I write in markdown constantly. Feature specs, blog posts, documentation, notes. It all ends up as markdown. But I don’t want to stare at raw **bold** and [links](url) all day. I want to see actual bold text and clickable links while I type, and get clean markdown out the other end.
That’s what a markdown WYSIWYG editor does. You write visually, it stores markdown. Best of both worlds, unless the editor is bad, in which case you get the worst of both worlds: janky formatting and broken markdown output.
I’ve used a lot of these. Here’s what actually works in 2026.
What makes a good markdown WYSIWYG editor
Before the list, here’s what I look for. Not every editor needs all of these, but the good ones nail at least three or four:
- Real WYSIWYG. Headings look like headings, bold looks bold, tables render as tables. Actual inline rendering, not a side-by-side preview.
- Clean markdown output. When you export or copy, you get standard markdown. No proprietary formatting, no weird artifacts.
- Speed. It should feel instant. If there’s lag between typing and rendering, I’m out.
- Tables. The #1 thing that separates a markdown editor from a text area. If I can’t create and edit tables visually, I’ll go somewhere else.
- Low friction. Ideally I open it and start typing. No 10-step onboarding, no mandatory account creation.
The quick comparison
If you just want the lay of the land:
| Editor | Price | True WYSIWYG | Browser | Mobile | AI / MCP | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD Edit | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Built in (MCP) | Email sharing |
| Typora | $14.99 once | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Obsidian | Free (Sync $4/mo) | Close (Live Preview) | No | Yes | Plugins | No |
| StackEdit | Free | No (split pane) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Dillinger | Free | No (split pane) | Yes | No | No | No |
| HackMD | Free tier | No (split pane) | Yes | Yes | No | Real-time |
| Mark Text | Free | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Zettlr | Free | Partial | No | No | No | No |
Details on each one below, including what they’re genuinely good at.
The best markdown WYSIWYG editors, compared
MD Edit
Free, browser-based, no signup required. md-edit.com
This is the one I built, so take that into account. But I built it specifically because nothing else did what I needed: a fast markdown WYSIWYG editor in the browser that doesn’t require an account, keeps my documents private by default, and works with AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT.
You open the site and start typing. That’s it. No signup wall, no “choose a workspace” step. It renders markdown visually: headings, bold, italics, code blocks, tables, checklists, all inline. You can toggle to raw markdown view anytime if you want to see exactly what’s underneath.
Documents are stored locally in your browser by default. Nothing leaves your device unless you turn on cloud sync (Supabase or Google Drive). There’s also an MCP connector (Model Context Protocol) so Claude can read and write your documents directly, which is useful if you do a lot of AI-assisted writing. It is magical to ask Claude to “update doc XYZ in MD Edit” and then watch the change appear instantly in the WYSIWYG view. I have been using it for months, and it still feels really neat. I wrote up how I use Claude and MD Edit together every day if you want the full workflow.
One thing worth mentioning: early users who sign up right now get Founding User status, meaning full Pro features (cloud sync, version history, unlimited folders, AI read+write access) free, forever. It’s not a trial. Once you’re a founding user, you keep everything permanently, even after paid plans launch. I’m doing this because the product is new and the first people who show up and use it are the ones who’ll shape what it becomes.
Best for: People who want a free markdown editor online that just works immediately. Especially good if you work with AI tools and want your documents accessible to Claude.
Limitations: No real-time multiplayer editing (sharing is per-document, view or edit, via email invite). It’s a young product, so the feature set is focused rather than sprawling.
Typora
Paid ($14.99 one-time), desktop app. Mac, Windows, Linux.
Typora was one of the first editors to do markdown WYSIWYG really well, and it’s still one of the best desktop options. You type markdown and it renders inline immediately. No split pane, no preview panel. The experience is smooth and the app is fast.
The theme system is nice. You can make it look however you want with CSS. File management is basic. You point it at a folder and it shows you the files. It handles images well, with configurable upload/copy behavior.
Best for: People who want a polished desktop markdown editor and don’t mind paying once. Great for long-form writing.
Limitations: No browser version, no cloud sync built in (you’d use Dropbox/iCloud/etc.), no collaboration. The $14.99 price is fair but it did ruffle feathers when it went from free beta to paid.
Obsidian
Free, desktop + mobile, including commercial use. Optional Sync ($4/mo) and Publish ($8/mo).
Obsidian is more of a knowledge management tool than a pure markdown editor, but its editing experience has gotten genuinely good. The “Live Preview” mode is a real WYSIWYG markdown editing experience. Not as clean as Typora’s, but solid. The power is in the linking, graph view, and plugin ecosystem.
The pricing changed for the better a while back: the app is now free for commercial use too, with the business license optional. You only pay if you want their sync or publishing services.
Best for: Power users who want a linked knowledge base with markdown at the core. The community and plugin ecosystem is massive.
Limitations: Steep learning curve, can feel heavy for simple tasks. The WYSIWYG mode is good but not the primary focus. It still feels like a plain-text editor at heart. Sync costs extra.
