Last Updated on March 20, 2026
Butterfly is a note taking app where your ideas come first. It provides a simple UI with powerful customization.
You can paint, add texts, and export them easily on every device.
This is free and open source software.
Features include:
- Simple and intuitive Every tool is in the right place. Open the app and start drawing. Change your tools by clicking on it.
- Infinite canvas.
- Customizable: Change everything to your needs. Choose your custom color, create a palette, and add your pages to the paper. The paper has an infinite size, perfect for your ideas and notes.
- Support your favorite formats: Import and export are supported for images, pdf and svg. Register the app to open these files to edit them.
- Choose where your data is stored: You can choose to store your data locally or in your favorite cloud (webdav). You can also export your data to a file and import it again.
- Use it offline: You can use the app offline. You can draw, paint, and export your notes without an internet connection.
- Use your favorite stylus: The app supports stylus and touch devices. You can draw and paint with your favorite stylus.
- Write text: You can write text on your notes. You can change the font, size, and color.
- Take photos: You can take photos and add them to your notes. You can also import photos from your gallery.
- Editable: You can change the size, color, and position of every element after you added it to your note.
- Add shapes: You can add shapes to your notes. You can choose between a rectangle, circle and line.
- Structure your notes: Add areas and waypoints to your notes to keep them organized or use multiple pages.
- Layers – an option to separate elements from another. The first layer from top will be rendered last (and would be shown above everything).
- Pack – a collection of components that can be used in the stamp tool. You can create your own pack or import an existing one. For this click on the top left corner and click on “Packs”.
- Internationalization support – the app is available in many languages.
- Cross-platform support – runs under Linux, Android, Windows, and the web. There’s also a preview for iOS.
Website: butterfly.linwood.dev
Support: GitHub Code Repository
Developer: CodeDoctor
License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
Butterfly is written in JavaScript. Learn JavaScript with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn Dart with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Handwritten GUI Notes Apps | |
|---|---|
| Xournal++ | Handwriting notetaking software with PDF annotation support |
| Rnote | Sketch and take handwritten notes |
| Saber | Notes app built for handwriting |
| SpeedyNote | Built for classic tablet PCs, low-resolution screens, and vintage hardware. |
| Butterfly | Provides a simple UI with powerful customization. |
| Lorien | Infinite canvas drawing/note-taking app |
| Write | Designed for note-taking, brainstorming, and sketching. |
| Writernote | Take notes in an intelligent way |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
 Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Discovered a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |