Byword vs Ghostwriter
Byword
bywordapp.com
Ghostwriter
ghostwriter.kde.orgSide by side
| Figure | Byword | Ghostwriter |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Text App | 8.2 (#10) | 8.4 (#6) |
| Spec score · Markdown editors | 7.5 (#24) | 8.4 (#9) |
| Export | Users can preview documents in the app and export to HTML, PDF, or rich text. | The project site lists Pandoc, MultiMarkdown, and commonmark for export to multiple formats. |
| Export formats | HTML,PDF,rich text | HTML,Pandoc,MultiMarkdown,commonmark |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Local file support | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | macos,ios | Windows,Linux,macOS |
Plans
Byword
- MacPrice not published
- iPhone and iPadPrice not published
- Byword for iPhone and iPad$5.99, paid once
- Byword for Mac$10.99, paid once
In their own words
Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter is a free Markdown text editor for distraction-free writing, available on Linux and Windows, with unofficial community-provided macOS support. It stores documents as local files and previews Markdown as HTML, which can be copied or exported. GitHub-flavored Markdown is supported, and export options include HTML, Pandoc, MultiMarkdown, and commonmark. Focus Mode highlights a selected area around the cursor, such as a line, sentence, paragraph, or three lines. Full-screen mode and Hemingway Mode provide other writing setups; Hemingway Mode disables backspace and delete. The editor includes light and dark themes, with options to create custom themes. Writers also get live word counts, document and session statistics, a document outline, autosave, and file backups. Linux installation instructions cover Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch Linux. The Windows download page lists a portable 64-bit version for Windows 10. On macOS, users must compile the source because an installer is not available. Ghostwriter is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 3.0.