Markdown Editor For Mac

MarkdownNote for Mac is another text editor that is designed to make Markdown text editing easy and convenient for you. Main features include a live previewer that updates as you type, preview and editor size adjustments using shortcuts, and the ability to anchor the preview pane to the bottom of your document. If you want a pure Markdown editor, then I would suggest Mou, however if you want a great overall editor (and much, much more) then go with GNU Emacs For Mac OS X. Another great application is Marked 2. It is a Markdown previewer with many additional features.

This popular article was updated in 2017, covering the newest Markdown editors for Windows and reviewing how some older ones have fared over time.

Markdown has become the standard text markup language on the web. It is commonly used in modern CMSs, forums, and authoring tools. It’s cross-platform, easy to understand, and easy to collaborate on.

There are many “flavors” (variations or extensions) of Markdown, with varying names, due to the creators not wanting anybody to use the “Markdown” name for their projects. Forks include PHP-Markdown, PageDown, Parsedown, and Pandoc, to name a few.

Large websites tend to tweak it with additional customizations, and so you’ll also hear names like “Vim-Flavored-Markdown” and “GitHub-Flavored Markdown”. The Stack Exchange network uses Markdown known as Pagedown, and MarkdownSharp on the server side, with bits of PHP-Markdown thrown in.

In this article, I’ll use “Markdown” or “vanilla Markdown” to refer to the original Markdown spec, and I’ll refer to the names of specific flavors when describing extended features.

Looking for more on Markdown? Check out these great links:

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Syntax Flavors

No single program covers every style and syntax of Markdown, but you’ll always get the basic Markdown syntax as a starting point. SitePoint itself asks authors to use classic Markdown for article submissions and links to the main project’s website here for learning it.

An initiative to make an official specification comes from CommonMark. A couple of the editors below support it, and I have hopes we’ll get a common universal standard some day to avoid having so many flavors.

Github markdown editor for mac

The point is, make sure the editor you choose supports the specific syntax you want to work with most!

Multiple Editing Styles

These apps are quite different from each other in how they look and feel. During my testing of these seven tools, it became clear that no two did things the same way, leaving me with little more than general opinion on which I like best.

In this article, I won’t be reviewing online editors such as Dillinger, Markable or StackEdit. My focus here is just on apps you can run on your Windows machine.

I found these to be the primary feature differences in the editors:

Editor
  • supported syntax and extensions
  • syntax highlighting and/or WYSIWYG features
  • live preview window (split screen)
  • export options
  • syntax helpers, toolbars, shortcut keys, etc.
  • free and/or paid options

In no particular order, here are my opinions after using each editor for some time.

Texts

Texts is a Windows and Mac editor that looks a bit like the Windows editor Notepad. It has a clean, single-pane interface with no live preview. There is one simple toolbar that can be toggled on or off.

You don’t see raw code in Texts, as it formats the code in traditional WYSIWYG style. This is the only editor in this lineup that hides the syntax code from you.

Texts isn’t free. It starts with a trial and then costs $19 for each user in a team or as a single license. This is down from $30 in my previous review.

Texts uses Pandoc, which means Pandoc must be installed for certain features to work.

Texts caters more to WYSIWYG users who want to export their documents into PDF, Word, HTML5, ePUB, etc. It includes Tex for math formulas, and some special handling of ad-hoc hyperlinks, footnotes, and tables. Other advanced features are support for Unicode, OpenType fonts, and presentation mode.

Exporting to PDF also requires an install of XeLaTeX.

Personally, Texts did not fit my preferred writing style and was quirky to me in how it processes styles and hides the raw markup as I type it.

If you want a vanilla Windows or Mac app, a WYSIWYG writing style, and good exporting options, Texts could be just the ticket. It also has some interesting features like shifting paragraphs, “paste-as” options, and an “insert bibliography” feature.

WriteMonkey

WriteMonkey focuses on the “clean” and distraction-free UI. The interface has almost nothing on it, and it’s designed to be used full-screen. A right-click will pull up all the program’s extensive options, including file and folder view, table of contents, bookmarks, and so much more. It’s a single-pane editor that doesn’t hide the Markdown source. Minimal syntax highlighting can be enabled if desired; otherwise you see plain text.

Supported syntax includes Markdown Extra, Textile, and WikiCreole.

This editor is best for Markdown experts who don’t want or need WYSIWYG styles to get work done, but who also like to tinker for the perfect editing experience. Anything from precise margins and zoom to typewriter sounds and scrolling effects can be changed. It counts just about everything in the document, even your top used words.

