Best Markdown editors for Mac in 2026

The best Markdown editor for Mac depends on whether you write one document at a time or keep a library of linked notes. For single documents, iA Writer and Typora are the focused picks, and for a vault of notes, choose Loam or Obsidian. Loam is our app, so we list it first, and we say where each of the other six is the better choice.

Editor or notebook: what is the difference?

A Markdown editor works on one file at a time: you open a document, write and save. A vault-based notebook opens a whole folder of Markdown files and adds what one file cannot: links between notes, backlinks, search across everything and tasks gathered from every note. Both write plain .md files, so the format stays the same whichever you pick.

How do I choose a Markdown editor for Mac?

Match the tool to the way you write. These questions settle most choices:

• Do you write one long document at a time? Look at iA Writer, Typora or Ulysses.
• Do you keep hundreds of linked notes? Look at a vault app: Loam or Obsidian.
• Do you need Windows or Linux? Typora, Obsidian and Joplin run on both, and iA Writer runs on Windows.
• Do you want to pay once? iA Writer and Typora charge once, and Ulysses is a subscription. Loam, Obsidian and Joplin are free apps.
• Does it read the syntax you use? Check tables, task lists and code blocks before you move a long document.

If you are new to the syntax, the Markdown cheat sheet fits on one page.

1. Loam: a notebook on plain files

Loam is a notebook more than an editor. It opens a folder of Markdown files as a vault, and the editor is one of its plugins. It reads CommonMark with the GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions, which covers headings, lists, tables, task lists and code blocks, and it reads YAML frontmatter.

Best for

Linked notes, tasks and AI agents on a Mac

Notes stored as

Plain .md files in a vault folder you choose

Platforms

macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon

Price model

Free and open source

A Loam note is a plain file like any other. This one has properties between two --- lines at the top and a task line below, and every editor in this list opens it:

---
status: doing
created: 2026-10-28
tags: [project, work]
---

# Plan

- [ ] Ship the beta 📅 2026-11-20 #work ⏫

Around the editor, Loam addsbacklinks and search, tasks that come from checkbox lines in any note, daily notes and collections that show your notes as a table or a kanban board. The limits: it runs on macOS 26 or later with no iPhone or Android app, and it is not a publishing tool. Notes are Markdown files, so you convert them to PDF or Word with the tool you like.

2. Obsidian: a vault with a huge plugin catalog

Obsidian also keeps notes as Markdown files in a vault folder, and it has a very large community plugin catalog. Pick it when you need Windows, Linux, iPhone or Android, or when you rely on a specific plugin that Loam does not have yet.

Best for

A very large plugin catalog on every platform

Notes stored as

Plain Markdown files in a vault folder

Platforms

Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android

Price model

App free, no sign-up; Sync and Publish are paid

Obsidian is a closed source app, and it writes links as wikilinks, while Loam reads standard Markdown links. See Loam vs Obsidian.

3. iA Writer: the calmest writing editor

iA Writer is a focused app for plain text and Markdown. Focus mode highlights the sentence or paragraph you are working on and fades everything else, and you can copy the result as HTML or export it to PDF or Word. It works on files in iCloud Drive or in a folder, and it has no plugin system.

Best for

Long-form writing in a calm editor

Notes stored as

Plain text and Markdown files, in iCloud or a folder

Platforms

Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows

Price model

Paid app, bought once per platform, no subscription

It syncs through iCloud Drive, Dropbox or any folder provider, and it is not built for backlinks or tasks. Both iA Writer and Loam treat Markdown files as the source of truth, so one folder can serve both. See Loam vs iA Writer.

4. Typora: formatted as you type

Typora shows your Markdown formatted as you type, with no separate preview window and no mode switcher. It opens a file or a folder, with a file tree and an outline panel, and themes are configured with CSS. It has no official plugin system.

Best for

Single documents exported to PDF, HTML or Word

Notes stored as

Plain Markdown files, wherever you save them

Platforms

Mac, Windows and Linux

Price model

One-time license, with a 15-day trial

Typora is an editor for single files, so it does not track links between notes or tasks across a folder. Many people keep Typora for writing and Loam for the vault. See Loam vs Typora.

5. Ulysses: long writing projects

Ulysses keeps your text in a library of sheets and groups, with writing goals, a clean editor and export to PDF, Word, ePub and HTML. If you write books, articles or long reports on Apple devices, it is a strong fit.

Best for

Long projects with goals and export

Notes stored as

An app library synced through iCloud; external Markdown folders

Platforms

Mac, iPad and iPhone

Price model

Subscription, with a free trial

External folders let you work on Markdown files, with limits: images, notes and goals are not kept in them. The library is the main way in. See Loam vs Ulysses.

6. Bear: Markdown notes with tags

Bear is a calm Markdown writing app for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Tags organize your notes with little setup, and it has no plugin system. Pick it when you write on iPhone and iPad as much as on your Mac.

Best for

Notes with tags on Apple devices

Notes stored as

Bear's own database, with export options

Platforms

Mac, iPhone and iPad

Price model

Free tier; Pro subscription adds iCloud sync

Bear can export notes as Markdown and other formats, but the app is the way in. Loam can import a Bear library as plain files. See Loam vs Bear.

7. Joplin: open source on every platform

Joplin is open source and offers a Markdown editor or a Rich Text one. It runs on desktop, mobile and the terminal, and it syncs through several services with end-to-end encryption. It has a community catalog of several hundred plugins.

Best for

Open source on every platform, with many sync options

Notes stored as

The app's own storage, as Markdown notes

Platforms

Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a terminal app

Price model

App free; Joplin Cloud is a paid service

Joplin also has a local Data API and a built-in MCP server. The Markdown is yours to export, but the app is the way in. See Loam vs Joplin.

Sources: Obsidian ↗ · Obsidian pricing ↗ · iA Writer ↗ · iA Writer pricing ↗ · Typora ↗ · Ulysses ↗ · Ulysses pricing ↗ · Bear ↗ · Joplin ↗

Do Markdown editors work with AI agents?

Yes, because Markdown is text and agents read and write text well. Any agent with file access can read a folder of .md files, whichever editor you use. What differs is how much the app gives the agent to work with.

• Loam: the loam command runs every action of the app, so Claude Code, Codex and other agents work on the vault like a person does.
• Joplin: a terminal app, a local Data API and a built-in MCP server.
• Obsidian: an official command line interface, and community plugins.
• iA Writer: Apple Shortcuts and URL commands, and no command line.
• Ulysses and Bear: Shortcuts and x-callback-url.
• Typora: it opens files from a shell, and it has no API.

For a worked example with a coding agent, read using Claude Code with your notes.

Do Markdown files lock you in?

No, when the editor keeps plain files. A .md file is text, so any app opens it, and that is why several editors in this list can share one folder. With a library or a database, leaving means exporting, and an export can lose detail on the way.

Check the export before you commit to a library app. Ulysses, Bear and Joplin all export, and external folders in Ulysses work on Markdown files with limits. For the longer argument, read why Markdown is still the right format.

Try Loam next to your editor

Install Loam with one command from the install page, open a folder of Markdown notes as a vault, and keep your current editor for drafting. Loam vs Typora shows how the two split the work, and every comparison says where the other app is the better pick.