# Free alternatives to Goodnotes

> Goodnotes (Essential) costs $11.99 a year. Free alternatives: Saber and Xournal++. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/goodnotes/
- Category: Notes & Docs (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/notes-and-docs/)
- Vendor: Goodnotes
- Plan: Essential
- Price: $1/month, $11.99/year
- Billing: yearly (Pro $35.99/yr is the "most popular" tier)
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Essential $11.99 /yearly Unlock tools to capture your thoughts and actions"
- Price source: https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### Saber

- Website: https://saber.adil.hanney.org
- Repository: https://github.com/saber-notes/saber (4,921 stars, last push 2026-10-15)
- License: GPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: mobile
- Linux: n/a (phone app
- Self-hostable: no
- Note: No handwriting search, and Goodnotes notebooks only come across as flat PDFs.
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/saber/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### Xournal++

- Website: https://xournalpp.github.io
- Repository: https://github.com/xournalpp/xournalpp (15,532 stars, last push 2026-10-16)
- License: GPL-2.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: desktop app
- Linux: Arch extra: xournalpp; Flathub: com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp
- Self-hostable: no
- Install: `sudo pacman -S xournalpp`, `flatpak install flathub com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp`
- Note: Desktop only (Windows, Mac, Linux): no iPad app, which is where most Goodnotes users write.
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/xournal/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to Goodnotes?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Saber (open source, GPL-3.0) and Xournal++ (open source, GPL-2.0).

### How much does Goodnotes cost?

Goodnotes's Essential plan costs $1 a month, which is $11.99 a year (yearly (Pro $35.99/yr is the "most popular" tier)). Source: the official pricing page at goodnotes.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which Goodnotes alternatives run on Linux?

Xournal++ (Arch extra: xournalpp; Flathub: com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp).

### Can you self-host a Goodnotes alternative?

There's nothing to host: Saber is a mobile and Xournal++ is a desktop app.

### Are these Goodnotes alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Saber (GPL-3.0) and Xournal++ (GPL-2.0).

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/