Skip to content

Recommended Markdown Editors

Choosing the right editor can greatly enhance your Markdown writing experience. This page recommends various types of Markdown editors to help you find the tool that suits you best.

Professional Markdown Editors

Typora

Truly WYSIWYG Markdown editor

Features:

  • ✅ Real-time rendering, no split preview needed
  • ✅ Elegant user interface
  • ✅ Rich theme support
  • ✅ Math formulas and chart support
  • ✅ Export to multiple formats (PDF, Word, HTML)

Best for:

  • Long-form writing
  • Academic papers
  • Technical documentation
  • Daily notes

Price: Paid software (about $14.99) Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Mark Text

Simple real-time preview editor

Features:

  • ✅ Free and open source
  • ✅ Real-time preview
  • ✅ Focus mode
  • ✅ Supports multiple export formats
  • ✅ Lightweight

Best for:

  • Personal writing
  • Tech blogs
  • README files

Price: Free Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Zettlr

Editor for academic writing

Features:

  • ✅ Optimized for academic writing
  • ✅ Integrated reference management
  • ✅ Zettelkasten method support
  • ✅ Powerful search
  • ✅ Multiple export options

Best for:

  • Academic papers
  • Research notes
  • Reference management

Price: Free Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Code Editors

Visual Studio Code

The most popular editor among developers

Recommended extensions:

  • Markdown All in One - Full-featured Markdown support
  • Markdown Preview Enhanced - Enhanced preview
  • markdownlint - Syntax checking
  • Paste Image - Quick image insertion

Features:

  • ✅ Powerful extension ecosystem
  • ✅ Git integration
  • ✅ Multi-file management
  • ✅ Highly customizable
  • ✅ Smart autocomplete

Sample configuration:

json
{
  "markdown.preview.fontSize": 16,
  "markdown.preview.lineHeight": 1.6,
  "markdown.extension.toc.levels": "2..6",
  "markdown.extension.preview.autoShowPreviewToSide": true
}

Best for:

  • Technical documentation
  • Project README
  • Code comment docs
  • Multi-file projects

Price: Free Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Sublime Text

Lightweight, high-performance editor

Recommended packages:

  • MarkdownEditing - Enhanced Markdown editing
  • Markdown Preview - Preview feature
  • Table Editor - Table editing

Features:

  • ✅ Extremely fast performance
  • ✅ Multi-selection and command palette
  • ✅ Powerful search and replace
  • ✅ Plugin system

Best for:

  • Quick editing
  • Large file handling
  • Batch operations

Price: Paid ($99, free trial available) Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Vim/Neovim

King of command-line editing

Recommended plugins:

  • vim-markdown - Markdown syntax highlighting
  • markdown-preview.nvim - Real-time preview
  • vim-table-mode - Table editing

Features:

  • ✅ Extremely high editing efficiency
  • ✅ Fully keyboard-driven
  • ✅ Highly customizable
  • ✅ Server environment friendly

Best for:

  • Server environment editing
  • Efficient text processing
  • Daily use by programmers

Price: Free Platforms: All platforms

Note-taking Apps

Obsidian

Powerful tool for knowledge management and note-taking

Features:

  • ✅ Bidirectional links
  • ✅ Knowledge graph
  • ✅ Rich plugin ecosystem
  • ✅ Local storage
  • ✅ Powerful search and tagging

Best for:

  • Personal knowledge base
  • Study notes
  • Research material organization
  • Creative writing

Price: Free for personal use, paid for commercial use Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android

Notion

All-in-one workspace

Features:

  • ✅ Combines Markdown and rich text
  • ✅ Database functionality
  • ✅ Team collaboration
  • ✅ Template system
  • ✅ Multimedia support

Best for:

  • Team documentation
  • Project management
  • Personal organization
  • Knowledge base

Price: Free for personal use, paid for teams Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Logseq

Local-first block editor

Features:

