# Opal Editor

9 Hacker News commenters recommended Opal Editor and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Free, local-first markdown editor with Git version control and static site publishing, with no backend or sign-up required.

## Why people recommend it

- Local-first, no backend required (3 comments): "feature rich, static publishing, version control, local first, no backend required, free, open and no sign ups" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48186288)) "offline-ready, Git-aware, with complete self-custody and zero backend dependencies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46585024)) "a local first open source free markdown editor with these same principles" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820773))
- Free and open source (2 comments): "feature rich, static publishing, version control, local first, no backend required, free, open and no sign ups" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48186288)) "a local first open source free markdown editor with these same principles" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820773))
- Git-aware version control (2 comments): "feature rich, static publishing, version control, local first, no backend required, free, open and no sign ups" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48186288)) "offline-ready, Git-aware, with complete self-custody and zero backend dependencies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46585024))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [SmallDocs](https://hackerapproved.com/p/smalldocs.md): 21 recommend
- [OpenKnowledge](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openknowledge.md): 20 recommend
- [Typora](https://hackerapproved.com/p/typora.md): 19 recommend
- [Margin Markdown editor](https://hackerapproved.com/p/markdown-editor-for-mac-ios-and-web.md): 15 recommend
- [iA Writer](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ia-writer.md): 14 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Opal Editor", https://hackerapproved.com/p/opal/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).