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alpha-liu-01/SpeedyNote

A cross-platform, stylus-focused note-taking app with fast PDF annotation, paged notebooks and an infinite canvas, built with C++ and Qt.

Open-source alternative to:GoodNotesNotabilityOneNote

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Last commit
2 days ago

What is it?

SpeedyNote is a note-taking app aimed at stylus users who want iPad-style annotation on lower-cost hardware. It runs natively on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iPadOS, and is written in C++ on Qt rather than Electron. The project states it handles 360Hz stylus input on a Celeron N4000 processor.

The app supports two document modes: paged notebooks for page-by-page notes and an edgeless canvas for an infinite whiteboard. PDFs can be imported as backgrounds and annotated, with clickable internal links and a navigable outline. Notes can also include Markdown text, link objects that point to other notes, URLs or positions, and layered strokes with pressure sensitivity.

A desktop command-line interface exports notebooks to PDF or .snbx bundles and imports bundles back, which suits scripted backup or syncing. Handwriting OCR for text search is available on macOS and Linux.

Key features

  • 01360Hz stylus input on low-end hardware, according to the project's testing
  • 02Pressure-sensitive Pen, Marker and Highlighter tools with multi-layer editing
  • 03Paged notebooks and an infinite edgeless canvas
  • 04PDF import with annotation, clickable links and outline navigation
  • 05Markdown notes and link objects attached to pages or positions
  • 06Desktop CLI for batch PDF export and .snbx backup and import

Use cases

  • Students annotating lecture slides and textbook PDFs with a stylus
  • Taking handwritten notes on an inexpensive Windows, Linux or Android tablet
  • Creating a large freeform whiteboard for brainstorming or diagrams
  • Scripting batch backups or PDF exports of notebooks from the command line

Quick start

  1. 1

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/alpha-liu-01/SpeedyNote.git
  2. 2

    Enter the project folder

    cd SpeedyNote
  3. 3

    Build on Linux

    ./compile.sh

Things to know

  • Licensed under GPL-3.0, a copyleft license that requires derivative works to be open-sourced under the same terms.
  • Building from source needs Qt 6.4+ dev packages and platform-specific toolchains, which is a non-trivial setup.
  • iPadOS installs require a jailbroken device or TrollStore, since App Store distribution is not available.

Topics

#note-taking#pdf-annotation#stylus#qt#cpp#handwriting#whiteboard#cross-platform

FAQ

What is SpeedyNote?
A cross-platform, stylus-focused note-taking app with fast PDF annotation, paged notebooks and an infinite canvas, built with C++ and Qt. SpeedyNote is a note-taking app aimed at stylus users who want iPad-style annotation on lower-cost hardware. It runs natively on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iPadOS, and is written in C++ on Qt rather than Electron. The project states it handles 360Hz stylus input on a Celeron N4000 processor.
Is SpeedyNote free to use? What license does it have?
SpeedyNote is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is SpeedyNote still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to SpeedyNote was on Oct 18, 2026.
What can I use SpeedyNote for?
Students annotating lecture slides and textbook PDFs with a stylus Taking handwritten notes on an inexpensive Windows, Linux or Android tablet Creating a large freeform whiteboard for brainstorming or diagrams Scripting batch backups or PDF exports of notebooks from the command line
How do I install SpeedyNote?
Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/alpha-liu-01/SpeedyNote.git Enter the project folder: cd SpeedyNote Build on Linux: ./compile.sh
Where can I get SpeedyNote?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/alpha-liu-01/SpeedyNote

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

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