You can set timers for how long you want to edit, or character or word limits so you don’t write too much!

Other cool features include text replacements, auto-backups, and word lookups.

WriteMonkey is a free, Windows-only, standalone application that requires Microsoft .NET 4.0. You can, of course, run it from a USB drive, and this is the only editor in the lineup which is standalone.

It supports extensions as well as language packs for many different translations. Extensions are only for people who donate to the project and include things like a thesaurus and Pomodoro timer.

WriteMonkey is a tinkerer’s editor. The plugin engine is JavaScript, and you can even customize the UI itself for theming and placing what you like on the info bar.

The left/right margins can be adjusted within the window. As shown in the image below, I shifted the writing area to the left:

Below are pictured some of the available features in the main right-click menu:

Even looking at my progress, there are many options to play with:

WriteMonkey might have been my top editor, if not for the fact that I enjoy having a bit more in the visual styling of the Markdown itself, and I’m not as big into the endless tinkering and advanced features. If you’re on Windows and want a standalone app that’s free, this is for you.

Haroopad

Haroopad runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, with a focus on an identical experience across each platform. It is full-featured, uses split-screens, supports many languages and color highlighting, Vim key-binding, fenced code blocks (with highlighting), GitHub-style syntax, tables, MultiMarkdown (underline, superscript, subscript), audio/video embed, math, and more.

I have to cut my review of Haroopad short because it appears the project is stalled. There hasn’t been much GitHub activity in 4 years, there are over 180 open issues, and a tweet by the author that they are not sure it will get any new releases.

However, it still has fans hoping the full-featured and beloved program will come back to life. I’m leaving a mention in this article for historical reasons, but the app still works if you want to try it out.

MarkPad

MarkPad is a split-screen editor which does not have many of the options of the other editors here. It has quite a different look and feel from normal Windows applications.

There is no right-click menu or toolbar or helpers. It has few options and configurations. However, it has a feature to publish to certain blogs, as well as to GitHub, directly.

The styles were not great for me and the viewer seemed buggy, fonts didn’t render correctly when the window was resized.

The default connections with blogs makes this a unique option, and you can open a new Jekyll page with a click. Publishing can be to GitHub, or using the MetaWeblog API if your blog supports it.

As of my last review, it doesn’t seem there has been any updates, with commits over 3 years old now. I fear it is also a dying project just like Haroopad.

This is an open-source, Windows-only, .NET 4 project using Microsoft WPF technology. It uses vanilla Markdown with an option to enable a few additional enhancements.

MarkdownPad 2

MarkdownPad 2 is one of the earliest desktop applications to come out for Windows, and the maturity shows. This project seems very solid and well thought out. There is a free and pro version. You will need the Pro version for exporting PDFs and use enhanced Markdown syntax options.

This is one of two editors with a tabbed interface. The split-screen is adjustable, and you can change styles as well as use your own CSS stylesheet. It has the most full-featured toolbar, and the UI is a more standard Windows feel, similar to Texts, and unlike the others here.

The vanilla Markdown works perfectly for me for SitePoint articles, and the toolbar has just about everything I need. The editor does not hide codes, but it does add some highlighting which is nice visually to know images and links are typed correctly.

The Pro version costs $14.95 and allows commercial use, auto-save, and more.

MarkdownPad 2 is another Windows-only option using .NET 4 framework and the Windows Presentation Foundation framework (just like MarkPad does). But this one doesn’t suffer from the same UI issues.

For my third review in a row, I also fear for MarkdownPad’s future. This was my choice for the best editor two years ago and I used it for a long time. Sadly, it has also stalled! Their last tweet update was February 2016 that showed promise in new advances but then went silent. The very next tweet before that one is December 2014!

This is a very solid editor and I’m sure it still works fine, but they will want a payment after the trial, and who wants to buy something that is not being worked on?

Typora

A new entry for my list is Typora, a modern and active project that is evolving desktop Markdown editing itself (in my opinion).

Typora is a single-pane editor with visual styling that hides the Markdown only after your cursor leaves the text. For example, a link will look like a link but if you put the cursor on it, the Markdown code appears for editing. This is implemented gracefully, and I’ve come to enjoy this methodology.

The visual styling is similar to how Texts works, except I like Typora’s way much better. It’s not trying to be purely a WYSIWYG. It comes with some nice looking default styles as well, such as a GitHub look, a night style, and a news-ey look.

