Linwood Butterfly review
A capable free canvas for handwritten notes, with limited integrations and experimental collaboration.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Linwood Butterfly is a free, open-source note-taking app built around an infinite canvas. It suits people who organize ideas visually through handwritten notes, sketches, diagrams, annotations, and visual documents. The app runs on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, with local storage by default and offline browser storage for the web application. Its platform coverage makes it practical for users who move between desktop, mobile, and browser workflows.
The standout feature is the editable handwriting canvas. Pen strokes support adjustable width, color, smoothing, and texture, while layers, areas, pages, templates, packs, stamps, palettes, styles, and customizable toolbar tools add structure to visual work. Import support covers Butterfly, Xournal++, OneNote, Markdown, PNG, SVG, and PDF files, giving users several ways to bring existing material into a canvas-based workflow. These features make Butterfly a stronger fit for handwritten and diagram-led work than for simple linear text capture.
Storage and ecosystem choices are focused rather than broad. Documents can remain local, while WebDAV remote storage and offline synchronization support users who want control over where files are kept; Nextcloud is also supported. Real-time collaboration is available experimentally through Swamp or a self-hosted WebSocket server, so teams needing a settled shared-editing workflow may prefer another option. Choose Butterfly for open-source, offline-friendly visual notes across many platforms. Choose an alternative if your priority is a wide integration ecosystem, mature collaboration, or a primarily text-based notes system.
Linwood Butterfly pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Infinite canvas supports notes, sketches, diagrams, and annotations
- Works offline across web, desktop, and mobile platforms
- Imports PDF, SVG, PNG, Markdown, OneNote, and Xournal++ files
- Where it doesn't
- Real-time collaboration is experimental and subject to change
- Integrations center on WebDAV and Nextcloud
- Its canvas-first approach may not suit text-heavy note-taking
Linwood Butterfly fact sheet, pricing and score →
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