Desk AlternativesNote-taking Tools and other similar apps like Desk

Desk is described as 'An award-winning & beloved desktop publishing client, exclusively for OS X' and is a Note-taking tool in the news & books category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Desk for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based and iPad apps. The best Desk alternative is Typora. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Dendron or ghostwriter. Other great apps like Desk are Foam, FocusWriter, Nuclino and Bear.

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Desk alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools but may also be Text Editors or Word Processors. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Desk.

Desk

Note-taking Tool
Paid • Proprietary

An award-winning & beloved desktop publishing client, exclusively for OS X.

You are a storyteller, passionate about crafting narratives that capture, express, and delight in what it means to be human.

More about Desk

Desk alternatives page was last updated Sep 16, 2024

Typora
Typora gives you a seamless experience as both a reader and a writer. It removes the preview window, mode switcher, syntax symbols of markdown source code, and all other unnecessary distractions. Instead, it provides a real live preview feature to help you concentrate on the...
159 Typora alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Electron
+4
Top Typora Features
1. Support for MarkDown
2. Live Preview
3. Distraction-free
4. Write files in markdown
5. WYSIWYG Support
6. Save as Markdown
7. Support for Themes
8. Lightweight
9. Support for LaTeX
10. Syntax Highlighting
11. Spell Checking
12. No registration required
Show all NaN Typora features ▾
Typora VS Desk
Is Typora a good alternative to Desk?
- Typora is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Desk.
- Typora is the most popular commercial alternative to Desk.
- Typora is Paid and ProprietaryDesk is also Paid and Proprietary
- Typora is LightweightDesk is not according to our users

Dendron
Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, note-taking tool built on top of VSCode. It supports all the usual features you would expect like tagging, backlinks, a graph view, split panes, and so forth.
187 Dendron alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code
Top Dendron Features
1. Local Storage
2. Support for MarkDown
3. Hierarchical Structure
4. Block reference
5. Graph view
6. VSCode
7. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
8. Privacy focused
9. Backlinks
10. Quick reference lookup
11. Publishing
12. Tagging
Show all NaN Dendron features ▾
Dendron VS Desk
Is Dendron a good alternative to Desk?
- Dendron is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Desk.
- Dendron is Free and Open SourceDesk is Paid and Proprietary
- Dendron is Privacy focusedDesk is not according to our users

ghostwriter
No excuses. No distractions. Just write. ghostwriter is a feature-rich text editor using Markdown syntax which makes it suitable for note-taking, document redaction, simple HTML website creation and much more.
131 ghostwriter alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
- Mac
+1
Top ghostwriter Features
1. Support for MarkDown
2. Dark Mode
3. Simple text editor
4. Lightweight
5. Stay Focused
6. Distraction-free Writing
7. Spell Checking
8. Live Preview
9. Portable
10. Ad-free
11. Works Offline
12. Support for LaTeX
Show all NaN ghostwriter features ▾
ghostwriter VS Desk
Is ghostwriter a good alternative to Desk?

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Typora
Typora gives you a seamless experience as both a reader and a writer. It removes the preview window, mode switcher, syntax symbols of markdown source code, and all other unnecessary distractions. Instead, it provides a real live ...

https://typora.io
Learn More
Foam
Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.
238 Foam alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Self-Hosted
- Visual Studio Code
Foam Features
1. Knowledge base
2. VSCode
3. Knowledge Management
4. Write files in markdown
5. Ad-free
6. Works Offline
7. Support for MarkDown
Show all NaN Foam features ▾
Foam VS Desk
Is Foam a good alternative to Desk?
- Foam is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Desk.
- Foam is Free and Open SourceDesk is Paid and Proprietary

FocusWriter
Simple but configurable and themeable, distraction-free text editor for writers. Open-source and available across desktop platforms.
94 FocusWriter alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Text Editor
- Word Processor
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- PortableApps.com
+7
Top FocusWriter Features
1. Distraction-free Writing
2. Customizable
3. Distraction-free
4. Daily progress tracker
5. Lightweight
6. Fullscreen support
7. Ad-free
8. Works Offline
9. Spell Checking
10. Support for Themes
11. No registration required
12. Portable
Show all NaN FocusWriter features ▾
FocusWriter VS Desk
Is FocusWriter a good alternative to Desk?

