A Scrybble alternative that runs on your machine.
“You have to sync notes to Obsidian through their server, hardly privacy respecting” — that is the objection people write, and it is a fair one to weigh. Scrybble and Tagged Sync do the same job: your reMarkable notes land in Obsidian. Where the pages are converted is what separates them. This page lists the differences, fact by fact — so you can pick the right tool for you, even if it is not mine.
How do Scrybble and Tagged Sync compare, fact by fact?
| Tagged Sync | Scrybble | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your notes are processed | On your computer. Nothing is uploaded to a server of mine — I do not run one. | On Scrybble's servers. Its privacy policy states: “Our servers are located in the United States.” |
| Price | The plugin is free. Pro is €24 once — no subscription. | Subscription: $2.29–3.99 a month. 30-day free trial, cancel anytime. No one-time purchase. |
| Handwriting | Page render plus a searchable transcript, transcribed on your machine. | Pages arrive as images. “Handwriting to markdown text” is listed as coming soon. |
| PDF and book highlights | Yes — quotes with the sentence around them, each with a block ID. | Yes — searchable Markdown, organised per page. |
| Zotero | Send a paper from your library to the tablet; the note that comes back links the item. With Pro your marks are written into it as native annotations. | Listed on the roadmap as in progress, expected 2026. A forked command-line bridge moves PDFs between Zotero and the tablet, outside the plugin. |
| Tags | Yes — a tag decides what syncs and which folder it lands in. Tags and metadata also arrive as frontmatter properties (Pro). | Yes — document and page tags, as frontmatter and headings. |
| Setup | macOS: none. Windows and Linux: point at a local server you run. Pro syncs over USB or your own Wi-Fi. | Wireless through the reMarkable cloud — no cable, no SSH. A Scrybble account is required. |
| Open source | The plugin's source is public; Pro is source-available under PolyForm. | Fully open source including the server — you can self-host the whole stack. |
| Platform | Obsidian desktop only. | Obsidian desktop only. |
Scrybble vs Tagged Sync: which should you choose?
Choose Scrybble if you want it working in minutes on any platform, with nothing to install and no local server to run — or if you want to self-host the whole stack. Choose Tagged Sync if you would rather your handwriting were never uploaded at all, want it turned into searchable text today, and prefer paying €24 once to paying every month.
What if your reading starts in Zotero?
Since 1.8.0 one command puts a paper from your Zotero library on the tablet, and the note it comes back as names the item it came from. With Pro the marks travel the other way too: they are written into the Zotero item as highlights, underlines and comments you can click and cite. How the Zotero side works has a page of its own.
Scrybble's roadmap lists a Zotero integration as in progress, expected in 2026, and its GitHub org carries a forked command-line bridge that moves PDFs between Zotero and the tablet. Neither is part of its Obsidian plugin today.
Where does the work actually happen?
Scrybble is a service. Its Obsidian plugin signs in to a Scrybble account, your notebooks are converted on Scrybble's servers, and the result comes back to your vault. That design is what makes its setup so easy — nothing to install beyond the plugin.
Tagged Sync is a program. Rendering and transcription run on your own computer, and the notes go straight into your vault as files. Nothing about your handwriting touches a server of mine; you can read the plugin's source and check what it sends over the network.
Neither design is wrong. They trade different things: a service trades processing on someone else's computer for convenience; a local plugin trades a little setup (outside macOS) for keeping everything on yours. Which trade you prefer is the whole decision.
When is Scrybble the better choice?
- You want zero local setup — no model to install, on any platform.
- You want to self-host the entire stack. Scrybble's server is open source; mine does not exist.
- You like browsing your reMarkable's files inside Obsidian, and a Discord that answers the same day.
- You would rather try for 30 days and pay monthly than pay once.
Where does Tagged Sync fall short?
My own limits, in the same spirit:
- Desktop only — no mobile or iPad version.
- Outside macOS, transcription needs a local server you run yourself. The managed local model is offered only on Apple silicon and Windows on Arm.
- Pro's direct sync on a Paper Pro or Paper Pure needs Developer Mode, and turning that on erases the tablet.
- One maintainer. Support is a GitHub issue, not a Discord — email for a licence key that did not arrive, or a report you would rather not make public.
What other tools are there?
Scrybble is not the only alternative, and the two below are worth a look. They are set out on the two axes this page is about, because those are the ones that differ — on everything else they are perfectly good tools.
| Searchable text | Works without the reMarkable cloud | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tagged Sync | Yes — transcribed on your machine | Yes, with Pro: over USB or your own Wi-Fi | Free; Pro €24 once |
| KeyStone | No — pages arrive as they were drawn | No — it reads your reMarkable account | Free |
| PageDrift | No — handwriting is kept as an image | No — it reads your reMarkable account | Free beta |
KeyStone is an Obsidian plugin like this one; PageDrift is a desktop application beside Obsidian rather than inside it. Neither is affiliated with Tagged Sync.
Try the local one.
Free in the community store. €24 once if you need Pro — no subscription, and your handwriting never leaves your machine.
Desktop only — Obsidian for Mac, Windows or Linux. Doesn't open? See it on obsidian.md, or in Obsidian: Settings → Community plugins → search Tagged Sync.
Scrybble is a product of Streamsoft (Eindhoven, NL) and is not affiliated with Tagged Sync. Facts about Scrybble were checked on from its own website and repositories, and are reviewed with every release of this site. Spotted an error? Email support@hochbichler.com and I will fix it.