Apps similar to Paragraphs include Manuskript, which is free and open source. Other options are ghostwriter, Clearly Markdown, FocusWriter and Bear. You're spoiled for choice with Text Editors like Paragraphs: we list more than 25 alternatives for Mac, Windows, Linux, the web and iPhone.
Open-source software offering a hierarchical outliner, distraction-free editor, character management, plot tools, Snowflake method support, section multi-organization, customizable writing workflows, cross-platform availability, and export to standard formats.
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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.
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Clean, native Markdown editor for macOS with syntax highlighting, real-time GitHub Flavored Markdown and Mermaid diagram preview, KaTeX math support, synchronized side-by-side editing, QuickLook integration, PDF export, format shortcuts, and no subscriptions.
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Simple but configurable and themeable, distraction-free text editor for writers. Open-source and available across desktop platforms.
United States
Flexible note-taking and writing tool featuring advanced markdown with in-line images, cross-note links, live preview, hashtags, Focus Mode, plain text storage, iCloud sync, one-tap formatting, smart data recognition, and multiple export formats for portability.
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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.
A native macOS markdown editor specialized for AI context management. Live editor on the left (codemirror 6), rendered preview on the right (markdown-it + shiki + mermaid). Minimal Chrome, full catppuccin + matcha themes, macOS vibrancy, orange octopus mascot. ~10 MB bundle.
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Full-featured, open-source Markdown editor based on PageDown, the Markdown library used by Stack Overflow and the other Stack Exchange sites.
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Native macOS Markdown reader and editor with Document, Split, and Source views, customizable themes, Finder and Quick Look integration, real-time file monitoring, broad Markdown support, and the ability to review external file changes. Free and MIT licensed.
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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.
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yWriter is a writing tool that uses "scenes" as a unit of text and allows you to associate that text with all manner of story elements (characters, locations, items) as well as place it and rearrange it within the context of chapters.
Australia
Seriphe brings together everything a novelist needs in a single, elegant workspace: writing, character profiles, world-building, timelines, and mind maps. No more juggling five different apps. It’s free to get started, and a one-time purchase is all it takes to unlock all features.
