StackEdit
Focus: writing and open source. Shares markdown and editor with Dillinger. Same 4.4 rating.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.4Visit
Web App
Dillinger
A free online Markdown editor with a live preview.
Rating
4.4 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Web
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Dillinger?
Dillinger runs in your browser and shows your Markdown rendered side by side as you type, with no signup needed. You can export to HTML or PDF and connect GitHub, Dropbox or Google Drive to open and save files, and the project is open source.
Pros: what Dillinger does well
- Live side-by-side preview
- No account needed
- Exports to HTML and PDF
Cons: where it falls short
- Online only
- Basic compared with full note apps
Who Dillinger is for
Anyone writing README files, docs or posts in Markdown.
Who can skip it
People who prefer a rich-text editor.
Dillinger alternatives
Not sold on Dillinger? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
MarkText
Focus: writing and open source. Shares markdown and editor with Dillinger. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.5 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
HedgeDoc
Focus: collaborative editing, self-hosted and open source. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Rated 4.5 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.5Visit
Rentry
Focus: pastebin, sharing and notes. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Same 4.4 rating.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.4Visit
Obsidian
Focus: local-first, zettelkasten and plugins. Shares markdown with Dillinger. A desktop app, not a web app. Freemium (Dillinger: Free). Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.8 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Desktop AppFree planmacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Bear
Focus: apple, tags and minimal. Shares markdown with Dillinger. An iOS app, not a web app. Freemium (Dillinger: Free). Adds iOS and macOS. Rated 4.6 (Dillinger: 4.4).
iOS AppFree planiOS, macOS
4.6Visit
Free alternatives to Dillinger
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Glyph
Focus: notes, desktop and private. Shares markdown with Dillinger. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds macOS. Rated 4.3 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS
4.3Visit
Memos
Focus: quick notes, self-hosted and journaling. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Rated 4.7 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.7Visit
readme.so
Focus: readme, documentation and developer tools. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Rated 4.6 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit
SilverBullet
Focus: wiki, notes and self-hosted. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Rated 4.6 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit
Alexandrie
Focus: knowledge base, latex and offline-first. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Rated 4.5 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit
Markmap
Focus: mind map, visual notes and open source. Shares markdown with Dillinger. Rated 4.5 (Dillinger: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit
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