which can be a drawback for power users or those looking for more functionality.
  • Learning Curve
    Users who are not familiar with minimalist or command-line interfaces might find it challenging to get accustomed to its layout and functionalities.
  • No Collaboration Tools
    The application does not support collaborative editing, which may be a limitation for users looking to work on documents with others in real-time.

Analysis of Xournal++

Overall verdict

  • Xournal++ is generally considered a good tool for note-taking and annotation, especially for those who value flexibility and customization in their digital tools. Its active development community ensures regular updates and the addition of new features based on user feedback.

Why this product is good

  • Xournal++ is favored for its robust feature set that includes handwriting support, annotation capabilities, and PDF editing. It’s open-source, cross-platform, and has a user-friendly interface, making it a versatile choice for students, educators, and professionals. The customization options and plugin support add to its functionality, allowing users to tailor the software to their specific needs.

Recommended for

    Xournal++ is recommended for students, educators, researchers, and anyone in need of a reliable tool for digital note-taking, annotating PDFs, or creating handwritten notes in a digital format.

Xournal++ videos

Xournal++ Digital Inking & PDFs on Linux - IG App Picks

More videos:

  • Review - XOURNAL++ PDF ANNOTATOR: BEST FOR ONLINE PAPER CHECKING

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xournal++ and (Un)colored)
Note Taking
94 94%
6% 6
Todos
100 100%
0% 0
Task Management
95 95%
5% 5
Office & Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Xournal++ and (Un)colored

Xournal++ Reviews

  1. Go-to solution for easy paper replacement

    Used my laptop, a small wacom tablet, and this program to replace all my engineering notes this semester. No more scanning to upload, re-drawing plots, re-writing equations, printing assignments, or heavy binder to carry around.

    🏁 Competitors: OneNote
    👍 Pros:    Export in pdf|Import pdf

(Un)colored Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xournal++ seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 55 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.

Xournal++ mentions (55)

  • Rnote – Sketch and take handwritten notes
    I tried a whole bunch of the these apps, and I decided that Xournal++ [1] is better than Rnote for note taking. However, I have used Openboard [2] for teaching online since 2020. I agree that Rnote's smoothing is better, but it's tool selection UX is terrible. There are three different bars (top, bottom, and side), and you often need to move your mouse/hand to all of them across the screen in order to select the... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Book list for streetfighting computer scientists
    I've been using Xournalpp[1] for many years, highlighting books as I read them, adding in text/hand drawn annotations in whitespaces if necessary. Unlike other PDF readers/annotators, it saves a separate file, so the original PDF is untouched. It can also export the annotated PDF as a new PDF with highlights and annotations. Obsidian[2] also has PDF support, where you can open a markdown document side by side with... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Combined metric for finding and decoding (digitally) handwritten text on a page?
    Currently, I am trying to build a small open source NLP project for which I first find text on a page and then translate it; see the current project state here: https://github.com/PellelNitram/xournalpp_htr. The purpose of this project is to make handwritten text in Xournal++ searchable for all users. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Alternative to MS OneNote that’s truly as good? Flair is limited but more precisely is I’d like cross-platform.
    On Linux, Xournal++ is the best thing that can do inking. https://github.com/xournalpp/xournalpp. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Need help installing Latex on Linux
    First of all, I don't want to install Latex, but since my note taking app requires it, I feel like I don't have any alternative. I was wondering if I needed to download TexLive or if there were any other options for me. I am taking physics notes and I don't want anything other than basic text editing (superscript, subscript, symbols for physics equations and basic math stuff), is there a way I don't have to... Source: over 2 years ago
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(Un)colored mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of (Un)colored yet. Tracking of (Un)colored recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Xournal++ and (Un)colored, you can also consider the following products

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.

Tomboy - Apps/Tomboy - GNOME Wiki!

xournal - Lightweight notetaking and sketching app.

Turtl - The secure, collaborative notebook

Joplin - Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. The notes are searchable, tagged and modified either from the applications directly or from your own text editor.

Omni Notes - Note taking open-source application aimed to have both a simple interface but keeping smart behavior