MacDown vs Typora (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MacDown grades higher than Typora: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MacDown grades higher on the free plan. Typora grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Typora
Minimal Markdown editor that renders formatting as you type
Free trial · from $14.99 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick MacDown if
- Fits if you write Markdown on a Mac and want a preview beside it
- Works for blog or Jekyll writers
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're not on a Mac, as other platforms aren't planned
- Watch out: the latest release is 0.7.3 and the footer says 2014 to 2021, so updates are infrequent
- Watch out: the app is unsigned, and macOS asks you to open it manually the first time
- Too light for long documents, as it's an editor with a preview
Pick Typora if
- Fits if you write Markdown and want to see the finished page as you type
- Works for notes that mix code blocks, math and Mermaid diagrams
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you write on a phone or in a browser, as it's desktop only
- Not for you if you want sync built in, because that's left to Dropbox or iCloud
- Tight if you're buying for a team, since a license covers one person on 3 devices and no bulk license is offered
- Watch out: major updates such as 1.x to 2.x aren't included in the $14.99
- Watch out: there's no free plan, only a 15-day trial and a 30-day refund window
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMacDownGood | 2.6GPATyporaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree under the MIT License, with no account. | A$14.99 once, before tax, for one person on up to 3 devices, with no subscription or renewal fee. That's less than two months of this category's $8.33-a-month middle, paid once and done, and refundable within 30 days. Major updates, 1.x to 2.x, aren't included. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free and open source, with nothing to cap. | CNo free plan. You get a 15-day free trial before a licence is needed, and a purchase can be refunded within 30 days if it isn't for you. |
| Features | CLive preview, syntax highlighting, math, task lists and Jekyll front matter. A Markdown editor and not a full writing suite. | CIt does the Markdown editor's job completely, and that's a smaller job than most of this category: text formats in place with no preview pane, tables resize by dragging, code highlights in about 100 languages, math and Mermaid diagrams come from text, and it exports PDF, docx, LaTeX and Epub. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but it's a Mac app with a preview pane and nothing to set up. macOS asks you to open it manually the first time. | BThere's no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It's a desktop app you install, and there's no mode switch to learn: what you type turns into the finished page. It works on ordinary files in any folder. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, and the FAQ says other platforms are not planned. | CMac, Windows and Linux on one licence, which is still only computers however many of them it is. Desktop only, with no mobile or web version listed, syncing left to Dropbox or iCloud, and iPic on macOS as the single integration. |
| Best for | a Markdown editor for Mac | Markdown that looks finished as you type |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: MacDown and Typora. How we grade
Where they differ
- MacDown is open source, according to its own site.
- Typora can be bought with a one-time purchase.
In commonmacOSMarkdown
At a glance
| MacDown | Typora | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $14.99 one-time, before tax |
| Free plan | MacDown is open source under the MIT License and free to download, with no account. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 15-day free trial before a license is needed. Purchases can be refunded within 30 days. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Tzu-ping Chung | appmakes (Qiyun (Shanghai) Technology Ltd.) |
| Price read from | macdown.uranusjr.com | store.typora.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MacDown
- It runs on macOS only; the FAQ says other platforms are not planned for now.
- The latest release on the site is 0.7.3 and the footer says 2014 to 2021, so updates have been infrequent.
- The app is not signed with an Apple developer certificate, so macOS asks you to open it manually the first time, according to the FAQ.
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.
Key features
MacDown
- Live preview
- Hoedown renders Markdown to HTML as you type, and the rendering options can be changed in Preferences.
- Syntax highlighting
- Fenced code blocks with a language name are highlighted using Prism.
- Math and task lists
- It renders TeX-like math such as $$...$$ blocks and GitHub-style task lists.
- Jekyll front matter
- Jekyll front matter is among the additional rendering tools the features page lists.
- Auto-completion
- The features page describes auto-completion built for the author's own needs, and says it can be turned off.
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.
Plans
MacDown
Free$0
The full Markdown editor for macOS, also installable with Homebrew.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MacDown or Typora?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MacDown is free, and Typora starts at $14.99 one-time, before tax.
Which has a free plan, MacDown or Typora?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MacDown has a free plan. Typora does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do MacDown and Typora run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Typora lists Windows and Linux apps. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.