The Best Open Source iA Writer AlternativesTop Note-taking Tools & Text Editors like iA Writer

The best open source alternative to iA Writer is Joplin. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to iA Writer and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to iA Writer are Zettlr, Simplenote, HelixNotes and ghostwriter.

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Alternatives list

  1. Joplin icon

    Joplin

     944 likes

    Open source app for managing notes and to-dos with Markdown support. Syncs seamlessly across devices using services like Dropbox and OneDrive. Offers end-to-end encrypted synchronicity, offline access, rich import/export options, and a Web Clipper for browsers.

    217 Joplin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Termux
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Joplin screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Joplin vs iA Writer Comments
    diver_down
    Positive
    0

    FOSS and (most importantly!) works on ALL platforms. Ubuntu, Manjaro, iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS... it will sync effortless between them. Oh, and it's also E2EE which is mandatory for good security practices as far as I'm concerned. Thanks L.C. <3

    • Joplin is Freemium and Open SourceiA Writer is Paid and Proprietary
    • Joplin is Minimalistic and DecentralizediA Writer is not according to our users
  2. Zettlr icon

    Zettlr

     266 likes

    Unified writing platform offering note-taking, easy citations with Zotero integration, LaTeX/Word templates, snippets, themes, dark modes, code highlighting, multi-language support, and knowledge management with Zettelkasten for seamless writing from notes to books.

    244 Zettlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    Zettlr Main Window (dark mode)
     
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    1
    Zettlr vs iA Writer Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    iA Writer is for writing longer texts. Zettlr is for note taking.

    • Zettlr is Free and Open SourceiA Writer is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Simplenote icon

    Simplenote

     612 likes

    Cloud-based, open-source note-taking app supporting plain text notes, lists, and ideas with real-time sync, multi-device support, version history, markdown, tagging, collaborative editing, no ads, and free registration required for all cloud features.

    190 Simplenote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Simplenote screenshot 1
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Daino Notes icon
    Daino Notes

    Offers fast, distraction-free note-taking via a high-performance editor with real-time Markdown, local-first storage, image support, Kanban task boards, intuitive drag-and-drop, keyboard shortcuts, configurable themes, fast searc...

    https://www.get-notes.com
    Learn More
  8. ghostwriter icon

    ghostwriter

     115 likes

    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.

    154 ghostwriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    ghostwriter screenshot 1
     
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    1
    ghostwriter vs iA Writer Comments
    NA0341
    Positive
    0

    Fast, lean, open source, many useful features, well integrated with different Markdown parsers - Hemmingway mode. Although for anything beyond just writing I'd suggest something more advanced - like Obsidian.

    • ghostwriter is Free and Open SourceiA Writer is Paid and Proprietary
    • ghostwriter is a Text Editor iA Writer is a Note-taking Tool
  9. FocusWriter icon

    FocusWriter

     214 likes

    Simple but configurable and themeable, distraction-free text editor for writers. Open-source and available across desktop platforms.

    108 FocusWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    FocusWriter screenshot 1
     
  10. MarkText icon

    MarkText

     122 likes

    Open-source Markdown editor on Mac, Windows, and Linux offering real-time preview, clean interface, and various themes. Supports math expressions, exports HTML/PDF, allows image pasting, and more.

    132 MarkText alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    GitHub Flavored Markdown
     
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    1
    MarkText vs iA Writer Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Interface is great, and you can edit the font from the preferences.

    • MarkText is Free and Open SourceiA Writer is Paid and Proprietary
    • MarkText is a Text Editor iA Writer is a Note-taking Tool
  11. QOwnNotes icon

    QOwnNotes

     103 likes

    Plain text notepad with markdown support and todo list manager for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows, that works together with the notes application of ownCloud.

    322 QOwnNotes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Qt
    QOwnNotes main screen
     
  12. Marknote icon

    Marknote

     29 likes

    Marknote lets you create rich text notes and easily organise them into notebooks. You can personalise your notebooks by choosing an icon and accent color for each one, making it easy to distinguish between them and keep your notes at your fingertips.

    132 Marknote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Marknote screenshot 1
     
  13. Ferrite icon

    Ferrite

     14 likes

    Fast, native text editor supporting Markdown, JSON, YAML, and TOML with live preview, syntax highlighting, Mermaid diagrams, CSV/TSV viewing, collapsible trees, Git integration, regex find/replace, customizable themes, zen mode, and multi-language support.

    59 Ferrite alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Ferrite screenshot 1
     
  14. Foam icon

    Foam

     55 likes

    Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.

    268 Foam alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Visual Studio Code
    Foam screenshot 1
     
  15. Dendron icon

    Dendron

     72 likes

    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.

    242 Dendron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
    Dendron screenshot 1
     
12 of 44 iA Writer alternatives