MarkText vs WriteMonkey (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MarkText grades higher than WriteMonkey: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MarkText grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
WriteMonkey
Minimal plain-text Markdown editor for writers, free to use
Free
Which one is for you
Pick MarkText if
- Fits if you want Markdown formatted in place as you type, on Mac, Windows or Linux
- Works for technical notes with math, code blocks and 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 need Word or ebook files at the end, because export covers PDF and HTML only
- Tight if your Mac is an older one, since the Mac builds need macOS 11, with separate Apple Silicon and Intel installers
- Watch out: Windows builds need Windows 10 or 11, and it connects to no other apps
Pick WriteMonkey if
- Fits if you want a bare screen to type on and a keyboard to drive it
- Works for Markdown writers who don't need page layout
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want formatting or page layout, as it's plain text only
- Not for you if you want an installer and automatic updates, because it's a zip and upgrades are by hand
- Watch out: the latest version 3 release is dated January 2023, so check it's still kept up
- Watch out: old version 2 donor keys don't work in version 3
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMarkTextVery good | 2.8GPAWriteMonkeyGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the MIT License, with no subscription and nothing to buy, where the middle of this category is $8.33 a month. Download it and go; the project asks for optional GitHub sponsorship and that's all. | AFree to download and use on as many machines as you like. A program anyone can download and run. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole editor is free, every feature and all 33 themes, with no account to make. There's no paid tier above it, so nothing is held back. | ANo caps on the free version; donations are optional and only unlock extras. |
| Features | CMarkdown renders in place as you type, with tables, footnotes, KaTeX maths, highlighted code and Mermaid or Vega diagrams, plus focus and typewriter modes. It does that one job fully, but it is a smaller job: the listing says export stops at PDF and HTML, so no Word file and no ebook at the end. | CMarkdown, plugins and an AI helper plugin, but plain text only with no page layout or rich formatting. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, so this rests on day one: it's a download with no account and one pane to type in, nothing to connect or configure. On a Mac you do have to know whether you want the Apple Silicon or the Intel installer. | CNo store rating on record. It's keyboard-driven, so you'll learn the shortcuts. |
| Platforms and integrations | CDesktop only, even if that's Mac, Windows and Linux. No web version, no iPhone, no Android, and the things it talks to are the maths and diagram libraries inside it rather than other apps. | CWindows, Mac and Linux only, with no phone or web version. |
| Best for | free Markdown editing with no split preview | distraction-free plain-text writing on a keyboard |
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: MarkText and WriteMonkey. How we grade
Price against what you get
MarkText has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. WriteMonkey has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
MarkText scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than MarkText for less, and none scores higher than WriteMonkey for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- MarkText is open source, according to its own site.
In commonFree planmacOSWindowsLinuxMarkdown
At a glance
| MarkText | WriteMonkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole application is free and open source under the MIT License, with no account and no subscription. The project asks for optional sponsorship through GitHub Sponsors. | Free to download and use on as many machines as you like; donors get a key for extras. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Jocs and contributors | pomarancha |
| Price read from | marktext.me | writemonkey.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
WriteMonkey
- Version 3 is a zip download that you unzip and run, with no installer, and upgrades are done by hand.
- The site's latest version 3 release is dated January 2023, so check how recently it has been updated.
- Plain text only, with no rich formatting or page layout.
- Old version 2 donor keys are not valid for version 3.
Key features
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.
WriteMonkey
- Minimal interface
- A stripped-down window meant to leave you with the text and a word count, without toolbars.
- Markdown support
- Plain-text writing with Markdown, which the vendor says it supported early among writer-focused editors.
- Keyboard-driven use
- Version 3 is described as keyboard friendly, with commands and shortcuts instead of menus.
- Plugins
- Plugins such as corkboards, a Pomodoro timer and a thesaurus lookup are listed; in version 3 they are bundled with the download.
- AI-helper plugin
- A ChatGPT-based plugin for version 3 is offered as a separate download, per the vendor's July 2023 note.
- Three operating systems
- Version 3 ships as zip downloads for Windows, macOS and Linux that run without an installer.
Plans
MarkText
Free$0
The complete editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, with every feature and theme included and no account required.
WriteMonkey
Free$0
Full download with no limits stated; a donation of any amount is optional.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MarkText or WriteMonkey?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MarkText and WriteMonkey are free to use.
Which has a free plan, MarkText or WriteMonkey?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MarkText and WriteMonkey have a free plan.
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.