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.

Feature	Xournal++	Excalidraw
Overall Score	N/A	1
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Office & Productivity

Product Overview

Xournal++

Description: 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.

Excalidraw

Description: 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.

Key Features Comparison

Xournal++ Features

• Supports pen input
• Annotate PDFs
• Sticky notes
• Rulers
• Page templates
• Shape recognition
• LaTeX support

Excalidraw Features

• 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)

Pros & Cons Analysis

Xournal++

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

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)

Pricing Comparison

Xournal++

• Open Source

Excalidraw

• Free
• Open Source