StackEdit
Free, browser-based. stackedit.io
StackEdit has been around forever and it’s a solid free markdown editor online. It uses a split-pane approach, with markdown on the left and a live preview on the right. Not true WYSIWYG, but the preview is good and updates in real-time.
It syncs with Google Drive, Dropbox, and GitHub, which is genuinely useful. The editor supports LaTeX math, UML diagrams, and other extensions that most editors skip. If you write technical documentation with equations, StackEdit handles that well.
Best for: Technical writers who need math/diagram support and want something free in the browser. The Google Drive sync is handy.
Limitations: It’s a split-pane editor, not true WYSIWYG. The interface hasn’t been updated in a while and feels dated. Can be slow with very large documents.
Dillinger
Free and open source, browser-based. dillinger.io
Dillinger is one of the oldest online markdown editors and still one of the simplest. Split-pane view, markdown on the left, live preview on the right, and export to HTML, styled HTML, PDF, or plain markdown. It connects to Dropbox, GitHub, Google Drive, and OneDrive for opening and saving files.
It hasn’t changed much in years, which is either reassuring or a warning sign depending on what you want. Documents live in your browser’s local storage, and there’s no editor-native sync or organization to speak of.
Best for: Quick one-off markdown editing or format conversion in the browser with zero setup.
Limitations: Split-pane only, no true WYSIWYG, dated interface, minimal ongoing development. No mobile experience worth mentioning.
HackMD / CodiMD
Free tier available, browser-based. hackmd.io
HackMD is the collaborative option. Think Google Docs but for markdown. Multiple people can edit the same document in real-time, with a split-pane markdown editor. The collaboration works well. Cursor positions, live updates, the whole thing.
The editing experience is split-pane (markdown left, preview right), with a “book mode” that’s closer to WYSIWYG. It’s geared toward teams and has workspaces, permissions, and publishing features. If you need real-time markdown collaboration, this is probably your best option.
Best for: Teams that need to collaborate on markdown documents in real-time. Good for meeting notes, shared docs, runbooks.
Limitations: Not a true WYSIWYG experience. The free tier is limited. It’s a SaaS product, so your documents live on their servers.
Mark Text
Free and open source, desktop app. Mac, Windows, Linux.
Mark Text is the open-source alternative to Typora. It does real WYSIWYG markdown editing (inline rendering, no split pane) and it’s completely free. The experience is surprisingly good for an open-source project. It handles most markdown features well, including tables, math, and diagrams.
Development has slowed down significantly though. The last major release was a while ago, and there are open issues piling up. It works, but I’d be cautious about depending on it for critical workflows.
Best for: People who want Typora-style WYSIWYG but free and open source.
Limitations: Development has stalled. Some rough edges, like occasional rendering glitches and limited plugin/extension support. No mobile or web version.
Zettlr
Free and open source, desktop app. Mac, Windows, Linux.
Zettlr is aimed at academics and researchers. It supports citations (BibTeX), footnotes, and can export to PDF, DOCX, and other formats via Pandoc. The editor has a WYSIWYG-ish mode that renders some markdown inline, though it’s not as complete as Typora or Mark Text.
If you’re writing academic papers in markdown and need citation management, Zettlr is purpose-built for that. For general markdown editing, it’s heavier than you need.
Best for: Academics who write papers in markdown and need citation/bibliography support.
Limitations: Niche use case. The WYSIWYG mode is partial. Some elements render inline, others don’t. Heavier than necessary for non-academic writing.
Which one should you pick?
Honest routing, based on what you actually need:
- You collaborate on documents in real time: HackMD. Nothing else on this list comes close for multiplayer editing.
- You want a polished desktop app and don’t mind paying once: Typora. Still the gold standard for offline WYSIWYG.
- You’re building a linked knowledge base: Obsidian. It’s really a different category of tool, and it’s excellent at what it does.
- You write academic papers with citations: Zettlr.
- You need LaTeX math or UML diagrams in the browser: StackEdit.
- You want open source on the desktop: Mark Text, with the caveat that development has stalled.
- You need a quick one-off edit or conversion in the browser: Dillinger.
- You write with AI tools and want true WYSIWYG in the browser, private, no signup: MD Edit. That’s the gap I built it for.
The markdown editor that works with your AI
Most of these editors were built before AI changed how we write. They’re fine tools for typing markdown by hand, but that’s not how most people work anymore. You’re pasting output from Claude, iterating on specs with ChatGPT, drafting docs on your phone and picking them up on your desktop.
MD Edit was built for that workflow. True WYSIWYG, runs anywhere with a browser, syncs across devices, and connects directly to Claude over MCP so your AI can read and write your documents without copy-paste. Draft a doc with the Claude iOS app on your phone, open it at your desk on md-edit.com, or have Claude Code read the same document while you build. Early users who sign up now get full Pro features as founding users, free forever.