ghostwriter vs Markdown Monster

ghostwriter

• Linux and Windows users who want a free Markdown editor
• Writers who draft first and format later
• Bloggers who need clean HTML from Markdown

Markdown Monster

• Windows users who write documentation or blog posts in Markdown
• Developers who want Git status and commits inside the editor
• Bloggers publishing to WordPress, Medium or Jekyll from Markdown files
• Buyers who prefer a perpetual license to a subscription

ghostwriter

• macOS support is unofficial and community-provided: there is no installer, so the app has to be compiled from source.
• The Windows download is offered only as a portable 64-bit build for Windows 10.
• No mobile or web version is listed.
• Export to other formats relies on processors such as Pandoc or MultiMarkdown.

Markdown Monster

• Windows only: the download page gives Windows 10 or later as the requirement, and no Mac, Linux, mobile or web version is listed.
• A standard license covers one major version. Upgrading to the next costs about half the full price unless the license was bought within a year of its release.
• The AI features need your own API key from an OpenAI-compatible provider; the license includes no AI usage.
• The free evaluation has every feature but shows occasional notices, and the vendor requires a paid license for continued use.

ghostwriter

Live preview

Shows the Markdown document as HTML beside the editor, tuned to stay responsive on large documents. The HTML can be copied into a blog.

Focus Mode

Highlights the text around the cursor and fades the rest. It can be set to highlight the current line, sentence, paragraph or three lines.

Hemingway Mode

Disables the backspace and delete keys so that drafting cannot be interrupted by editing, in the manner of a typewriter.

Outline navigation

A sidebar outline jumps to any section of the document, in the editor and in the live preview, by mouse or with Ctrl+J and the arrow keys.

Document and session statistics

A live word count sits at the bottom of the window, and sidebar tabs show further statistics for the document and the current session.

Export through Markdown processors

Exports to other formats using Pandoc, MultiMarkdown or commonmark, and uses Pandoc to render equations with MathJax.

Markdown Monster

Editor with synced live preview

Syntax-colored Markdown editing beside a collapsible HTML preview that updates and scrolls as you type, with inline spell checking and word counts.

Image, table and code helpers

Paste images from the clipboard, capture and embed screenshots, edit tables in an interactive table editor and insert formatted code snippets.

Export and weblog publishing

Export to PDF or HTML, or publish to a WordPress, MetaWeblog, Jekyll or Medium blog, then edit and republish posts or download existing ones.

Git integration

Shows Git status on files and folders and has a commit dialog for reviewing and committing changes from inside the editor.

AI features with your own key

Chat, image generation, text suggestions, summaries, grammar checking and translation run on your own API key for OpenAI-compatible providers such as OpenAI, Azure, Gemini or Ollama.

.NET addins and command line

A .NET addin model lets extensions hook into the interface, editor, rendering and publishing, and a command line converts Markdown to HTML and PDF.

ghostwriter

• Free$0

  The complete editor at no cost: a portable 64-bit build for Windows 10 and packages for Linux distributions, with source code for other platforms.

Markdown Monster

• Single User$99

  one-time purchase, per user, for version 4

  A perpetual license for one person on any number of machines, with free minor updates and a 60-day money-back guarantee.

• 5 User License$399

  one-time purchase for 5 users

  The same perpetual version 4 license for five users.

• Lifetime License$399

  one-time purchase, per user

  A single-user license that includes every future major-version upgrade at no further cost.

• 10 User License$749

  one-time purchase for 10 users

  The same perpetual version 4 license for ten users.

• 25 User License$1,899

  one-time purchase for 25 users

  The same perpetual version 4 license for twenty-five users.

• Site License$5,999

  one-time purchase, per organization

  Any number of users within a single organization, with a 5-year free upgrade guarantee.

ghostwriter

No public discounts listed.

Markdown Monster

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime single-user license for $399

  The Lifetime License includes all future major-version upgrades for one user, against $99 for a license tied to version 4.

• Other savings

  Upgrade from an earlier version for $49

  Holders of a version 1, 2 or 3 single-user license can move to version 4 for $49. Version 3 licenses bought on or after December 1, 2024 upgrade free.

• Other savings

  Free licenses for Microsoft MVPs and employees

  Microsoft MVPs, ASP.NET Insiders, Microsoft employees and staff of companies that give free tools to the MVP program can apply for a free license.

• Other savings

  Location-adjusted discount on application

  People in countries where the list price is prohibitive can apply for a discounted license, adjusted for their location using the Big Mac Index.