Markdown Editor: The Best Choice for Windows Platform
Markdown has become the standard text markup language on the web, but many variations or extensions have emerged as creators are reluctant to use the "Markdown" name. This article will focus on the seven Windows platform Markdown editors, and analyze their advantages and disadvantages and future development trends.
Comparison of seven Windows Markdown editors
This article will compare seven editors, Texts, WriteMonkey, Haroopad, MarkPad, MarkdownPad 2, Typora and Caret. They have their own advantages in function and style, some pay more attention to visual effects, while others provide a purer Markdown experience. Among them, Haroopad, MarkdownPad 2 and MarkPad have uncertainties in their future development due to lack of updates.
Caret is a good choice if you need a cross-platform desktop application; WriteMonkey is the recommended choice if you need a free Windows program. In addition, there are other options like Markdown Plus and Ghostwriter, as well as many desktop applications, online editors, collaboration tools and plug-ins that support Markdown.
(This article was updated in 2017, covering the latest Windows Markdown editor and reviewing the history of some older editors)
Markdown has become a common text markup language in modern CMS, forums and authoring tools. It is cross-platform, easy to understand and collaborate.
Markdown has numerous "styles" (variants or extensions) and has different names because the creators are reluctant to let others use the "Markdown" name. Branches include PHP-Markdown, Pagedown, Parsedown, Pandoc, etc. Large websites often tweak it to add additional customizations, so you will also hear names like "Vim-Flavored-Markdown" and "GitHub-Flavored Markdown". Stack Exchange network uses Markdown called Pagedown, MarkdownSharp is used on the server side, and some PHP-Markdown elements are added.
In this article, I will use "Markdown" or "vanilla Markdown" to refer to the original Markdown specification and use a specific style name when describing the extension functionality.
More Markdown resources:
Grammar style
No one program covers every style and syntax of Markdown, but you can always use the basic Markdown syntax as a starting point. SitePoint itself requires the author to use classic Markdown when submitting the article and link to the website of the main project here to learn it.
CommonMark initiated an initiative to develop official norms. Some editors below support it, and I hope we can get a common standard in the future to avoid so many styles.
The key is to make sure that the editor you choose supports the specific syntax you use most!
Multiple editing styles
These applications differ greatly in appearance and feel. During my testing of these seven tools, it was obvious that no two tools operated the same way, which gave me only some general opinions on which one is best.
In this article, I will not review online editors such as Dillinger, Markable, or StackEdit. I'm here only focusing on the applications you can run on your Windows machine.
I found that the main functional differences between these editors are:
The following is what I think after using each editor for a while (without a specific order).
Texts
Texts is a Windows and Mac editor that looks a bit like Notepad, a Windows editor. It has a clean single-panel interface without real-time preview. There is a simple toolbar that can be turned on or off.
You don't see the original code in Texts because it formats the code in the traditional WYSIWYG style. This is the only editor in this lineup that hides syntax code from you.
Texts are not free. It starts with a trial version, and then costs $19 per team user or single user license. This is a drop from the $30 mentioned in my previous comments.
Texts use Pandoc, which means that Pandoc must be installed to make certain features work properly.
Texts is more suitable for WYSIWYG users who want to export their documents as PDF, Word, HTML5, ePUB, etc. It includes Tex for mathematical formulas, as well as some special handling of temporary hyperlinks, footnotes, and tables. Other advanced features include support for Unicode, OpenType fonts, and presentation mode.
Exporting to PDF also requires XeLaTeX to be installed.
Personally, Texts is not suitable for my preferred writing style and is quirky to me when it comes to handling styles and hiding the original markers I typed.
If you want a normal Windows or Mac application, WYSIWYG writing style and good export options, Texts may be exactly what you need. It also has some interesting features such as the move paragraph, the Paste as option, and the Insert References feature.
WriteMonkey
WriteMonkey focuses on a "simple" and distraction-free UI. There is almost nothing on the interface, it is designed for full screen use. Right-clicking will bring up all extension options for the program, including file and folder views, directories, bookmarks, and more. It is a single panel editor that does not hide the Markdown source code. Minimum syntax highlighting can be enabled if desired; otherwise, you will see plain text.
Supported syntaxes include Markdown Extra, Textile, and WikiCreole.
This editor is best for Markdown experts who don't want or need a WYSIWYG style to get their job done, but they also like to tweak for the perfect editing experience. From precise margins and scaling to typewriter sounds and scrolling effects, anything can be changed. It counts almost everything in the document, even the words you use most.
You can set editing time, character or word count limits so you don't write too much!
Other cool features include text replacement, automatic backup and word search.
WriteMonkey is a free, Windows-only, standalone application that requires Microsoft .NET 4.0. Of course, you can run it from a USB drive, which is the only standalone editor in this lineup.
