Rhodia vs Leuchtturm1917 vs Moleskine: Paper Compared

Rhodia Webnotebook, Leuchtturm1917 Medium and Moleskine Classic Large, closed and drawn to scale, labeled 90, 80 and 70 g/m² paper — Same height, three widths and three paper weights.

Products compared

Product	Brand origin	Made in	Price range
Rhodia Webnotebook A5, hard cover, 192 pages (lined or dot grid)Rhodia	France	France^*	Price range: $$$$20–75 per notebook
Leuchtturm1917 Notebook Medium (A5), Hardcover, 251 numbered pagesLeuchtturm1917	Germany	Varies (Taiwan or Germany)^*	Price range: $$$$20–75 per notebook
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, Large (QP060 ruled)Moleskine	Italy	China^*	Price range: $$$$20–75 per notebook

Notes on these facts

Rhodia Webnotebook A5, hard cover, 192 pages (lined or dot grid): Made by Clairefontaine Rhodia (Exacompta Clairefontaine group); sold in the US by Exaclair. Made in France: Wonderpens says made in France, and Office National has said designed and made in France. Rhodia's 2024 French press kit says the brand has always produced in France, at Illzach near Mulhouse, but Rhodia's product page names no country. A Digitec listing for a Rhodia A5 notebook has given Morocco; Digitec and Office National now block automated reading, so check the label on your copy. The paper itself is Clairefontaine's, made in France. Source.
Leuchtturm1917 Notebook Medium (A5), Hardcover, 251 numbered pages: Made by Leuchtturm Gruppe (Geesthacht, Germany). Made in Varies (Taiwan or Germany): Retailer data conflicts. Galaxus has listed Germany for a forest-green Medium dotted hard cover; Digitec has listed Germany, Taiwan and United Kingdom for a red-violet one; several eBay listings for Medium A5 notebooks have given Taiwan (all three now block automated reading). Leuchtturm1917's German and US product pages name no country for the standard notebook; its US 120G page says that edition's paper is made in Germany. Check the label on your copy. Source. Released: Unsharpen dates the Leuchtturm1917 notebook brand to 2005; we found no separate date for the A5 Medium. The company itself dates to 1917.
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, Large (QP060 ruled): Made by Moleskine S.r.l. (D'Ieteren Group). Made in China: per retailer spec sheets: Galaxus/Digitec list China for the Large and Pocket hard covers, and the Australian promotional supplier Good Things lists China for the XL hard cover. Moleskine's Italian product page doesn't state the country, and Galaxus blocked our reader when we rechecked on October 20, 2026. Source. Released: Per Wikipedia, Milan publisher Modo & Modo launched the Moleskine notebook in 1997, reviving a French notebook design.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

Paper weight: Rhodia Webnotebook 90 g/m², Leuchtturm1917 Medium 80 g/m², Moleskine Classic 70 g/m², all ivory or cream per the makers.
Pages: Leuchtturm1917 251 numbered, Moleskine Large 240, Rhodia Webnotebook 192.
Width at 210 mm tall: Leuchtturm1917 145 mm, Rhodia 140 mm (Exaclair), Moleskine 130 mm.
Leuchtturm1917 also sells a 120G Medium with 120 g/m² paper and 203 numbered pages, aimed at fountain pens and markers.
Made in: Rhodia in France (Wonderpens, Office National), Moleskine in China (retailer spec sheets), Leuchtturm1917 in Taiwan or Germany depending on stock.

Which has the best paper: Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917 or Moleskine?

Rhodia, on paper weight and reputation: the Webnotebook’s 90 g/m² Clairefontaine sheet is the heaviest of the three and the one fountain pen users single out. Leuchtturm1917’s 80 g/m² paper is a solid middle, and Moleskine’s 70 g/m² is the thinnest.

All three are hardcover A5-height notebooks with an elastic, a ribbon and a back pocket, so the choice comes down to paper, page count and features. Our Moleskine vs Leuchtturm1917 comparison covers those two in more depth.

How do the three compare?

Same height, different widths, page counts and paper.

	Rhodia Webnotebook A5	Leuchtturm1917 Medium (A5)	Moleskine Classic Large
Size	140 × 210 mm (5.5 × 8.25 in)	145 × 210 mm (5.75 × 8.25 in)	130 × 210 mm (5 × 8.25 in)
Paper	90 g/m² ivory Clairefontaine	80 g/m²	70 g/m² ivory, acid-free
Pages	192	251, numbered	240
Rulings	7 mm lined, blank, 5 mm dot	Dotted, ruled, squared, plain	Dotted, ruled, squared, plain
Extras	Elastic, ribbon, pocket	Index, 2 ribbons, 8 perforated sheets, labels	Elastic, ribbon, pocket
Made in	France	Taiwan or Germany	China
Price band	$$$	$$$	$$$

Sizes and paper are from Rhodia’s French site and Exaclair, Leuchtturm1917’s German site and Moleskine’s Italian site.

