iA Writer vs MarkText

iA Writer

• Writers who want a bare Markdown editor with no toolbars
• People who want to see which text they typed and which they pasted from AI
• Buyers who prefer a one-time payment to a subscription

MarkText

• Writers who want Markdown rendered as they type, without a split preview
• People who want one free editor on macOS, Windows and Linux
• Technical notes with math, code blocks and diagrams

iA Writer

• Each platform is a separate purchase: Mac, Windows, and iPhone and iPad are bought individually.
• The Android app was removed from sale in September 2024, and iA says it is not planning a web-based version.
• A one-time payment covers the current version; minor updates are free, but major updates may cost extra.
• The 7-day free trial is offered for Mac and Windows only.

MarkText

• Desktop only: no web, iOS or Android version is offered.
• macOS builds need macOS 11 or later and come as separate Apple Silicon and Intel installers; no universal build is published.
• Windows builds require Windows 10 or 11.
• Export covers PDF and HTML files only.

iA Writer

Focus Mode

Highlights the sentence or paragraph being written and fades the rest of the document, in an interface with no buttons or title bar.

Authorship

Tracks what was typed and what was pasted. Your own words stay black and white, AI text appears in color and other authors in subtle tones.

Style Check

Flags clichés, fillers and clutter and leaves the decision to cut them with the writer. The check runs on the device.

Plain text with Markdown

Documents are plain text formatted with Markdown. A Preview shows the styled result using a template, and links, pictures and tables can be embedded.

Export

Copies a document as HTML or exports it to PDF or Microsoft Word. The iPhone and iPad listing also names WordPress and Medium as export targets.

MarkText

Real-time preview

Markdown is rendered in place as it is typed, in a single pane with no split view. A source code mode shows the raw Markdown when full control is needed.

Extended Markdown

Supports the CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown specs, plus tables, footnotes, KaTeX math, syntax-highlighted code blocks and YAML, TOML or JSON front matter.

Diagrams

Flowcharts and charts written in Mermaid, Vega or Vega-Lite are drawn inside the document.

Themes

Ships with 33 built-in light and dark themes. Each theme is plain CSS, so one can be copied and adjusted or replaced with a custom stylesheet.

Focus and typewriter modes

Focus mode dims everything except the line being written, and typewriter mode keeps that line centered in the window.

PDF and HTML export

Exports a document to PDF or to a self-contained HTML file with the chosen theme applied.

iA Writer

• iPhone & iPad$19.99

  one-time payment, App Store only

  The iPhone and iPad app, sold only through the App Store. Requires iOS 15 or later.

• Windows$29.99

  one-time payment

  Bought directly from iA and usable on more than one Windows PC. Requires Windows 10 or later.

• Mac$49.99

  one-time payment

  Bought directly from iA or on the Mac App Store. Requires macOS 10.15 or later.

MarkText

• Free$0

  The complete editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, with every feature and theme included and no account required.

iA Writer

• Education

  20% educational discount on direct purchases

  iA offers a 20% educational discount on the Mac and Windows versions bought directly from it. App Store copies get education pricing on 20 or more licenses through Apple School Manager.

MarkText

No public discounts listed.