It also supports extensions as well as many language packs for different translations. The extension is for use only for those who donate to the project, including synonyms and Pomodoro timers.
WriteMonkey is a tinker editor. The plugin engine is JavaScript, and you can even customize the UI itself for theme settings and place your favorite content on the info bar.
You can adjust the left and right margins in the window. As shown in the figure below, I moved the writing area to the left:
The following are pictures of some of the available features in the main right-click menu:
Even if I check my progress, there are many options to play:
If it weren't for my love of adding more to the visual style of Markdown itself, and I'm not too passionate about endless patching and advanced features, WriteMonkey might be my best editor. If you use Windows and want a free standalone application, this is the option for you.
Harooopad
Haroopad runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, focusing on delivering the same experience on each platform. It has a full function and uses split screen, supports multiple languages and color highlighting, Vim key binding, fence code blocks with highlighting, GitHub-style syntax, tables, MultiMarkdown (underline, superscript, subscript), Audio/video embedding, math, and more.
I have to briefly review Haroopad, as it seems to be stagnant. There are not many activities on GitHub over the past 4 years, with more than 180 unresolved issues, and a tweet from the author said they are not sure if any new version will be released.
However, it still has fans who wish this fully functional and well-loved program would be restored to life. I mentioned it in this article for historical reasons, but the app still works if you want to give it a try.
MarkPad
MarkPad is a split-screen editor that does not have many options for other editors here. It looks and feels completely different from a regular Windows application.
No right-click menu or toolbar or assistant. It has few options and configurations. However, it has a feature that directly publishes to certain blogs as well as GitHub.
These styles are not very good for me, and the viewer seems to have errors, and the fonts are not rendered correctly when the window is resized.
The default connection with the blog makes it a unique option where you can click to open a new Jekyll page. Publishing can be done to GitHub, or if your blog supports it, you can use the MetaWeblog API.
According to my last comment, it doesn't seem to have any updates and it's been more than 3 years of submission. I'm worried that it's also a demise project like Haroopad.
This is an open source, Windows-only .NET 4 project using Microsoft WPF technology. It uses vanilla Markdown, with the option to enable some additional enhancements.
MarkdownPad 2
MarkdownPad 2 is one of the earliest desktop applications launched for Windows, and its maturity can be seen. This project looks very reliable and well thought out. There is a free and professional version. You need a professional version to export PDFs and use enhanced Markdown syntax options.
This is one of two editors with tabbed interfaces. The split screen is adjustable, you can change the style as well as use your own CSS stylesheet. It has the most comprehensive toolbar, and the UI is more like standard Windows style, similar to Texts, unlike other editors here.
vanilla Markdown is perfect for my SitePoint post, and the toolbar contains almost everything I need. The editor doesn't hide the code, but it does add some highlighting, which is visually good to know if the image and link are typed correctly.
Pro version costs $14.95 and allows commercial use, automatic saving, and more.
MarkdownPad 2 is another Windows-only option that uses the .NET 4 framework and the Windows Presentation Foundation framework (just like MarkPad). But it does not have the same UI problem.
For my third consecutive comment, I am also worried about the future of MarkdownPad. Two years ago, this was the best editor I chose and I used it for a long time. Sadly, it stagnates! Their last tweet was updated in February 2016, showing hope for new progress, but then it fell silent. The previous tweet before that was December 2014!
It's a very reliable editor, I believe it will still work, but they will ask for payment after a trial, who would want to buy a software that is not maintained?
Typora
A new entry to my list is Typora, a modern and active project that is developing the Markdown edit itself (in my opinion).
Typora is a single-panel editor with visual styles that hides Markdown only after the cursor leaves the text. For example, a link looks like a link, but if you put the cursor on it, the Markdown code is displayed for editing. This is done gracefully, and I've already started to like this approach.
The visual style is similar to the way Texts works, but I prefer the way Typora is. It's not trying to be a pure What-see is WYSIWYG editor. It also offers some good-looking default styles, such as GitHub appearance, nighttime style, and news style.
The project is still in beta (version 0.9.29 as of this writing). The change log does not display the date and uses a fancy version number such as "0.9.9.9.4.2".
Anyway, when I stopped using MarkdownPad 2, Typora became my new editor. During beta, it was totally free and there was no donation button even.
Typora doesn't have a lot of features like WriteMonkey, but you can do some fun things like editing tables easily and beautiful code fence syntax highlighting. There is a document outline for jumping to the title, you can always jump to pure "source mode" to see only the original code, but still keep some syntax highlighting.
Typora runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. As of this writing, they have an account on GitHub for issue tracking, with about 75 unresolved errors. Of course I hope the author continues to develop this project!
Caret
Another new editor called Caret has been released, developed by the same person who wrote Parsedown. It is based on Electron and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux.
There is a free trial version, otherwise the license will cost you $25.
