Best MacDown Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from markdown editors ranked against MacDown on the same published basis.
- 1MacDown vs StackEdit
- 2MacDown vs PanWriter
- 3MacDown vs HackMD
- 4MacDown vs MarkText
- 5MacDown vs Ghostwriter
- 6MacDown vs Dillinger
- 7MacDown vs Muesli
- 8MacDown vs Markra
- 9MacDown vs Composer
- 10MacDown vs MultiMarkdown Composer
- 11MacDown vs HedgeDoc
- 12MacDown vs Zettlr
- 14MacDown vs MarkdownPad
- 15MacDown vs Apostrophe
- 16MacDown vs Typora
- 17MacDown vs MWeb
- 18MacDown vs MDedit
- 19MacDown vs Markdown Monster
- 20MacDown vs Ramble
- 21MacDown vs iA Writer
MacDown 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 |
| 9 | Composer | 7.0 | Free plan | $5.99/mo | Web |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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Questions about MacDown alternatives
What is the best alternative to MacDown?
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 MacDown?
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 MacDown?
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.