The best whiteboard apps on Linux

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We will introduce several whiteboard applications suitable for Linux systems. I believe this information will be very helpful to you. Please read on!

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Generally speaking, a digital whiteboard is a tool for large-scale interactive display panels. Common device types include tablets, large-screen mobile phones, touch notebooks and surface display devices.

When a teacher uses a whiteboard, you can use a stylus, stylus, finger, or even a mouse to draw, write, or manipulate elements on the device screen. This means you can drag, click, delete, and draw on the whiteboard just like you would with a pen on paper.

However, to achieve all this, there needs to be a software that supports these functions and achieves fine coordination between touch and display.

There are many commercial applications on the market that can do this job. However, in this article, we will focus on some whiteboarding applications that are free and open source and can run in Linux systems.

Recommended Whiteboard Apps for Linux

1、Xournal

In our recommendation list, the first choice is Xournal. I think this is one of the best apps on this list. It's very stable and has been around for a while.

Xournal allows you to write, draw, and other common operations on paper. It supports handwriting, custom highlighters, erasers and other tools. Additionally, it comes with many other features such as support for layers, adding external images, adding audio, multi-page features, and more.

The application is compatible with almost all pressure-sensitive input devices, such as Wacom, Huion and XP-Pen. I tested it on a touchpad laptop and after a few settings tweaks, it worked fine. So you can start using it using any touch device you have on hand.

Xournal is written in C and GTK3.

Xournal Whiteboard Application for Linux

For Linux systems, you can follow the steps below to install. This program is completely free and available for Linux, macOS, and Windows systems. If you want to try it on mobile devices, a BETA version is also available.

installation steps:

The application can be installed via AppImage, Snap, Flatpak and deb packages. At the same time, it can also be installed to Ubuntu/Debian-based systems through PPA.

Specially, special installation packages are also provided for Fedora, SUSE and Arch. You only need to click on the link below to download the corresponding execution program in the format you require.

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Download Xournal

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More information:

• front page
• document
• source code

2、OpenBoard

What we want to focus on next is OpenBoard. This is a simple and easy-to-use whiteboard drawing application that does not interfere with your experience with too many options.

This software is very suitable for beginners and junior students in online courses to take notes.

OpenBoard has rich built-in functions, including colors, brushes, text, simple drawing shapes, page support, and more. This application is built on Qt technology.

OpenBoard

installation steps:

This application only provides standalone deb packages for Ubuntu. You can download it via the link below.

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Download OpenBoard

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More information:

• Home
• document
• source code

3、Scrivano

Scrivano is a newly launched whiteboard application based on Qt technology. Its design concept emphasizes ease of use and can provide efficient functional performance in note-taking and other drawing activities.

It offers some unique features like snapping to grid, creating custom stickers, fill strokes, laser options and more.

Additionally, you can import PDF files in this tool and annotate them using various features.

Here are some features worth paying attention to.

You can learn more about Scrivano in our official review of the app.

Stickers in Scrivano

You can Flatpak configure your system to use Flathub, then click the button below to install via Flathub.

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Download and install Scrivano

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More information:

• Home
• Scrivano review

4、Notelab

NoteLab is a veteran whiteboard application with a history of ten years. It's a free and open source app with a rich feature set, so you can understand how stable and popular it is.

The following are some of the features:

• This app supports all common image formats as export options such as SVG, PNG, JPG, BMP, etc.
• Provides configurable pen and paper customization options
• Built-in memory manager for specifying the amount of memory used by NoteLab.
• Papers are available in different formats such as wide format, college format, and graph paper.
• All standard drawing tools included.
• You can resize, move, delete, change color and other operations on any note part.

NoteLab

However, this is an application written in Java and distributed as a .jar file, so you need a Java runtime environment to run it. You can refer to our guide to install Java or JRE on Linux systems.

• How to install Java/JRE in Ubuntu-based systems
• How to install Java/JRE in Arch Linux

how to install:

NoteLab provides a stand-alone executable .jar file, which can be downloaded from SourceForge through the link below. Remember, to run this application you need JRE.

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Download NoteLab

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More information:

• Home
• document

5、Rnote

The fifth application we want to introduce this time is called Rnote. Rnote is a great app for taking handwritten notes on touch screen devices. Based on vector image technology, this app makes it easy not only to draw and annotate pictures, but also to annotate PDF files. It supports native .rnote file format and provides import/export options for png, jpeg, SVG and PDF.

One of the coolest features of Rnote is that it supports the file format of Xournal (the first app on this list), making it a must-have tool.

Rnote is developed using GTK4 and Rust, and is very suitable for running on the GNOME desktop and various Linux systems.

It should be noted that this application is still under development.

Linux whiteboard application Rnote based on GTK4 and Rust

how to install:

This application is provided as a Flatpak package. You can use this guide to install Flatpak for your Linux system, then click the button below to install it.

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Install Rnote

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More information:

• Home page and source code

6、Lorien

Lorien is an ideal digital notebook software that allows you to create personalized notes using a variety of tools. Lorien is a cross-platform, free and open source "infinite canvas drawing/note-taking" application based on the Godot game engine. This app is great for quickly taking notes during brainstorming sessions.

Its toolbox is quite standard, with freehand brushes, erasers, line tools, selection tools, etc. You can move or delete parts of your stroke - these are rendered as a collection of points at runtime.

Lorien Whiteboard App for Linux

how to install:

No installation is required to use Lorien. You can download a self-contained executable (download tar file) from the link below. After downloading, unzip the file and double-click to run it.

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Download Lorien

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More information:

• Home page and source code

7、Rainbow Board

Rainbow Board is a free and open source whiteboard application based on Electron and React. Typically, people don't like Electron apps due to performance and bloat issues. But considering we're listing apps in this category, I thought it was worth mentioning.

It provides a standard canvas that supports touch and handwriting input. The toolbox includes brush size, color, fill color, font, and undo and redo operations. You can export your drawing results as a PNG or SVG file.

Rainbow Board whiteboard application for Linux

how to install:

This app can be downloaded as a Snap, Flatpak or standalone deb installer. You can get them from the links below.

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Download Rainbow Board

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More information:

• Home
• source code

Special recommendation

Here, the two additional drawing applications I want to mention are Vectr and Excalidraw. Both apps are web-based whiteboard drawing apps. They are classified separately because they are not desktop applications in the traditional sense.

So, if you don't want to install other apps, or if installation isn't available on your school or work system, you can choose to use these web apps in your browser. Below are their URLs.

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Vectr

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Ecxalidraw

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Conclusion

The above are some modern whiteboard drawing applications for Linux and other operating systems. Due to the pandemic and work-from-home environment, many of you may be using pen and paper for note-taking in online classes or meetings. I believe these software will help you in your study and work.

Try these software and you will definitely find the one that suits you best. If you have any comments or feedback about this list, please let me know in the comments area below.

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