The project is still in beta (at version 0.9.29 as of this writing). The changelog doesn’t show dates and uses odd versions within it, such as “0.9.9.9.4.2” for example.

Regardless, Typora became my new editor when I stopped using MarkdownPad 2. It is completely free during the beta period without so much as a donation button.

Typora doesn’t have heaps of features like WriteMonkey does, but you can do a few fun things like easy table editing, and nice code fence syntax highlighting. There’s a document outline for jumping to headings, and you can always jump into a pure “source code mode” to see raw codes only, but still with some syntax highlights remaining.

Typora works on Windows, Mac and Linux. They have a GitHub account for issue tracking that has about 75 open bugs as of this writing. I certainly hope the author continues working on this one!

Caret

Another new editor called Caret has entered the fray, developed by the same people who authored Parsedown. It’s based on Electron and works on Mac, Windows and Linux.

There’s a free trial, but otherwise a license will set you back $25.

The feature list comes short of our gold standard WriteMonkey, but the features it does have are quite helpful. Things like syntax help and auto-completion and lookups. Multiple-cursor editing, front matter support, page break inserts, file browser, Git support, and automatic image posting to Imgur. Even Emoji are supported.

I am, in fact, writing this article in Caret and have been really happy with it for weeks now while testing. The single-pane style is my favorite, though it does support dual panes if you prefer. The style of the UI is clean and tidy. The syntax highlighting is nice but it doesn’t hide the Markdown code like Typora does.

Its most recent update was literally 9 days ago as I type this, so it’s nice the developers are fixing issues and getting new features out.

They even have a “publish” feature which will immediately upload your doc into their cloud with a public link that can be shared.

Issues are tracked in their GitHub account with 46 open bugs and 150 total issues.

Other SitePoint authors and editors are known to use Caret for their writing around here.

Conclusion

My conclusion now is much different than it was two years ago. With Haroopad, MarkdownPad 2, and MarkPad appearing to be dead projects, I’m left with the other four editors to choose from.

I would compare Texts against Typora for those looking for a WYSIWYG experience, with my nod to Typora due to not fully hiding the Markdown from me.

I would compare WriteMonkey against Caret for a more raw Markdown experience. WriteMonkey has very minimal syntax highlighting help, while Caret is more styled.

Best Markdown Editor For Mac 2018

All four of these allow for a single-pane experience (my preferred experience), but Caret does allow a preview pane. WriteMonkey has a lot of interesting features and tinkering abilities. All of the editors do a good job giving me a fresh and clean editing experience with minimal distractions.

If you want a cross-platform desktop application, my vote is Caret with its use of Electron. But if you require a free program, WriteMonkey is the way to go if you can live without a few of the paid benefits and only need Windows.

A couple additional editors I didn’t review include Markdown Plus and an open-source, free option Ghostwriter.

There are certainly a lot more desktop apps, or Mac-only or Linux tools or text editor plugins or IDEs that support Markdown. There are online editors and collaboration tools too. Feel free to comment with your favorite Markdown editor, no matter what its platform!

Markdown provides a convenient way to add formatting to a plain text document, while leaving it in plain text. It’s simpler and faster than adding HTML markup, and doesn’t have the lock-in of using something like Microsoft Word.

The syntax was created by John Gruber way back in 2004, and seems to become more widely used every year, especially in blogs and forums. It’s an easy and efficient way to create online content, and has a number of benefits for writers and bloggers.

Because Markdown is just plain text, you can create it with any text editor. That’s part of its appeal. But using an editor designed for writing in Markdown has a lot of advantages, depending on your needs.

Here are some features you might expect to find in a Markdown editor:

  • Syntax highlighting and a preview pane to show you how your final document will look.
  • Familiar keyboard shortcuts, like command-B for bold.
  • Export and conversion features that easily transform your document from Markdown to HTML, PDF, DOCX or a number of other formats. Some Markdown editors can publish directly to WordPress, Medium and more.
  • A distraction-free mode that takes advantage of features like full-screen editing, dark mode and typewriter mode.
  • Features that appeal to writers, including word count, readability scores, and versions.
  • A document library to organize your content and sync between devices. Some editors have an iOS version so you can keep working while you’re on the move.
  • Advanced formatting, including tables and mathematical expressions.

There’s a rich landscape of Mac options, and the best choice for me may not be the best choice for you. Not all Markdown editors will support all of those features, so the trick is to find the editor with the features you need.

So let’s have a good look at the options, then we’ll make some recommendations.

