Markdown editors

Markdown-focused writing and note apps for macOS. For note-taking apps see also Notes and calendar.

Cogito — native macOS Markdown editor (free beta, requires macOS Tahoe 26+) with wiki links, ![[embeds]], synced source/preview scrolling, Quick Open (⌘P), multi-tab support, and syntax highlighting for 20+ languages; stores plain files on disk with no proprietary database
Tolaria — free, open-source Markdown note app for macOS with block-based editing, wikilinks, built-in Git client, and native Claude Code integration via MCP server; no account required
Clearly — native SwiftUI/AppKit Markdown editor for macOS with GitHub Flavored Markdown preview, Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX math, callouts, footnotes, PDF export, menubar scratchpad, and QuickLook integration; open source and free
Writer — local-first desktop Markdown editor for folders of plain-text notes; built on Tauri v2 + React + CodeMirror + Rust, respects workspace .gitignore, supports multiple windows, tables, and Mermaid diagrams; signed macOS releases, open source

Obsidian — knowledge base and note editor built on a local folder of Markdown files; extensible with a large plugin ecosystem. Popular theme: Minimal by kepano — distraction-free, highly customizable, MIT-licensed, with companion Minimal Theme Settings and Hider plugins for fine-grained control over colors, fonts, and UI
Logseq — privacy-first, open-source knowledge base with outliner-style note-taking, bi-directional links, and local-first Markdown/Org-mode storage

Bear — polished Markdown editor for Mac and iOS with tags and iCloud sync
FSNotes — fast note manager supporting GitHub Flavored Markdown, TextBundle, iCloud sync, [[wikilinks]], Mermaid, MathJax, tags, and optional Git versioning
Nota — pro Markdown notes app for local files; no account or subscription required
Soba Notes — native macOS Markdown notes app for local files
Joplin — open-source note-taking app with end-to-end encryption and sync via Nextcloud, Dropbox, or WebDAV
Notable — Markdown note-taking app with tags, dark theme, and multi-note editing

iA Writer — minimal writing environment with focus mode, syntax highlighting for content style, and export to Word/PDF
Ulysses — full-featured writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone with markup-based editor, built-in grammar and style checker, iCloud sync, writing goals, and direct publishing to WordPress, Ghost, Medium and Micro.blog (subscription)
Typora — WYSIWYG Markdown editor that renders formatting inline rather than showing raw syntax
Byword — lightweight Markdown editor with focus mode, syntax highlighting, and publishing to WordPress and Medium
Paper — minimal macOS Markdown editor with a clean, distraction-free interface

MacDown — free and open-source split-pane Markdown editor with live preview
MarkText — open-source WYSIWYG Markdown editor for Linux, macOS, and Windows

Read-only Markdown apps focused on rendering rather than authoring.

Markdown Preview — native, open-source (MIT) macOS reader for .md files (macOS 15+); document outline sidebar, Quick Look extension for Finder, Spotlight preview, hand-off to external editors (VS Code, Cursor, Zed, Sublime); no account or setup

Mak — in-browser plain-text notepad with Markdown support; no install required

GitJournal — mobile Markdown note app with Git-backed storage; integrates with desktop editors
Visual Studio Code — general code editor with built-in Markdown preview and extensions for enhanced editing

Lessmark — strict Markdown alternative with explicit @quote/@list/@separator directives, no raw HTML/JSX, deterministic parsing; npm + PyPI parsers and a VS Code extension