Zettlr Alternatives

Apps similar to Zettlr include Obsidian, which has a free version. Other options are Joplin, Logseq, Notesnook and AppFlowy. Note-taking Tools like Zettlr are a crowded field, with more than 100 alternatives for Mac, Windows, Linux, the web and iPhone.

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Most Zettlr alternatives are Note-taking Tools, but you can also narrow the list to Text Editors or Todo List Managers. Another popular filter is Open Source.
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Alternatives
Zettlr alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. TypoZen icon
     2 likes

    TypoZen is a Markdown editor and an ePub reader in one quiet window: somewhere to write in the morning and somewhere to read in the evening, without switching apps or going near the internet.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  2. ScribeDog icon
     2 likes

    ScribeDog is a native desktop Markdown editor that renders your writing as a polished, WYSIWYG document — no raw # or * syntax in sight — while keeping every file a plain, portable .md file on disk.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  3. InkyCap icon
     1 like

    InkyCap is a personal knowledge management (PKM) tool that uses Typst markup. It focuses on academics, writers, and anyone wanting both conventional PKM functionality and advanced features for publishing, knowledge discovery, recall, and ideation, as well as agenda-keeping...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  4. Shy Editor icon
     3 likes

    Shy Editor is an online text editor and writing environment that was designed for maximum writer productivity. It is used every day by novelists, non-fiction writers, students, academics, bloggers, content creators, journalists, and more.

    69 Shy Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Good alternative?
     
  5. Howl icon
     6 likes

    Howl is a general purpose editor that aims to be both lightweight and fully customizable. It is built on top of the very fast LuaJIT runtime, and can be extended in either Lua or Moonscript. It has a minimalistic UI driven mainly by the keyboard.

    144 Howl alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
  6. Reflectr icon
     3 likes

    Freely express your thoughts, ideas, and observations without the pressures of social media and sharing. Leverage AI-generated insights, including mood indicators, tags, emojis, comments, daily recaps, and writing tips to reflect, grow and be more productive.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Good alternative?
     
  7. Plainva icon
     1 like

    Plainva is an open-source, local-first editor for plain Markdown vaults. It aims to open existing Obsidian-compatible vaults directly from cloud storage and preserve file ownership.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  8. Govel icon
     3 likes

    Govel is a lightweight novel writing and organizing software designed with the intention to leave your hands where they belong: on the keyboard.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    Good alternative?
     
  9. zk icon
     1 like

    zk is a plain text note-taking assistant meant for use alongside a separate text editor program.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  10. CrabPad icon
     1 like

    CrabPad is a fast, free Markdown editor built with Rust. Local-first, keyboard-driven, with Zen Mode, Command Palette, live preview, and support for KaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, and GFM. Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Ideon icon
     1 like

    Ideon is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to tools like Heptabase and Kosmik, specifically designed for technical projects. It provides an infinite spatial canvas where users can organize information visually rather than in linear documents or folder structures.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    Good alternative?
     
  12. Fountain is inspired by Markdown syntax, intended as a simple markup syntax for writing, editing and sharing screenplays in plain, human-readable text.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • BSD
    • Objective-C
    Good alternative?
     
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