Markd.ly vs MarkText — honest comparison
Looking for a MarkText alternative? Here is an honest Markd.ly vs MarkText comparison. MarkText is a free, open-source markdown editor with a well-loved inline render. Markd.ly is an actively maintained, signed and notarized native editor with a free tier. The honest story here is maintenance and signing, not a feature war — MarkText's editor is genuinely liked, and being free and open-source is a real advantage we will not wave away.
| At a glance | Markd.ly | MarkText |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free | Free |
| Most popular plan | $19 lifetime (launch) | Free |
| Lifetime license | $19 launch / $29 retail (one-time, Mac + Windows desktop) | Free and open-source (MIT). Latest release v0.17.1, Mar 7 2022 (verified github.com/marktext/marktext, 2026-05-16) |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · iPhone · Android | Mac · Windows · Linux |
Pick MarkText if
- ·Free and open-source. MarkText is genuinely free and its source is open. That is a real advantage and for many people it is the deciding factor — we are not going to minimize it.
- ·Its inline WYSIWYG render. MarkText's seamless in-place rendering is the thing its users praise most. Markd.ly has a preview pane — a side/preview model, not in-place rendering. If that exact feel is what you want, MarkText (or Typora) gives it; Markd.ly does not.
- ·Linux desktop support, which Markd.ly does not have.
- ·If your installed MarkText runs fine on your OS, there is no urgent honest reason to move.
Pick Markd.ly if
- +A maintained, signed, and notarized app with automatic in-app updates. If MarkText's release pace or running an older unsigned build on a current OS is your concern, that is the honest reason to switch.
- +A genuinely free tier (create / edit / save / preview, Mermaid, KaTeX) so the cost gap is smaller than it looks. Pro ($19/$29 one-time, lifetime) is optional, for the deeper tools.
- +Pro power tools MarkText does not have: vim mode, Pandoc export, AES-256-GCM encryption, snippet variables, advanced workspace search, and an MCP server.
- +A native (non-Electron) app. MarkText is Electron-based.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-16. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | Markd.ly | MarkText |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier + one-time $19/$29 Pro | Free, open-source |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Latest public release | Actively shipping | v0.17.1, Mar 7 2022 (github.com/marktext/marktext) |
| Signed / notarized builds | Yes — Apple-notarized | Open-source build; not Apple-notarized |
| Automatic in-app updates | Yes — built-in auto-update | No in-app updater (manual download / package manager) |
| Native (non-Electron) | Yes (native) | No (Electron) |
| Inline WYSIWYG render | Pane live preview only | Yes (in-place, well-loved) |
| File format | Plain .md on disk | Plain .md |
| Vim mode (normal/insert/visual, core motions + operators) | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | No |
| Pandoc export (DOCX/PDF/EPUB/Reveal.js) | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | Limited export |
| Encrypted documents (AES-256-GCM) | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | No |
| Snippet library with variables | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | No |
| Workspace search | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | Basic |
| MCP (AI read/write files) | Read free / write Pro (Mac) | No |
| Mermaid / KaTeX | Free | Yes |
Bottom line
People searching 'MarkText alternative' usually are not unhappy with MarkText's editor — they liked it. They are looking because they want something that is still getting releases, runs cleanly signed on a current OS, and will not strand them. That is the honest reason to consider Markd.ly, and it is the only reason I would push. MarkText is free, open-source, and its inline render is better-loved than Markd.ly's pane preview — those are real things and I am not going to pretend otherwise. Markd.ly's offer is a maintained, signed native editor with a genuinely free tier and an optional one-time Pro that adds vim, Pandoc, and encryption. If 'still maintained' is what you actually want, that is the trade. If free-and-open is non-negotiable, MarkText is still MarkText.
FAQ
Is MarkText still being updated?+
Factually: MarkText's most recent public release is v0.17.1, dated Mar 7 2022 (github.com/marktext/marktext). We state the date and let you decide — no judgment from us.
Is Markd.ly free like MarkText?+
Markd.ly has a complete free tier; Pro is a one-time $19/$29. MarkText is fully free and open-source.
Does Markd.ly have MarkText's inline render?+
No — Markd.ly has pane live preview, not in-place WYSIWYG. If that exact feel is essential, MarkText or Typora deliver it.
Can I open my MarkText files in Markd.ly?+
Yes — they are plain .md files. Nothing to convert.
More Markd.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-16. MarkText pricing source. Subject to change.