Looking for more on Markdown? Check out these great links:

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1. Use Your Favorite Text Editor

If you already have a favorite Mac text editor, you might prefer to use that for writing Markdown as well. Of course, Markdown is really just text, so any text editor will do. But many text editors have additional support for Markdown, either natively or through an extension or plugin. These may give syntax highlighting, a preview pane and other features.

Here are some examples:

  • BBEdit 11 has a Markdown Extension Package that includes helper commands, transformation commands, paste as Markdown and MultiMarkdown support.
  • Sublime Text 2 can be turned into a full-featured Markdown editor. We show you how here.
  • TextMate 2 has a Markdown bundle that includes features like convert, preview, cheat sheet and “generate output and open in browser”.
  • Chocolat provides Markdown syntax highlighting and preview out of the box.
  • Atom supports Markdown out of the box, with features like syntax highlighting and preview. This functionality can be expanded by several community-generated packages, including Markdown-Writer, Markdown-Scroll-Sync and Markdown-Format.
  • Brackets has a Markdown extension with syntax highlighting and a preview pane.
  • Textastic includes Markdown syntax highlighting and preview out of the box.
  • MacVim has a Vim-Markdown plugin that features syntax highlighting and folding.
  • GNU Emacs has a Markdown Mode for Emacs package that includes shortcut keys and syntax highlighting.

2. Ulysses

  • Cost: Starts at US$4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, or subscribe via SetApp
  • Demo: Yes
  • Other platforms: iOS

The ultimate writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone.

Ulysses is a full-featured Markdown app designed for writers. It’s designed to keep you focused on the writing task at hand, organize all your projects in one place, provide comprehensive writing features in a simple interface, and export your documents beautifully in a number of formats.

Distraction-free features include typewriter mode, dark themes, and full-screen editing. All of your documents can be accessed in a single library, whether they’re contained in Ulysses’ database or in files elsewhere. Filters can be used to create smart folders that update according to the flexible criteria you specify.

Writers will appreciate features like word and character count, writing goals that indicate when you reach the desired word count, notes and attachments for your reference information, and keywords. You can export your documents to a variety of text and rich text formats, HTML, ePub, PDF and DOCX. Or you can publish directly to WordPress or Medium.

My take: I purchased Ulysses on the day it was released, and I’ve been using it ever since. It has become my writing tool of choice. It’s not cheap, but it’s been worth every penny. If you do a lot of writing, professionally or otherwise, take a good look at this app.

3. Quiver

  • Cost: $9.99
  • Demo: Yes
  • Other platforms: iOS (coming)

The programmer’s notebook

Quiver is designed for developers, and can combine text, code, Markdown and LaTeX in a single note. It’s more than just a document editor: it’s a complete reference library for your documentation.

The editor gives you syntax highlighting and a live preview of your rendered Markdown, and offers cloud syncing, team collaboration, version control and backup. Programmers will appreciate code editing and the ability to write scripts to integrate Quiver with your other tools.

The document library can organize your notes by tag or notebook (including shared notebooks), and has instant, full-text search. Images are saved locally with notes, and displayed inline.

My take: Quiver is the ultimate Markdown (and code and LaTeX) editor for devs. Its document library can be synced to your other computers and devices via Dropbox. It’s a geekier alternative to Ulysses, designed with a completely different audience in mind, at an affordable price point.

4. LightPaper

  • Cost: $16.49
  • Demo: 14-day free trial
  • Other platforms: No

Simple, beautiful yet powerful text editor for your Mac

LightPaper is designed for creating documents, articles and blog posts. It’s suitable for writers and bloggers, developers, scholars and students.

This tab-based app features both syntax highlighting and a preview pane. A document pane on the left lists your favorites, folders, scratch notes and shadow notes.

The shadow note feature is very handy: the app will associate a note with a specific app, file, folder or URL, which is entered in a popup window over the other app.

Other features include quick open, math and table support, custom styles, and distraction-free mode.

My take: This is a Ulysses alternative without quite the same range of features. It does some things that Ulysses can’t, including tables and math. While not as expensive, it’s certainly not cheap. If its range of features matches what you need in a Markdown editor, it’s worth considering.

5. MWeb

  • Cost: $14.99
  • Demo: 14-day trial
  • Other platforms: iOS

Pro Markdown writing, note taking and static blog generator app

MWeb is a tab-based Markdown editor for writers and academics. It has a document library, but can also edit external files from anywhere on your Mac. Its clean interface supports advanced syntax, including TOC, tables, code blocks, LaTeX and footnotes.

