Xournal++ vs Excalidraw

Struggling to choose between Xournal++ and Excalidraw? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Xournal++ is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like notetaking, sketching, pdf-annotation, sticky-notes, latex.

It boasts features such as Supports pen input, Annotate PDFs, Sticky notes, Rulers, Page templates, Shape recognition, LaTeX support and pros including Free and open source, Good pen support, Lots of annotation features, Active development, Cross-platform.

On the other hand, Excalidraw is a Office & Productivity product tagged with diagramming, wireframing, whiteboard, sketching, collaboration, brainstorming, flowcharts, uml-diagrams, user-journeys.

Its standout features include Minimal and intuitive user interface, Hand-drawn like diagrams, Various drawing tools (pencil, eraser, text, shapes, etc.), Flowcharts, UML diagrams, user journeys, wireframes, and more, Collaboration features (real-time editing, comments, version history), Offline support, Customizable themes and color schemes, Export to various file formats (PNG, SVG, JSON), and it shines with pros like Free and open-source, Easy to use and get started, Great for brainstorming and collaboration, Lightweight and fast performance, Regularly updated with new features and improvements.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Xournal++

Xournal++

Xournal++ is a free, open-source notetaking and sketching software for Linux. It supports pen input and annotations on PDFs. Key features include sticky notes, rulers, page templates, shape recognition, and LaTeX support.

Categories:
notetaking sketching pdf-annotation sticky-notes latex

Xournal++ Features

  1. Supports pen input
  2. Annotate PDFs
  3. Sticky notes
  4. Rulers
  5. Page templates
  6. Shape recognition
  7. LaTeX support

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Good pen support

Lots of annotation features

Active development

Cross-platform

Cons

Limited organization features

No cloud sync

Steep learning curve

Occasional bugs


Excalidraw

Excalidraw

Excalidraw is a free, open-source online whiteboard tool for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams. It has a minimal and intuitive UI with various drawing tools for easily creating flowcharts, UML diagrams, user journeys, wireframes and more. Great for brainstorming and collaboration.

Categories:
diagramming wireframing whiteboard sketching collaboration brainstorming flowcharts uml-diagrams user-journeys

Excalidraw Features

  1. Minimal and intuitive user interface
  2. Hand-drawn like diagrams
  3. Various drawing tools (pencil, eraser, text, shapes, etc.)
  4. Flowcharts, UML diagrams, user journeys, wireframes, and more
  5. Collaboration features (real-time editing, comments, version history)
  6. Offline support
  7. Customizable themes and color schemes
  8. Export to various file formats (PNG, SVG, JSON)

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open-source

Easy to use and get started

Great for brainstorming and collaboration

Lightweight and fast performance

Regularly updated with new features and improvements

Cons

Limited advanced features compared to professional diagramming tools

Collaboration features may be limited for larger teams

No built-in support for real-time collaboration (relies on external tools)