For developers
You already have a code editor that can edit markdown. This is the honest case for a dedicated writing surface alongside it — and an honest account of when you don't need one.
Mac · Windows · Linux · iPhone & iPad · Android · one purchase, every platform · $19.99 one-time
You write a lot of markdown: READMEs, RFCs, design docs, runbooks, ADRs, release notes. You write most of it in your code editor because that is where the files are and where your vim keys work. But your code editor is an IDE — file trees, terminals, lint squiggles, the chrome of building software — and prose written in it tends to read like it. A dedicated markdown editor gives you a focused surface; the problem has always been that the good ones don't speak your keystrokes.
Real vim mode (desktop)
Modal editing in a writing-grade editor, so you don't trade your muscle memory for a calmer surface. It covers the core motions, operators, counts and . repeat on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Files on disk, plain .md
No vault, no database, no proprietary container. Your docs sit in the repo where they belong; Markd.ly just edits them. Git stays the source of truth — Markd.ly never inserts itself between you and your files.
Agents work on the same files
Your docs are plain .md files, so the coding agents you already run can read and edit them with their own file tools, and you open the result in Markd.ly. The stable releases do not include an MCP server.
Command-line converter (Windows, Linux)
--render turns a markdown file into HTML, DOCX, EPUB, slides or LaTeX on the machine, with no window. Scriptable.
DOCX, EPUB, LaTeX and slides export (desktop)
For when a doc has to leave the repo for a non-technical audience, plus HTML and PDF. Nothing to install. Worth knowing: on Mac and Windows those four formats are converted by our conversion service, which keeps nothing; the Linux app converts on your machine.
Native, not Electron — buy once
Fast and light next to your already-heavy toolchain. $19.99 one-time, no subscription on a tool you will use for a decade.
Your code editor is free, already installed, and infinitely extensible — vim, markdown, and export extensions exist and many developers are completely happy with that setup. If your markdown needs are light and your editor's extensions already cover them, you do not need another app, and Markd.ly will not pretend you do. Markd.ly earns its place when you write enough prose that a focused surface matters, want it native and bought once, or want vim, DOCX export and, on Windows and Linux, a command-line converter without assembling an extension stack.
Be clear on the limits too: no folder sync (your repo and git do that job anyway), no plugin marketplace, no MCP server in the stable releases, a Bravely Account sign-in with a check-in at least every 72 hours, and vim mode plus PDF, DOCX, EPUB, LaTeX and slide export are desktop only.
Native on Mac, Windows and Linux. Vim mode, DOCX, EPUB and slides export, and a command-line converter on Windows and Linux. Plain files, git stays the source of truth. One-time $19.99.
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