In this post, we’ll look at several free Markdown editors. You can use them to write documentation, code comments, or even personal notes and blog posts. We will look at seven editors and tools that you can consider when choosing a Markdown editor.
Markdown is one of the most popular ways to create content without needing to worry about HTML syntax. Markdown is also extremely useful for writing technical documentation, as well as simple web pages and blogs.
While Markdown has been around since 2004, it’s not an easy format to learn. That’s why there are many Markdown editing applications available, allowing you to edit your documents using either the raw Markdown text format or through a visual interface.
Our core selection framework
You should consider which editor fits your workflow best before making your selection. Each Markdown editor below has different features. For example, if you prefer working offline, some options may be better than others.
When selecting any software or application, you should ask yourself these questions:
What benefits do I get by using this product?
How much does it cost? (Note: Markdown is free, but commercial products exist.)
Is it easy to use? (If not, what can I do?)
Will it work with my host platform? (Windows, Mac, Linux?)
Should I use a dedicated authoring tool? Writers can make good use of Markdown by taking full advantage of the features they offer.
Does this application support development projects? Can it be used to help document tasks?
Are you looking for daily writing objectives? Or is this something that you’d like to accomplish over time?
StackEdit is our first choice
StackEdit is the Markdown editor of choice for writers who want the entire power of Markdown in a powerful online editor, with no need for installation.
StackEdit is based on Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange, both sites where developers can answer programming questions, and it uses a library called PageDown, developed by a Stack Overflow co-founder. StackEdit was originally known as StackEdit, but then was renamed in 2018 to StackEdit.
StackEdit offers several interesting capabilities, including the Scroll Sync feature, which synchronizes the editor and preview scrollbars. This means that you can scroll through your Markdown content while simultaneously viewing the rendered result.
StackEdit supports saving your content to Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, or simply downloading it to your local computer. There is also inline comment functionality, and collaboration features that allow you to have discussions directly within the editor.
It also renders LaTeX mathematical expressions, meaning that equations are nicely formatted rather than just being displayed as text. Emoji markup is also supported.
StackEdit works entirely in the browser, which allows you to take it with you anywhere. It also runs offline, and includes all the functionality you would expect from a desktop application.
MarkText: The right pick for cross-platform users
Cross-platform is an important factor in selecting the right Markdown editor for you. You might be using Windows, macOS, or Linux. MarkText tries to be the ideal solution for everyone.
MarkText is essentially another Markdown editor written in Vue.js, and is expected to include such features as syntax highlighting, code blocks, emphasis, linking, and so on.
Obsidian: Best for note-taking and knowledge bases
Obsidian is perhaps one of the most interesting Markdown editors we’ve looked at, though we’re a little biased here. Obsidian provides a number of unique features that aren’t necessarily tied to Markdown itself.
We’ve covered Obsidian in other articles before, but here we’re simply going to say that Obsidian is free Markdown and note-taking software, and perhaps more importantly, a second brain and a personal knowledge base program.
As a knowledge base, Obsidian lets you link between files, organize information in various graphs, and store everything in plain Markdown. Obsidian seems like an ideal fit for people who are already accustomed to using Markdown, and who are looking for a place to store their own notes and information.
Markdown Monster: Most feature-rich option for Windows users
Markdown Monster is basically the Microsoft Word of Markdown, with all the features you would ever want. But it only works under Windows, as far as I know.
It offers syntax highlighting, collapsible synced live preview, smart UI helpers for images, links, tables, code, and more. It also has a built-in folder browser, and an outline for your documents.
There’s shell integration, too, including Explorer, Terminal, Image Editor, Diff tool, Git client, etc. You can integrate Git repositories into Markdown Monster as well, along with PDF output, and two-way table editor capabilities.
AI image generation is supported as well as screen captures, and there’s even a .NET-based addin model to customize Markdown Monster however you’d like. Markdown Monster can even be used to create, publish, edit, update, and download weblogs as posts.
The CLI is still somewhat limited, offering Markdown to HTML and PDF conversion. Markdown Monster has automation via its local web server.
MD Docs: Viewing multiple HTML previews at once
This portable Markdown editor is free, and works on Macs and PCs. In addition to showing your Markdown source, MD Docs shows several synchronized HTML previews, all at once.
MD Docs appears to be a standalone utility, and is portable; that is, it doesn’t require installation. It also seems like it might work as a plugin, too.
MarkEdit: The minimalist approach
Some of us like minimalism, and want our editor to focus solely on the task of writing. MarkEdit is a very minimalist Markdown editor that omits the preview pane, along with the unnecessary “features” that some editors bring along with them.
MarkEdit is quite capable, but the idea is to keep it as simple as possible, while still providing a robust environment.