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 · one license, both desktops · lifetime $19 launch / $29 retail
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 (Pro)
Modal editing in a writing-grade editor, so you don't trade your muscle memory for a calmer surface.
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.
MCP — agents read and write your markdown
MCP read is Free; MCP write is Pro (Mac). If you run AI coding agents, they can operate on your local markdown through MCP — a genuinely uncommon capability in a consumer editor. MCP write does not run on Windows.
CLI render path (Free, Mac)
Render markdown from the command line — scriptable, CI-friendly.
Pandoc export (Pro)
DOCX/PDF/EPUB/Reveal.js when a doc has to leave the repo for a non-technical audience. Markd.ly uses the pandoc already on your machine (it does not bundle it) — not a problem for most devs, but worth knowing.
Native, not Electron — buy once
Fast and light next to your already-heavy toolchain. $19/$29 lifetime, 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 buy-once, or specifically want MCP/CLI/Pandoc without assembling an extension stack.
Be clear on the limits too: no sync (it is your repo's and git's job anyway), no plugin marketplace, Windows Pro tooling rolling across 1.x (Mac is the deepest build today), and no Pro on mobile.
Native Mac & Windows editor. Vim, MCP, CLI render, Pandoc export. Plain files, git stays the source of truth. Lifetime $19 launch / $29 retail.
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