Calmly Writer vs Typora

Calmly Writer

• Writers who want a blank page and very few controls
• People who like Markdown but not seeing its syntax
• Buyers who prefer a single payment to a subscription
• Households that mix Windows, Mac and Linux computers

Typora

• People who write Markdown and want to see formatted text as they type
• Technical notes that mix code blocks, math and Mermaid diagrams
• Buyers who prefer a low one-time price to a subscription

Calmly Writer

• The desktop license does not cover Android; the Android app is a separate purchase on Google Play with no trial.
• No iPhone or iPad app is listed.
• Files are local with no cloud service of its own; the site suggests saving into a Dropbox or Google Drive folder to sync.
• The free online version is a limited preview without backups, comments, writing targets or PDF export.

Typora

• Desktop only: downloads are offered for macOS, Windows and Linux, with no mobile or web version listed.
• A license covers one person on up to 3 devices at a time, and no bulk or organization-wide license is offered.
• Under the license agreement, free updates do not include major updates such as a move from 1.x to 2.x.
• Typora is file-based and does not store documents; syncing between devices is left to services such as Dropbox or iCloud.

Calmly Writer

WYSIWYG Markdown

Markdown is rendered as it is typed, so the syntax is never on screen: headings, tables and lists look formatted. Selecting text brings up a toolbar.

Focus mode and full screen

A focus mode and a full-screen mode, each with a keyboard shortcut, strip the window down to the text being written.

Counts and writing targets

Shows word and character counts with custom targets, plus reading time and a table of contents built from the document's headings.

Tabs, autosave and backups

Several documents stay open in tabs. Each is saved automatically and gets its own permanent backups and previous versions.

File formats

Opens and saves HTML, plain text, Markdown and its own .calmly format, imports Word .docx files and exports to .docx and PDF.

Typewriter sounds and themes

Optional typewriter sounds, smart punctuation, a customizable caret and five color themes, with an Open Dyslexic mode and right-to-left support.

Typora

Live preview editing

Formats Markdown in place while typing, with no separate preview window or mode switch, so the document looks the same when writing and when reading.

Tables, code, math and diagrams

Tables resize by dragging, code fences highlight around 100 languages, MathJax handles equations, and flowchart, sequence and Mermaid diagrams are drawn from text.

Image handling

Images are inserted by drag and drop and shown inline, can be resized with an img tag, and on macOS can be uploaded to a cloud server through the iPic service.

File tree and outline panels

A file tree and an article list organize files in any folder, and an outline panel lists a document's headings for jumping to a section.

Import and export

Exports to PDF with bookmarks, and imports or exports other formats including docx, OpenOffice, LaTeX, MediaWiki and Epub.

Focus mode, typewriter mode and themes

Focus mode blurs every line but the current one, typewriter mode keeps the active line in the middle of the window, and themes are configured with CSS.

Calmly Writer

• Calmly Writer Online$0

  A lightweight browser version for quick edits, with no account. It lacks backups, previous versions, writing targets, comments and PDF export.

• Android app$16.99

  one-time purchase on Google Play

  The full app for Android 7.0 or later phones, tablets and Chromebooks. No trial; a 30-day money-back guarantee applies.

• Desktop license$23.90

  one-time purchase

  One license for Windows, Mac and Linux on up to three computers at once, with all future updates and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Typora

• Typora license$14.99

  one-time purchase, per user, before tax

  Activates Typora on up to 3 devices for one person across macOS, Windows and Linux, with no expiry, subscription or renewal fee.