MDedit vs Zettlr
MDedit
github.com
Zettlr
zettlr.comSide by side
| Figure | MDedit | Zettlr |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Markdown editors | 8.5 (#8) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Integrations | The README describes local Markdown-file handling and desktop image and attachment imports; it does not list third-party service integrations. | The maker identifies LanguageTool integration and reference manager support for Zotero, JabRef, and Juris-M. |
| Platforms | The download list provides Windows x64, macOS Apple silicon, and Ubuntu/Debian x64 builds; the repository also includes browser/PWA files. | Windows,macOS,Linux |
| Privacy | The project says MDedit has no account, telemetry, document upload, or server-side rendering, and that documents remain local. | The maker says app data is not collected, files stay on the user's computer, and update checks can be disabled. |
| Purpose | MDedit is a Markdown editor built with Tauri that combines source editing, live preview, native file handling, and offline exports. | Zettlr is a publication workbench for writing projects from initial notes through journal submission or book manuscripts. |
| Support | The project welcomes issues and pull requests on its GitHub repository. | Users can seek community help through the forum and Discord, consult the manual, or report errors on GitHub. |
Plans
In their own words
MDedit
MDedit is a free, MIT-licensed Markdown editor built with Tauri for Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. It combines source editing, live preview, native local-file handling, and offline export. A tabbed workspace keeps synchronized Edit, Split, and Preview modes, with independent editing state for each document. Markdown support includes GitHub-flavored syntax, task lists, tables, footnotes, callouts, and syntax highlighting, plus Mermaid diagrams and KaTeX mathematics. Per-document find and replace offers match-case, whole-word, and regular-expression options; formatting shortcuts and automatic list continuation are also included. MDedit exports HTML, PNG, PDF, CSV, and SVG. The project says it uses no account, telemetry, document upload, or server-side rendering, and keeps documents local. Desktop recovery snapshots can restore tabs, content, and workspace state after an unexpected shutdown. Desktop attachments are limited to 20 MiB each. Browser sessions cannot resolve Markdown files on disk. Desktop downloads are listed for Windows x64, macOS Apple silicon, and Ubuntu/Debian x64, but builds are unsigned and may trigger an operating-system warning. The free plan costs nothing.
Zettlr
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.