The best markdown editors, according to hackers
13 markdown editors were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 3 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended markdown editors with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Gives AI agents a format to express themselves
A browser-based, Markdown-first document tool that works offline and suits giving AI agents a format to write in. Critics object to its license and that it is not open source.
Worth paying for
People recommend it as a polished Markdown editor with good image handling, export and themes. The most common caveat is the lack of a good iPhone client.
Favorite app among writers
Writers recommend it as a focused, refined editor with a typewriter-like feel that is bought once rather than through a subscription.
All 13 markdown editors, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SmallDocs | 21 | 3 | 88% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 2 | OpenKnowledge | 20 | 10 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| 3 | Typora | 19 | 6 | 76% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 4 | Margin Markdown editor | 15 | 2 | 88% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | iA Writer | 14 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Tied 5 | Ferrite Markdown editor | 14 | 6 | 70% | 2 | — | — |
| 7 | Kraa | 13 | 11 | 54% | 6 | — | — |
| 8 | Opal Editor | 9 | 5 | 64% | 8 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Zettlr | 8 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Atomic Editor | 8 | 2 | 80% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | MarkEdit | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | markdown-mode for Emacs | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | Ekphos | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same markdown editor in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to markdown editors that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.