# Zettlr

> Free, open-source Markdown editor for academic writing

Zettlr is a free and open-source Markdown editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, built around academic writing. It connects to reference managers such as Zotero to insert citations, links notes Zettelkasten-style, and exports papers and presentations through Pandoc profiles and templates. Files stay on the user's computer, with no forced cloud sync and no telemetry, and development is funded by donations.

- **Category:** Writing Tools
- **Made by:** Hendrik Erz (since 2017)
- **Website:** https://www.zettlr.com
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Zettlr is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is free and open source, with no paid tier. Development is funded by voluntary donations through Patreon, PayPal, GitHub Sponsors or Ko-fi.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | The full editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, free and open source, with optional donations to support development. |

Read from https://www.zettlr.com/download on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zettlr before buying.

## Key features

- **Citations from a reference manager:** Loads a library from Zotero, JabRef or Juris-M, previews citations in the text and formats them in any of more than 9,000 citation styles.
- **Export profiles with Pandoc:** A profile pairs an export format with a template, so a paper can be exported for a journal or conference in one click. Beamer, reveal.js and PowerPoint slides are supported too.
- **Zettelkasten tools:** Supports note IDs, wiki-style links between notes, related files and a graph view for building a personal knowledge base.
- **Adjustable Markdown rendering:** The editor can show anything from raw Markdown to rich text. LaTeX math and Mermaid charts render inline, and the look can be changed with custom CSS.
- **Spelling, grammar and style checks:** Includes a spellchecker and a Markdown linter, and can connect to LanguageTool for grammar and style checking.
- **Projects, snippets and statistics:** Project support groups the files of a longer work, snippets insert reusable text with variables and tab stops, and writing statistics track progress.

## Good for

- Researchers and students writing papers or theses in Markdown
- Zotero users who want citations inside a plain-text editor
- People who keep a Zettelkasten of linked notes
- Writers who want their files kept on their own computer

## Worth knowing

- Desktop only: downloads are listed for macOS 12 or newer, Windows 10 or newer and Linux, with no mobile or web app.
- It has no cloud service of its own: files stay on the computer, with no built-in cloud synchronization.
- Citations draw on a library kept in an external reference manager such as Zotero, JabRef or Juris-M.
- Grammar and style checking beyond the spellchecker relies on connecting LanguageTool.

## Works with

Zotero, JabRef, Juris-M, LanguageTool, Pandoc

**Tags:** Open source, Markdown, Citations, Linked notes, Local-first, Works offline, Long-form writing

## Alternatives

- [Typora](https://toolgpa.com/tools/typora): Minimal Markdown editor that renders formatting as you type. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/typora-vs-zettlr)
- [Obsidian](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian): Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/obsidian-vs-zettlr)
- [MarkText](https://toolgpa.com/tools/marktext): Free, open-source Markdown editor with in-place live rendering. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/marktext-vs-zettlr)
- [ghostwriter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ghostwriter): Free, open-source Markdown editor from KDE for focused writing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ghostwriter-vs-zettlr)
- [Logseq](https://toolgpa.com/tools/logseq): Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/logseq-vs-zettlr)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://www.zettlr.com/download
- https://www.zettlr.com/
- https://www.zettlr.com/features
- https://www.zettlr.com/about
- https://www.zettlr.com/supporters

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/zettlr
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).