Saber is a cross-platform open-source note-taking app built for handwriting.
The tool addresses the friction of digital note-taking by optimizing the handwriting experience across devices. It inverts notes, images, and PDFs in dark mode so users can write with white ink on a black background, reducing eye strain in low-light settings. The highlighter uses canvas compositing to handle overlaps and maintain color consistency without fading text, solving a problem common in other apps where highlighting multi-line content causes visual degradation. Notes sync seamlessly across devices and can be stored on the official server, a self-hosted instance, or another server. Security relies on a dual-password system that protects notes even if the server is compromised.
Saber suits students and professionals who take handwritten notes digitally and want a straightforward, privacy-conscious alternative to proprietary apps. The cross-platform availability—spanning Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux—makes it practical for users working across multiple device types. The open-source codebase allows anyone to audit how the app handles data, addressing concerns about closed-source competitors.
Development activity shows consistent engagement with regular commits and active issue resolution. The project maintains broad platform support through multiple distribution channels including app stores and package managers. Community contributions are integrated steadily, and the maintainers respond to bug reports and feature requests. The tool receives ongoing refinement rather than sporadic updates, indicating sustained attention to stability and user-reported problems.