The app features syntax highlighting, live preview, and drag and drop for adding images. It also includes some nice distraction-free features, including typewriter mode and a dark theme.

Getting your text out of MWeb is easy. It can export to PDF, HTML, RTF, DOCX and image, or publish directly to WordPress, Metaweblog, Blogger, Medium, Tumblr and Evernote. It can even generate a static blog.

My take: With its advanced syntax and export/publishing options, MWeb is excellent for writing technical documentation. The app is attractive, and the document library well designed.

6. Texts

  • Cost: $19
  • Demo: Yes
  • Other platforms: Windows

Rich editor for plain text. Separate content from formatting. Store in Markdown.

Texts is a Markdown-based word processor designed for academics. It focuses on producing well-structured content that can contain formulas, footnotes, bibliography and citations, tables and links. You can create export templates to carefully hone the professionally typeset PDFs the app can produce.

Other features include a visual editor so you don’t have to remember Markdown, blogging on GitHub Pages, and custom themes. Documents can be published as PDF, HTML, DOCX, EPUB and other formats.

My take: If you’re an academic or technical writer, this app is designed for you. Its minimalistic interface is attractive, yet hides a lot of power under the surface. The documents it produces look professional, and are beautifully typeset.

7. Byword

  • Cost: $11.99
  • Demo: No
  • Other platforms: iOS

Markdown app for writing in plain text efficiently.

Byword is a minimalistic app for efficient Markdown writing, striking a good balance between simplicity and functionality. There are just enough features to do the job without becoming a distraction.

The app has subtle syntax highlighting, and you can format with Markdown using keyboard shortcuts and auto-complete. There’s a word count with live update, and a quick preview option.

My take: Byword’s low cost, attractive looks and frictionless interface make it a popular choice. If you’re not in need of a lot of features, and simplicity aids your productivity, this might be the one for you.

8. IA Writer

  • Cost: $9.99
  • Demo: No
  • Other platforms: iOS, Android

iA Writer. Plain. Text. iA Writer is designed to provide the best writing experience on macOS, iOS and Android.

IA Writer is a distraction-free Markdown editor that puts the focus on your content. It’s like Byword, but with a few more features and a little less simplicity.

The app uses a light gray background, monospaced font and blue cursor. In focus mode, surrounding lines of text fade to emphasize the line you’re typing.

Images, tables and content blocks are all supported, all features that Byword lacks. Other features include preview, live sync, a document library, file export (HTML, PDF, DOCX) and custom templates.

My take: Another popular, inexpensive Markdown editor with an emphasis on being distraction free, IA Writer loses some of Byword’s simplicity in order to gain some additional features.

9. Typora

  • Cost: Free (during beta)
  • Demo: n/a
  • Other platforms: Windows, Linux

A truly minimal Markdown editor

Typora is possibly the most minimalistic editor we’re covering. It even removes the Markdown syntax as you type, replacing it with a preview of the formatting. What you see is what you get. It looks cleaner, removes the need for a preview pane, and makes reading easier.

Despite its simplicity, Typora supports images, lists, tables, code fences, math blocks, table of contents and more. Shortcuts do what you expect, and the themes are beautiful and fully configurable by CSS. Geeks will find a lot to love here.

My take: Typora is the new kid on the block. It’s beautiful and full-featured. If you like the idea of not seeing Markdown syntax in your document, this app is your only option we review.

10. Caret

  • Cost: $25
  • Demo: Yes
  • Other platforms: Windows, Linux

Beautiful & clever Markdown editor

Caret is beautiful and distraction-free, but hides lots of power under the hood. It would appeal to writers and devs alike.

The app makes entering complex Markdown simple. Syntax assistance is available for tables, lists, quotes, fences, links and emphasis, and there’s auto-completion for images, keywords and emoji. A file manager is available, and navigation through long documents is made simple with the popup “go to heading” feature.

For the mathematically-minded, LaTeX expressions are supported, and they’re rendered on-screen as soon as the cursor leaves them. For distraction-free writing, dark mode, focus mode and typewriter mode are all supported.

My take: I’ve only recently discovered Caret, and for a minimalistic editor it seems to have a lot of power under the hood. Writing, rather than exporting, is its strength. SitePoint editor Bruno Skvorc is a heavy user of the app, and couldn’t be happier.

11. Focused

  • Cost: $29.99
  • Demo: Yes
  • Other platforms: No

Get Focused, start writing!

Focused is an attractive, minimalistic writing app with an interface designed to keep you writing without distraction.

