Best Composer Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from markdown editors ranked against Composer on the same published basis.
- 1Composer vs StackEdit
- 2Composer vs PanWriter
- 3Composer vs HackMD
- 4Composer vs MarkText
- 5Composer vs Ghostwriter
- 6Composer vs Dillinger
- 7Composer vs Muesli
- 8Composer vs Markra
- 10Composer vs MultiMarkdown Composer
- 11Composer vs HedgeDoc
- 12Composer vs Zettlr
- 13Composer vs MacDown
- 14Composer vs MarkdownPad
- 15Composer vs Apostrophe
- 16Composer vs Typora
- 17Composer vs MWeb
- 18Composer vs MDedit
- 19Composer vs Markdown Monster
- 20Composer vs Ramble
- 21Composer vs iA Writer
Composer alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | StackEdit | 9.4 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 2 | PanWriter | 8.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | HackMD | 7.9 | Free plan | $5/mo | Web |
| 4 | MarkText | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Ghostwriter | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Dillinger | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 7 | Muesli | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 8 | Markra | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 10 | MultiMarkdown Composer | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 11 | HedgeDoc | 6.7 | No | — | self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | Zettlr | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 13 | MacDown | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 14 | MarkdownPad | 6.3 | Free plan | $14.95/mo | Windows |
| 15 | Apostrophe | 6.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 16 | Typora | 6.1 | No | $14.99/mo | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| 17 | MWeb | 6.1 | No | $34.99/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 18 | MDedit | 5.9 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 19 | Markdown Monster | 5.8 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | Ramble | 5.8 | No | — | Web |
| 21 | iA Writer | 5.7 | No | — | Mac, Windows, iOS |
Make your app an alternative to Composer
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Composer alternatives
What is the best alternative to Composer?
StackEdit, number 1 in markdown editors with a score of 9.4 out of 10. The others here: PanWriter, HackMD, MarkText and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Composer?
StackEdit is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Is there an open-source alternative to Composer?
Yes: StackEdit, PanWriter.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.