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SPECIFICTION
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Zettlr

zettlr.com

Free plan WindowsmacOSLinux
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Spec score 8.3 #41 of 135 in Writing Apps

What it is

Zettlr is a writing workbench for projects that can run from early notes through journal submissions and book manuscripts. It began as a Markdown editor for academic researchers and is also used by students, journalists, authors, and others writing substantial amounts. The app works offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and files stay on the user's computer. It supports standard Markdown and exports to formats supported by Pandoc. Citation manager support includes Zotero, JabRef, and Juris-M, with more than 9,000 citation styles. Note features include IDs, wiki-style internal links, related files, navigation, and graph view. Pandoc-powered profiles can apply templates to papers or prepare presentations for Beamer, reveal.js, or PowerPoint. Zettlr also renders LaTeX equations and Mermaid charts and supports extensive settings and custom CSS. It is free and open source, with no payment required to download. The maker says app data is not collected and update checks can be disabled. Older releases are unsupported; nightly releases may contain many bugs.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Zettlr is a publication workbench for writing projects from initial notes through journal submission or book manuscripts.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Audience
Zettlr began as a Markdown editor built for academic researchers and is also used by students, journalists, authors, and others writing substantial amounts of text.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Supported platforms
Windows,macOS,LinuxRead 20 Sep 2026 · zettlr.com
Free plan
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · zettlr.com
Integrations
The maker identifies LanguageTool integration and reference manager support for Zotero, JabRef, and Juris-M.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Privacy
The maker says app data is not collected, files stay on the user's computer, and update checks can be disabled.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Support
Users can seek community help through the forum and Discord, consult the manual, or report errors on GitHub.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Founded
2017Read 28 Sep 2026 · zettlr.com
Citation managers
Zettlr supports Zotero, JabRef, and Juris-M, and the site says it supports more than 9,000 citation styles.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Customization
The app renders LaTeX equations and Mermaid charts and supports extensive settings and custom CSS.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Formats and export
Zettlr supports standard compatible Markdown and export to formats supported by Pandoc.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Note sharing
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · zettlr.com
Offline access
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · zettlr.com
Publishing workflows
Its Pandoc-powered profile system can export papers with templates and create presentation profiles for Beamer, reveal.js, or PowerPoint.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Release limits
The maker says older releases are unsupported and warns that nightly releases may contain many bugs.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Supported systems
The download page provides installers for Windows 10 or newer, macOS 12 or newer, and Linux distributions and formats including Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/Red Hat, and AppImage.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Website analytics
The maker says its website uses Matomo with anonymization and GDPR-oriented settings, stores the data on a server in Germany, and does not sell it to third parties.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com
Writing and notes
Zettlr supports Zettelkasten workflows with note IDs, wiki-style internal links, related files, navigation, and graph view.Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com

Plans and prices

Free Free Free and open source software · no payment required to download Read 8 Oct 2026 · zettlr.com

Every Zettlr plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Works offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Supports more than 9,000 citation styles.
  • Exports to formats supported by Pandoc.
  • Free and open source.

Limits

  • Older releases are unsupported.
  • Nightly releases may contain many bugs.
  • Download installers require Windows 10 or newer, macOS 12 or newer, or supported Linux distributions.

Who it suits

Zettlr suits researchers and others working on substantial writing projects, including students, journalists, and authors. Its citation support, linked-note tools, and Pandoc profiles may fit academic and publishing workflows.

Verdict

Zettlr combines Markdown writing, linked notes, citation support, and export workflows without a download fee. Readers should distinguish supported releases from nightly builds, which may contain many bugs.

Where Specifiction places it

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