Sticky Notes

10 Best Free and Open Source Sticky Note Applications

It has often been said that information confers power, and that the most important currency in our culture today is information. Keeping track of bits and pieces of information is a minefield.

In part, this is because of passable short term memory, coupled with what can only be described as ‘brain fog’. To combat this, we arm myself with open source software that helps us efficiently capture a lot of information. We generally prefer to keep our information local and cloud-free, primarily for security reasons. And we primarily advance software which doesn’t tie itself to any specific company or service, whether it’s Evernote, Google, or Microsoft.

Note-taking apps are the online equivalent of notebooks, and because they’re digital, they can do more for you than paper can. Note-taking apps also include text search, so in a matter of seconds, you can find whatever notes you need.

A sticky note (often known as a Post-it Note) is a small piece of paper with a re-adherable strip of glue on its back, made for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Virtual sticky notes have been created for computers in the form of desktop notes.

Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion.

Ratings chart

Let’s explore the 10 apps to take notes at hand. For each application we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, a screenshot, together with links to relevant resources.

Note Taking Software
StickyVery simple utility offering a good range of features
PrimeNoteModern and highly customizable sticky note application
NoteSHTerminal-based sticky notes app
KNotesA simple Qt-based application
GloboNoteSimple and easy to use open source note taking application
XpadSticky note application for jotting down things to remember
MyNotesCustomizable sticky notes program
Sticky NotesSimple note taking program designed for GNOME
Indicator StickynotesWrite reminders on notes
NotejotBilled as a stupidly simple sticky notes applet.

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OlivierB77
OlivierB77
1 month ago

Knotes is dead. It is no more part of Kde Gear since 24.08 release.

Howard
Howard
1 month ago

I just use Xpad, because it is supported on pretty much any Linux or BSD distro.

Harry T
Harry T
1 month ago
Reply to  Howard

I like Xpad too, as it’s GTK+.