Nuclino
Nuclino is a unified workspace where teams can bring all their knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. It’s a modern, simple, and blazingly fast way to collaborate, without the chaos of files and folders, context switching, or silos.
286 Nuclino alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Team Collaboration Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Chrome OS
- iPad
Top Nuclino Features
1. Real time collaboration
2. Mind Map view
3. Lightweight
4. Kanban Board
5. Support for MarkDown
6. WYSIWYG Support
7. Team Collaboration
8. Minimalistic
9. Drag and Drop
10. Wiki-like interface
11. Infinite hierarchical depth
12. Custom fields
Show all NaN Nuclino features ▾
Nuclino VS Desk
Is Nuclino a good alternative to Desk?
- Nuclino is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone & iPad alternative to Desk.
- Nuclino is Freemium and ProprietaryDesk is Paid and Proprietary
- Nuclino is Lightweight and MinimalisticDesk is not according to our users

Bear
Bear is a beautiful and flexible writing app for note-taking and prose, both on the go for iOS devices and for the Mac OS desktop.
218 Bear alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Todo List Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
+5
Top Bear Features
1. Support for MarkDown
2. Cloud Sync
3. Syntax Highlighting
4. Distraction-free Writing
5. Nested tags
6. Ad-free
7. Works Offline
8. Dark Mode
9. Lightweight
10. Web Clipper
11. No registration required
12. WYSIWYG Support
Show all NaN Bear features ▾
Bear VS Desk
Is Bear a good alternative to Desk?

iA Writer
The key to good writing is not that magical glass of Bordeaux, the right kind of tobacco or that groovy background music. The key is focus. What you need to write well is a spartan setting that allows you to fully concentrate on your text and nothing but your text.
112 iA Writer alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
+3
Top iA Writer Features
1. Distraction-free
2. Works Offline
3. Ad-free
4. Support for MarkDown
5. Dark Mode
6. Live Preview
7. No registration required
8. Support for LaTeX
9. Privacy focused
10. Syntax Highlighting
11. Lightweight
12. No Tracking
Show all NaN iA Writer features ▾
iA Writer VS Desk
Is iA Writer a good alternative to Desk?
- iA Writer is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to Desk.
- iA Writer is Paid and ProprietaryDesk is also Paid and Proprietary
- iA Writer is Privacy focused and LightweightDesk is not according to our users

Ulysses
Ulysses is a text editor for creative writers. Used by bloggers, poets, students and published novelists all over the world, it offers an integrated environment to brainstorm, draft, revise and even submit text on a professional level.
103 Ulysses alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Text Editor
- Novel Authoring Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
+5
Ulysses Features
1. Support for MarkDown
2. Export to PDF
3. Distraction-free Writing
4. Export to EPUB
5. Tabbed interface
6. Sync with iCloud
7. Brainstorming
8. Support for styluses
Show all NaN Ulysses features ▾
Ulysses VS Desk
Is Ulysses a good alternative to Desk?

WriteMonkey
Writemonkey is a Windows zenware writing application with an extremely stripped down user interface, leaving you alone with your thoughts and your words.
96 WriteMonkey alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Text Editor
- Word Processor
Platforms
- Windows
+4
WriteMonkey Features
1. Pomodoro Timer
2. Distraction-free
3. Support for MarkDown
4. Portable
5. Customizable
6. Command palette
7. Distraction-free Writing
8. Fullscreen support
Show all NaN WriteMonkey features ▾
WriteMonkey VS Desk
Is WriteMonkey a good alternative to Desk?

Notepack
Privacy oriented, without vendor lock in note organizer, todo list desktop application. Work offline with text, markdown and pdf files.
333 Notepack alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Todo List Manager
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
+2
Notepack Features
1. Note organization
2. Knowledge Management
3. Lightweight
4. Support for MarkDown
5. Ad-free
6. Dark Mode
7. Works Offline
8. No Tracking
9. Privacy focused
10. WebDAV Sync
Show all NaN Notepack features ▾
Notepack VS Desk
Is Notepack a good alternative to Desk?

Fleschkey
Fleschkey is a smart writing assistant that helps improve readability, clarity, and style by analyzing text using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test in real-time.
51 Fleschkey alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Online
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
Top Fleschkey Features
1. Dark Mode
2. Privacy focused
3. Ad-free
4. No Tracking
5. Embedded media
6. Local Storage
7. Rich Text Editor
8. Embedded video
9. Readability
10. Writing assistance
11. Minimalistic
Show all NaN Fleschkey features ▾
Fleschkey VS Desk
Is Fleschkey a good alternative to Desk?
- Fleschkey is the most popular SaaS alternative to Desk.
- Fleschkey is Paid and ProprietaryDesk is also Paid and Proprietary
- Fleschkey is Privacy focusedDesk is not according to our users