What’s the best OneNote alternative for handwritten notes on Linux and Android?
Asked by
MellowPine42
I'm a college student planning to switch to CachyOS and need a replacement for OneNote. I use it for a mix of typed and handwritten notes, as well as importing images and PDFs. An Android app with reliable syncing would be ideal. I could use Syncthing to sync files, since I don't want to pay around $5 per month just to sync roughly 100 MB of notes. I've heard of Joplin and Obsidian, but I haven't tried either yet. What alternatives have worked well for this kind of workflow?
Answers
You could pair MicroPad with Xournal++. Xournal++ works well for handwritten pages, diagrams, and PDF-style annotation, while MicroPad can organize typed notes, lists, and pages. It’s a fairly simple setup, and you may be able to handle syncing yourself, although I haven’t used its sync features.
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Obsidian is worth trying. It runs on desktop and mobile, has a large plugin ecosystem, and the basic app is free. The official sync service costs extra, but you can potentially use another syncing method if you’re comfortable managing your files yourself.
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Take a look at Rnote as well. It’s focused on handwriting and drawing, so it may fit better than a traditional markdown note app if pen input is important. I’d test several options before committing to one.
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I tried several alternatives and eventually returned to OneNote. The difficult part is finding something that can full-text search both typed and handwritten notes together. Obsidian with the InkedMark plugin came closest for me, but it still may not match OneNote’s handwriting integration.
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Notesnook is another option if you’re willing to pay a modest subscription. It offers desktop and Android apps with syncing and is designed as a general-purpose notes replacement.
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CopperLark19: Obsidian is especially flexible, but handwritten notes may require a plugin such as InkedMark rather than working exactly like OneNote out of the box.