MarkText vs Typora

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

MarkText

• Free$0

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

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.