All Markdown vs MarkText
MarkText is a free, open-source desktop Markdown editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, built around editing the rendered document directly, with several editing modes and support for maths and diagrams.
| All Markdown | MarkText | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free and open source |
| Installation | None — open a tab | Desktop app for macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Where documents are processed | In the browser tab | On your machine |
| Editing model | Source and preview side by side, or either alone | Edit the rendered document directly, with several modes |
| File system access | Open and download files; no folder access | Full — open a folder, edit and save files in place |
| Maths and diagrams | Not supported | LaTeX and several diagram formats |
| Import and convert | .docx, .html, PDF and pasted rich text convert to Markdown | Export to HTML and PDF; import is Markdown |
| Works on a locked-down or borrowed machine | Yes | Only where you can install software |
The same goal, a different place to live
MarkText is one of the few editors that agrees with this one on nearly everything: Markdown first, no account, no upload, no subscription. It is free, it is open source, and it is genuinely good.
The disagreement is architectural. MarkText is an application you install. All Markdown is a page you open. Everything below follows from that one difference.
Where MarkText is the better choice
- You keep a folder of notes and want them edited in place
- You want to read the source of the software you trust with your writing
- Your documents contain equations or diagrams
- You prefer editing the rendered document to reading raw Markdown
Where this one is
- You cannot install software, or do not want to
- The job is converting a Word or PDF file rather than writing from scratch
- You want several documents open at once, restored when you come back
- You want the same editor on a phone, a tablet and a desk
What MarkText does better
- MarkText is open source and free, which is a rare combination for a desktop editor of its quality. You can read every line of it, build it yourself, and know exactly what it does with your files.
- It edits files in place on your disk, opens a folder as a project, and fits into the directory structure you already keep your notes in — none of which a browser tab can do the same way.
- It renders LaTeX maths, Mermaid, Flowchart, Vega and other diagram formats, and offers typewriter, focus and source modes. On features per pound it is hard to beat, because it costs nothing.
What All Markdown does better
- There is nothing to install, which is the whole difference on a work laptop, a Chromebook, a borrowed machine or a phone. MarkText needs an installer and permission to run it.
- Conversion in both directions is built in — .docx, .html, PDF and pasted rich text become Markdown, and Markdown becomes a real .docx, a PDF or a standalone HTML file, all without leaving the page.
- Several documents open at once in tabs, autosaved to this browser and restored when you come back, with an undo history kept separately for each one.
- It updates when you reload. There is no version to keep current and no release to wait for.
Which to choose
MarkText and All Markdown want the same thing — Markdown, free, and your files staying yours — and they disagree only about where the software should live. If you are on your own machine and you want a folder of notes edited in place, with maths and diagrams, MarkText is excellent and costs nothing. If you cannot install software, if the job is turning a Word file into Markdown rather than writing one, or if you want the same editor on a phone as on a desk, a tab wins by not needing to be installed at all. Neither of us is going to upload your document.
Common questions
- Is there a MarkText alternative that runs in a browser?
- All Markdown is one — free, no account, and it opens in a tab on any machine. It covers writing, previewing, converting and exporting; it does not replicate MarkText's direct editing of the rendered document, its folder-based projects, or its maths and diagram support.
- Do both keep my files private?
- Yes, by different routes. MarkText is software on your machine, so files never move. All Markdown has no server to move them to — the document is parsed, rendered and exported by JavaScript in the tab. Neither asks for an account.
- Which is better for a large collection of notes?
- MarkText, clearly. It opens a folder as a project and edits files in place, which is what a notes collection needs. This editor holds open documents in browser storage and works a document at a time, which suits drafting and converting rather than maintaining an archive.
- Can I open my existing .md files?
- Yes. Drop them anywhere on the editor page or use Open files; your browser reads them locally and nothing is uploaded. Installed as an app, it can also be registered as the handler that opens .md files from your desktop.
- Is All Markdown open source too?
- No, and that is a genuine point for MarkText. What can be verified here instead is behavioural — open your browser's network panel and watch — loading the page fetches its own files and nothing else, and no document you write or open produces a request.
Written from public information about MarkText and from using it. Features change; if something here is out of date, the other project's own documentation is the authority, not this page.