Bar chart of paper weight and page count: Rhodia Webnotebook 90 g/m² and 192 pages, Leuchtturm1917 Medium 80 g/m² and 251 pages, Moleskine Classic Large 70 g/m² and 240 pages — Heavier paper, fewer pages: the trade-off in one chart.

Which is best for fountain pens?

Rhodia, then Leuchtturm1917; Moleskine is the one to avoid with wet inks. A 2013 review of the Webnotebook described many enthusiastic Fountain Pen Network threads about its bleed-resistant pages.

Wirecutter’s testers saw little smudging and no bleeding from fountain pens on Leuchtturm1917 paper. stefanv.com’s paper test found a Moleskine feathered and showed through with every fountain pen ink tried.

If fountain pens are your main tool and you like Leuchtturm1917’s layout, its 120G Medium uses 120 g/m² paper with 203 numbered pages. Our best notebooks for fountain pens ranks more options.

Why does paper weight matter?

Heavier paper usually shows less through, but sizing matters as much as weight. Sizing controls whether ink sits on the surface or wicks into the fibers and feathers; our paper weight explainer covers it.

Smooth, well-sized paper such as Rhodia’s keeps lines crisp but dries more slowly, which matters to left-handed writers.

Which is best for bullet journaling and everyday notes?

Leuchtturm1917, for its numbered pages and index. It has the most pages of the three and two ribbons, and its dotted version uses a 5 mm grid.

Moleskine is the slimmest in a bag, 15 mm narrower than the Leuchtturm1917. Rhodia’s Webnotebook suits writers who care most about how the pen feels on the page.

What other sizes are there?

Moleskine and Leuchtturm1917 make a family of sizes; this comparison uses each brand’s A5-height book. Moleskine’s Italian site lists five hard-cover sizes: Pocket 9 × 14 cm, Medium 11.5 × 18 cm, Large 13 × 21 cm, XL 19 × 25 cm and XXL 21.6 × 27.9 cm.

Leuchtturm1917’s German site lists Pocket (A6) at 90 × 150 mm, Paperback (B6+) at 125 × 190 mm, Composition (B5) at 178 × 254 mm and Master (A4+) at 225 × 315 mm besides the Medium. Rhodia’s French site offers the Webnotebook in both 14 × 21 cm and 14.8 × 21 cm under A5, so check which one a shop sends.

Which should you buy?

Rhodia for fountain pens, Leuchtturm1917 for organized notes, Moleskine for a slim notebook you can buy anywhere. All three sit in our $$$ band ($20–75) in the US.

Where are they made?

Rhodia in France, Moleskine in China and Leuchtturm1917 in Taiwan or Germany, depending on stock. Wonderpens and Office National list the Webnotebook as made in France, though one Swiss listing says Morocco; retailer spec sheets give China for the Moleskine.

Frequently asked questions

Which notebook is best for fountain pens: Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917 or Moleskine?

Rhodia. Its 90 g/m² Clairefontaine paper has the strongest reputation with fountain pen users; Leuchtturm1917's 120G edition is the alternative if you want numbered pages.

Does Moleskine paper bleed with fountain pens?

Often. stefanv.com's paper test found a Moleskine feathered and showed through with every fountain pen ink tried. Gel pens and ballpoints are a better match for its 70 g/m² paper.

Which one is best for bullet journaling?

Leuchtturm1917. Numbered pages, a blank index, two ribbons and a 5 mm dot grid are what the method uses; the Webnotebook's dot grid version works too but has no index or page numbers.

Is Rhodia paper smooth?

Yes. Retailers describe the Webnotebook's 90 g/m² Clairefontaine sheet as brushed vellum. Smooth, well-sized paper keeps ink on the surface, which tends to mean crisp lines but slower drying.

Which is the slimmest to carry?

The Moleskine Classic Large, at 13 × 21 cm (5 × 8.25 in). It's 15 mm narrower than the Leuchtturm1917 Medium, though all three are 210 mm tall.

Are Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917 and Moleskine the same price?

Roughly. All three sit in our $$$ band ($20–75) in the US; Moleskine's Italian shop lists the Large at €24.00 (about US$27) and Leuchtturm1917's German shop the Medium at €24.50 (about US$27).

Sources (7)

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