Before you spend $28 on a notebook, ask yourself one question: have you ever numbered 240 blank pages by hand?
That’s not rhetorical. It’s the practical gap between these two notebooks for bullet journaling. Both are A5 hardcovers. Both cost roughly the same. Both appear in every BuJo recommendation thread. But one ships ready for the index method. The other makes you build the infrastructure yourself — every single time you crack open a new book.
What You Actually Get: Feature by Feature
Physically, both notebooks are nearly identical. Same A5 dimensions (approximately 14.5 × 21 cm), same hardcover build, same elastic closure position. You couldn’t tell them apart by feel alone. That similarity is exactly why the infrastructure differences — index, page numbers, ribbon count — matter so much. They’re the only real functional gap. Strip away the form factor and compare what’s actually inside:
| Feature | Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 | Moleskine Classic Hardcover A5 |
|---|---|---|
| Page count | 249 pages | 240 pages |
| Paper weight | 80gsm | 70gsm |
| Pre-numbered pages | Yes (pre-printed) | No |
| Built-in index | Yes (8 pre-printed pages) | No |
| Ribbon bookmarks | 2 | 1 |
| Back pocket | Yes | Yes |
| Elastic closure | Yes | Yes |
| Color options | 20+ | ~10 |
| Price (A5, 2026) | $25–$32 | $24–$28 |
The two ribbon bookmarks matter more than they look on a spec sheet. A bullet journal in active use has you navigating between three spreads simultaneously — your daily log, your monthly, and an open collection. One bookmark means constant re-finding. That’s friction that compounds every single day.
The built-in index is the bigger issue. Bullet journaling’s core mechanic is a running index you build as you go. Leuchtturm1917 pre-prints eight index pages and numbers every page in advance. Moleskine gives you blank paper and the expectation that you’ll handle it. Most people number a Moleskine once, burn 20 minutes doing it, and resent every subsequent book they have to number again.
Bottom Line: For the bullet journal method specifically, Leuchtturm1917 ships closer to ready. You’re paying for infrastructure that Moleskine simply doesn’t include.
Paper Weight: Why 10gsm Is Not a Small Number
Moleskine calls its paper “acid-free” and “ivory-toned.” Leuchtturm1917 says much the same. Neither brand advertises what their specific paper weight actually means for the pens bullet journalists use.
Moleskine uses 70gsm paper. Leuchtturm1917 uses 80gsm. That gap becomes real the moment you pick up a Tombow Dual Brush Pen ABT or a Staedtler Triplus Fineliner — both standard tools in any bullet journaling setup.
Tombow Brush Pens on Both Papers
Tombow ABTs are how most bullet journalists decorate habit trackers, mood boards, and monthly covers. On Moleskine 70gsm, they produce visible ghosting on the reverse side — not always a full bleed-through, but clearly visible under natural light. Most users stop using the back of pages near brush-pen spreads entirely. You’ve effectively cut your usable page count in half.
On Leuchtturm1917 80gsm, the same Tombows ghost faintly — visible against a bright window, but not on your desk. The reverse side stays usable for most layouts. That’s a real-world usability difference, not a marginal spec gap.
Fountain Pen Performance: No Marketing, Just Numbers
A Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib writes cleanly on Leuchtturm1917 80gsm. A TWSBI Eco with a medium nib shows slight feathering but no bleed-through — acceptable for headers and daily logs. On Moleskine 70gsm, that same Pilot Metropolitan feathers noticeably. Characters blur at the edges, especially with darker inks like Pilot Iroshizuku.
Neither notebook handles wet broad nibs. A LAMY 2000 on broad setting will cause issues on both. For heavy fountain pen use, the Rhodia Webnotebook A5 ($20–$25) with 90gsm Clairefontaine paper is the honest recommendation. Neither Moleskine nor Leuchtturm1917 competes with it for ink absorption. For standard fineliners and light fountain pen use, though, the Leuchtturm’s 80gsm is meaningfully more forgiving.
Bottom Line: If your bullet journal uses anything beyond a ballpoint or basic gel pen, Leuchtturm1917’s 80gsm paper is a tangible upgrade. The Moleskine 70gsm will cost you usable page space.
The Price Difference Is a Non-Issue
Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 runs $25–$32 depending on color. Moleskine Classic Hardcover A5 runs $24–$28. The spread is zero to four dollars for a notebook you’ll use daily for four to six months. That’s less than one coffee. Make the decision on features, not the price.
Layout Options: Both Brands, Compared
Both brands offer the four layouts bullet journalists actually use. The differences are in execution and what ships with each variant:
- Dot grid spacing: Both use a 5mm grid. Leuchtturm1917’s dots are a lighter gray that recede visually under handwriting. Moleskine’s dots are slightly darker — some users find them cluttered on clean spreads.
- Page numbering: Pre-printed in every Leuchtturm1917 variant (dot grid, lined, plain, squared). Absent in every Moleskine variant, regardless of layout.
- Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition ($28–$34): Adds a pre-printed key page, migration guide, and expanded index pages. For new bullet journalists, that removed setup friction matters in week one.
- Leuchtturm1917 Master Slim B5 (~$40): Larger format for elaborate weekly spreads and creative collections that need room. Still 80gsm paper, still pre-numbered.
- Moleskine Expanded A4 ($30–$35): Larger format is available, but the same paper weight and missing-infrastructure limitations apply throughout.
For a standard bullet journal setup, dot grid is the right format in either notebook. Blank pages remove the visual anchors you need for consistent writing alignment. Lined pages constrain the creative spreads — habit trackers, mood logs, brain dumps — that make bullet journaling a sustainable daily practice. Dot grid provides structure when you need it and stays out of the way when you don’t.
If you’re new to the system, the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition is worth the extra few dollars. The pre-printed key page removes one decision that routinely stalls beginners before they build momentum.
Six Months In: What Sustained Use Reveals
Short-term notebook tests miss what actually matters. Here’s what shows up over months of daily use.
The Leuchtturm1917’s elastic closure holds tighter over time. After daily opening and closing, Moleskine’s elastic loosens noticeably — especially in warmer weather or when the notebook gets compressed in a bag. By month three, the Moleskine closure stops feeling snug. It still functions, but the satisfying snap is gone.
The two ribbon bookmarks on the Leuchtturm1917 don’t feel essential until you’re deep into a journal with four or five active collections. When you’re tracking a daily log, a monthly, a reading list, and a habit grid simultaneously, two permanent ribbon positions remove real friction from every session. One bookmark forces you to re-navigate constantly.
Cover wear is where Moleskine has a genuine edge. The coated cover on the Classic Hardcover resists corner abrasion better than Leuchtturm1917’s softer textured cover. If you carry your notebook loose in a bag without a sleeve, Moleskine holds its appearance longer. Leuchtturm1917’s corners show scuffs faster.
The Leuchtturm1917 index earns its full value three months in — when you have 50+ collections referenced and finding any one without page numbers would take real time. That’s when you understand why Moleskine’s omission isn’t a small thing. The infrastructure is load-bearing.
When Moleskine Is Actually the Right Call
Moleskine is not a bad notebook. It’s a poor default choice for bullet journaling — but there are specific situations where it’s the stronger pick.
It’s worth understanding why Moleskine dominated stationery shelves before bullet journaling became a named system. The brand built its reputation among writers, travelers, and sketchers long before Ryder Carroll formalized the BuJo method in 2013. Leuchtturm1917 — already popular in Germany — became the bullet journaling community’s default because its features fit the system, not because Moleskine was bad. The context matters when you’re reading older recommendations online.
Rough handling without a case. If your notebook takes daily abuse in a bag without protection, Moleskine’s harder cover holds up better at the corners. Leuchtturm1917’s softer cover shows wear faster in those conditions. For travelers who move constantly, that durability is a real factor.
Basic pen setups only. If you use a Pilot G2 or standard ballpoint and have no plans for brush pens or fountain pens, the 70gsm paper limitation never manifests. You don’t lose anything practical. The paper quality gap only shows up when you push the paper with wetter ink delivery.
Immediate availability. In many regions, Moleskine is stocked at airports, large pharmacies, and general bookstores. Leuchtturm1917 typically requires an art supply store or an online order. If you need a notebook today with no time to order, Moleskine is more likely to be on the shelf.
Bottom Line: Moleskine wins for rough handling without a case, ballpoint-only users, and situations where in-store availability trumps features.
The Verdict for Bullet Journalists
You started by asking whether you wanted to number 240 blank pages by hand. The answer to that question is the answer to this comparison.
Both notebooks have loyal users. Both have lasted decades in the market. The question isn’t which is better in every situation — it’s which was designed with the bullet journal workflow in mind. Only one of them was.
For bullet journaling, the right choice is the Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 in dot grid. Numbered pages and a built-in index aren’t nice-to-haves in this system — they’re the mechanism by which the system works. Leuchtturm1917 ships with both. Moleskine makes you build them yourself.
The 80gsm paper handles the pens that bullet journalists actually use. Two ribbon bookmarks support simultaneous spread navigation. The lighter dot grid disappears under your handwriting instead of competing with it. The price gap over Moleskine is, at most, a few dollars.
If you’re starting fresh, consider the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition at $28–$34. The pre-printed key and migration pages remove setup friction that stops beginners before they find their rhythm.
If you’re a heavy fountain pen user, neither notebook is the right tool. The Rhodia Webnotebook A5 at $20–$25 is purpose-built for wet nibs in a way neither brand matches.
For everyone else: buy the Leuchtturm1917. You won’t number a single page.
This is not financial advice. Product assessments are based on publicly available specifications and documented community use cases.
