What is Butterfly used for?

Butterfly is a cross-platform, open-source note-taking app built with Flutter that offers an endless canvas for handwriting, drawing, text, images, and documents. It is a good fit for handwritten class and meeting notes, and whiteboarding and visual planning.

Is Butterfly open source?

Yes. Butterfly is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at LinwoodDev/Butterfly and is written mainly in Dart.

Yes. Butterfly is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Butterfly?

Yes. Butterfly can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Butterfly an alternative to?

Butterfly is an open-source alternative to GoodNotes, Notability, Noteshelf and Microsoft OneNote. Other open-source alternatives to Microsoft OneNote include Notesnook, Joplin and AppFlowy.

Is Butterfly actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Butterfly was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.6.0, published on 28 September 2026. The project has 2k stars on GitHub.

Butterfly: open-source alternative to GoodNotes, Notability

About Butterfly

Butterfly is an open-source app for people who think better with space around their ideas. Instead of a fixed page, you get an endless workspace where notes, sketches, diagrams, images, and documents can be placed wherever they make sense. It is built with Flutter and released under the AGPL-3.0 license.

You can write by hand with a stylus, touch, or mouse, type text with Markdown, and mix in diagrams and imported documents. The README suggests uses such as class notes, meeting notes, research, math, worksheets, planning, whiteboarding, storyboards, and product sketches. Topics list Android, Linux, Windows, and web builds, and describe it as customizable and a OneNote alternative.

The project is run by Linwood and invites translations through Crowdin, with community spaces on Matrix, Discord, Mastodon, and Bluesky. It suits students, teachers, and visual thinkers who want a flexible digital notebook that keeps their canvas under their own control.

Key features

Endless canvas workspace
Handwriting with stylus, touch, or mouse
Text with Markdown support
Diagrams, images, and imported documents
Android, Linux, Windows, and web builds
Customizable tools and interface

Good fit for

→Handwritten class and meeting notes
→Whiteboarding and visual planning

Built with: Dart; Flutter
Tags: note-taking; flutter; drawing; whiteboard; cross-platform; handwriting; productivity; open-source

Butterfly: questions and answers

What is Butterfly used for?: Butterfly is a cross-platform, open-source note-taking app built with Flutter that offers an endless canvas for handwriting, drawing, text, images, and documents. It is a good fit for handwritten class and meeting notes, and whiteboarding and visual planning.
Is Butterfly open source?: Yes. Butterfly is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at LinwoodDev/Butterfly and is written mainly in Dart.
Is Butterfly free?: Yes. Butterfly is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Butterfly?: Yes. Butterfly can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Butterfly an alternative to?: Butterfly is an open-source alternative to GoodNotes, Notability, Noteshelf and Microsoft OneNote. Other open-source alternatives to Microsoft OneNote include Notesnook, Joplin and AppFlowy.
Is Butterfly actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Butterfly was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.6.0, published on 28 September 2026. The project has 2k stars on GitHub.