  • ✅ Block-level editing
  • ✅ Bidirectional links
  • ✅ Local storage
  • ✅ Privacy protection
  • ✅ Open source and free

Best for:

  • Journaling
  • Mind mapping
  • Knowledge connection

Price: Free Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android

Online Editors

Dillinger

Cloud-based Markdown editor

Features:

  • ✅ No installation required
  • ✅ Cloud storage integration
  • ✅ Real-time preview
  • ✅ Multiple export formats

Link: https://dillinger.io/

StackEdit

Feature-rich online editor

Features:

  • ✅ Offline support
  • ✅ Sync to multiple platforms
  • ✅ Collaborative editing
  • ✅ Extended syntax support

Link: https://stackedit.io/

HackMD

Collaborative writing platform

Features:

  • ✅ Real-time collaboration
  • ✅ Presentation mode
  • ✅ Version history
  • ✅ Permission management

Link: https://hackmd.io/

Mobile Editors

iOS

iA Writer

  • ✅ Focused writing experience
  • ✅ Syntax highlighting
  • ✅ Document sync
  • ✅ Export features

1Blocker

  • ✅ Simple interface
  • ✅ Markdown support
  • ✅ Cloud sync

Android

Markor

  • ✅ Open source and free
  • ✅ Local storage
  • ✅ Syntax highlighting
  • ✅ File management

JotterPad

  • ✅ Cross-platform sync
  • ✅ Multiple format support
  • ✅ Cloud storage integration

Selection Guide

Choose by Use Case

ScenarioRecommended EditorsReason
Academic writingTypora, ZettlrMath formulas, reference management
Technical docsVS CodeVersion control, rich plugins
Personal notesObsidian, NotionKnowledge management, linking
Quick editingSublime TextExcellent performance, fast startup
Team collaborationNotion, HackMDReal-time collaboration, permission management
Mobile writingiA Writer, MarkorMobile optimization, sync

Choose by Technical Level

Beginners:

  • Typora - WYSIWYG, easy to use
  • Notion - User-friendly interface, intuitive features
  • Mark Text - Simple and pure

Intermediate users:

  • VS Code - Powerful, customizable
  • Obsidian - Knowledge management, rich plugins
  • Sublime Text - Efficient editing

Advanced users:

  • Vim/Neovim - Maximum efficiency
  • Zettlr - Specialized for academic writing
  • Custom toolchain

Choose by Budget

Free:

  • VS Code
  • Mark Text
  • Obsidian (personal)
  • Logseq
  • Markor

Paid but worth it:

  • Typora ($14.99)
  • Sublime Text ($99)
  • iA Writer (mobile)

Editor Configuration Tips

VS Code Optimization

json
{
  // Markdown related settings
  "markdown.preview.fontSize": 16,
  "markdown.preview.lineHeight": 1.6,
  "markdown.extension.toc.levels": "2..6",
  
  // Editor settings
  "editor.wordWrap": "on",
  "editor.lineNumbers": "off",
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  
  // Focus mode
  "zenMode.centerLayout": false,
  "zenMode.hideActivityBar": true,
  "zenMode.hideStatusBar": true
}

Typora Custom Theme

css
/* Custom CSS */
#write {
  max-width: 800px;
  margin: 0 auto;
  line-height: 1.6;
  font-size: 16px;
}

h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
  color: #2c3e50;
  margin-top: 2em;
}

blockquote {
  border-left: 4px solid #3498db;
  padding-left: 1em;
  color: #7f8c8d;
}

Auxiliary Tools

Image Processing

  • PicGo - Image upload tool
  • Snipaste - Screenshot tool
  • TinyPNG - Image compression

Table Generation

  • Tables Generator - Online table generator
  • Markdown Tables Generator - Visual table editor

Format Conversion

  • Pandoc - Universal document converter
  • kramdown - Ruby Markdown processor

Next Steps

After choosing the right editor, you can:

Built by www.markdownlang.com