The app offers an uncluttered interface with few features, a choice of attractive themes, typewriter mode and a choice of eight relaxing soundtracks. Other features include word count, versions, export to HTML and RTF, and customizable typefaces and styles.

My take: If you’re looking for a beautiful, minimalistic app to write in, and value a focused writing experience over a multitude of features, this is worth considering.

12. Bear

  • Cost: Free, Bear Pro subscription $1.49/month
  • Demo: n/a
  • Other platforms: iOS

Bear is a beautiful, flexible writing app for crafting notes and prose

Bear is more than a note taking app: it’s a pleasing writing environment as well. The developers have focused on making the app beautiful to look at and smooth to use. By default it uses non-standard markup, but a Markdown compatibility mode is available.

The app includes a focus mode to keep you writing, and displays images inline. Features for writers include word count and reading times. The app can export your document to Markdown, PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG or RTF. For developers, the app has code blocks that support and highlight over 20 programming languages.

Other features include rich previews, cross-note links, checkboxes, and smart data recognition. Tags are added by using hashtags within the document. Bear Pro subscribers have access to a range of themes and multi-device sync via iCloud.

My take: I discovered Bear while it was still in beta, and started using it immediately. I’m now a Bear Pro subscriber. I love the checkbox feature, the way images are displayed inline, and the way tags are added. These features make it an excellent note taker. I could use the app for writing, but Ulysses has become my tool of choice.

13. Mou

  • Cost: Free (in beta), preorder Mou 1.0 for $15 (50% discount)
  • Demo: n/a
  • Other platforms: No

Markdown editor for developers.

Mou bylines itself as “the missing Markdown editor for web developers”. It’s light and responsive. Be aware that until Mou 1.0 ships, the app only works on versions of macOS up to 10.11; it doesn’t (at the time of writing) support Sierra or High Sierra.

Features include live preview, sync scroll, auto save, incremental search and custom themes. CSS, HTML and PDF export are available. Articles can be directly published to Scriptogr.am or Tumblr with a single command.

My take: The app has always looked promising, and I used it for a while a number of years ago. Lack of support for Sierra is a problem, but watch out for Mou 1.0.

14. MacDown

  • Cost: free (open source)
  • Demo: n/a
  • Other platforms: No

The open source Markdown editor for macOS.

MacDown is heavily inspired by Mou, and was created when Mou development had stalled. Like Mou, it’s designed with web developers in mind.

Features include a configurable syntax highlighting, live preview, TeX-like math syntax, and auto-completion.

Markdown Editor Mac Os

My take: MacDown is a good alternative to Mou, and having an open source (MIT) license, will remain free. If you’re a web developer looking for a lean, fast, configurable editor, this might be the one for you.

15. Haroopad

Cost: Donationware
Demo: n/a
Other platforms: Windows, Linux

The Markdown enabled Next Document Processor

Haroopad is designed for creating web-friendly documents with Markdown. Use it to create professional-looking documents for your blogposts, slides, presentations, reports and email.

The app has some advanced features, including support for LaTeX mathematical expressions, Vim key-bindings and embedding of audio and video. Themes and skins are available, and you can export your document to HTML and PDF, with more formats in the works.

My take: Haroopad is still in beta, and the English documentation is still a little lacking. But the app is flexible and has a ton of features, as well as supporting the major desktop operating systems. And the price is right.

So, What Is the Best Mac Editor for You?

The Mac Markdown ecosystem is rich and varied. With so many apps, which is the right one for you? That depends on your priorities, and what you’ll be using the app for.

Here are some recommendations:

  • If the tool of your trade is a text editor, and you already have a favorite, you can probably use it as an adequate Markdown editor too.
  • If you’re a writer or blogger looking for a full-featured writing environment, then have a serious look at Ulysses. If you find the price a problem, you can use it for less than $10 a month by subscribing to SetApp. Or have a look at MWeb, LightPaper and Bear.
  • If you’re a developer, Quiver is the ultimate notebook for you. Simpler options include Mou and MacDown.
  • If you’re an academic, Texts may be your best option, but also have a look at MWeb.
  • If your preference is for an inexpensive, light-weight app, ByWord and IA Writer are excellent options. If distraction-free features are important, also consider Typora, Caret and Focused.
  • If you don’t spend all of your time on a Mac so need something cross-platform, then check the features of Texts, Typora, Caret and Haroopad, and choose the one that best meets your needs.

Best Markdown Editor For Mac

What’s your favorite Markdown editor?