Its feature list is not as good as our gold standard WriteMonkey, but the features it has are very useful. For example, syntax help and autocomplete and lookup. Multi-cursor editing, preface support, page break insertion, file browser, Git support and automatic posting of images to Imgur. Even support for Emoji.
Actually, I'm writing this using Caret and am very happy with it after a few weeks of testing. The single panel style is my favorite, although it also supports dual panels if you like it. The UI style is simple and clear. Syntax highlighting is good, but it doesn't hide the Markdown code like Typora.
Its recent update was just 9 days ago when I typed this article, so the developers are fixing the issue and releasing new features, which is good.
They even have a "Publish" feature that instantly uploads your documents to their cloud and provides a public link that can be shared.
They track issues in their GitHub account, with 46 unresolved errors and 150 total issues.
Other authors and editors of SitePoint use Caret to write the article here.
Summary
My current conclusion is very different from two years ago. Since Haroopad, MarkdownPad 2 and MarkPad all seem to be stalled projects, I have only four other editors left to choose from.
For those looking for a WYSIWYG experience, I will compare Texts to Typora, and since Typora doesn't hide Markdown from me completely, I prefer Typora.
For a purer Markdown experience, I'll compare WriteMonkey to Caret. WriteMonkey's syntax highlighting helps very little, while Caret has more styles.
All of these four editors allow for single-panel experiences (the experience I like), but Caret allows previewing the panels. WriteMonkey has a lot of interesting features and tweaking capabilities. All editors provide me with a fresh and concise editing experience with minimal interference.
If you want a cross-platform desktop application, I recommend using Caret and its Electron. But if you need a free program, then if you can tolerate some paid benefits and just need Windows, WriteMonkey is your choice.
Two other editors I haven't reviewed include Markdown Plus and an open source free option Ghostwriter.
Of course there are more desktop applications that support Markdown, tools or text editor plug-ins or IDEs for Mac or Linux only. There are also online editors and collaboration tools. Feel free to comment on your favorite Markdown editor, no matter its platform!
Windows Markdown Editor FAQs (FAQs)
What are the key features that need attention when selecting Windows Markdown editor? Several key features need to be considered when selecting Windows Markdown editor. First, the editor should have a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for you to write and format text. Second, it should support syntax highlighting, which makes reading and writing code easier. Third, the editor should have a live preview function, allowing you to see what the text looks like after it renders. Other important features include the ability to support exporting to different file formats, integration with version control systems such as Git, and customizing the appearance and behavior of the editor.
Is there a free Markdown editor for Windows? Yes, Windows has several free Markdown editors. Some of the most popular ones include Typora, Markdown Monster, and Visual Studio Code. These editors offer a wide range of features, including syntax highlighting, real-time previewing, and integration with version control systems. However, they may have some limitations compared to paid editors, such as fewer customization options or less frequent updates.
How is the difference between a Markdown editor and a normal text editor? Markdown Editor is a text editor specially designed to handle Markdown syntax. Markdown is a lightweight markup language that you can use to add formatted elements to plain text documents. Unlike normal text editors, Markdown editor provides features such as syntax highlighting and real-time previewing, making it easier to write and format Markdown text.
Can I use the Markdown editor to handle other programming languages? Although the Markdown editor is mainly used to write and format Markdown text, many editors also support other programming languages. For example, the popular Markdown editor Visual Studio Code also supports languages such as JavaScript, Python, and C. However, the level of support for different languages may vary from editor to editor, so be sure to check this before selecting an editor.
Is it possible to customize the appearance of the Markdown editor? Yes, many Markdown editors allow you to customize their appearance. This may include changing the color scheme, font size and line spacing, and enabling or disabling certain features. Some editors also support themes, which can change the overall look and feel of the editor with just one click.
Can I collaborate with others using the Markdown editor? Some Markdown editors support collaboration features such as real-time editing and version control. This is especially useful if you work on a project with your team. However, not all editors offer these features, so be sure to check this before selecting an editor.
How to export my work from Markdown editor? Most Markdown editors allow you to export your works to various file formats such as HTML, PDF, and Word. The exact process varies from editor to editor, but usually involves selecting the Export or Save As option from the file menu.
Does the Markdown editor require any special hardware or software? Markdown editor is usually a lightweight application that does not require any special hardware or software. However, some editors may have specific system requirements, such as specific Windows versions. It is best to check system requirements before downloading and installing the editor.
Can I use the Markdown editor offline? Yes, most Markdown editors can be used offline. This is especially useful if you work in an environment where your internet connection is unreliable. However, some features such as collaboration and version control may require an internet connection.
Is there a mobile version of the Markdown editor? Some Markdown editors have mobile versions that can be used on smartphones or tablets. This is especially useful if you need to work on documents while on the go. However, the functionality and capabilities of the mobile version may vary, so be sure to check this before selecting an editor.
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