Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MarkNote VS MacDown

Compare MarkNote VS MacDown and see what are their differences

MarkNote logo MarkNote

A simple markdown note management app.

MacDown logo MacDown

MacDown is an open source Markdown editor for OS X, released under the MIT License.
Not present
  • MacDown Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

MarkNote features and specs

  • Open Source
    MarkNote is open-source software, allowing users to inspect, modify, and enhance its source code. This promotes transparency and community involvement in its development.
  • Integration with KDE
    The application is integrated into the KDE ecosystem, making it a seamless choice for users who are already using KDE desktop environments and appreciate consistency in design and functionality.
  • Support for Markdown
    MarkNote supports Markdown, a lightweight markup language that is easy to use and allows users to format their text documents intuitively.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    MarkNote is available on multiple platforms, potentially including Linux, Windows, and Mac, which provides flexibility for users working across different operating systems.

Possible disadvantages of MarkNote

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to more robust note-taking applications, MarkNote might lack some advanced features such as collaboration tools, version control, or extensive integration with other third-party apps.
  • User Interface Simplicity
    While simplicity can be beneficial, the user interface might be too basic for users who prefer a more feature-rich and visually appealing application.
  • Dependent on KDE Environment
    Although it integrates well with KDE, users not familiar with the KDE environment might encounter a learning curve, or it might be less appealing if they use other desktop environments.

MacDown features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    MacDown features a clean and intuitive interface, making it accessible for both novice and experienced users to write and edit Markdown.
  • Live Preview
    It provides a live preview feature that allows users to see the rendered Markdown output alongside the editor, which is useful for immediate visual feedback.
  • Open-Source
    MacDown is an open-source application, allowing users to contribute to its development or customize the tool to fit their specific needs.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
    The application supports a variety of keyboard shortcuts, enhancing productivity and enabling faster Markdown editing.
  • Customizable Themes
    Users can customize the editor's themes and styles, allowing personalization to suit individual preferences or to have a specific aesthetic.

Possible disadvantages of MacDown

  • Mac-Only
    MacDown is only available for macOS, limiting its use to Mac users and excluding those on other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some other Markdown editors, MacDown might lack certain advanced features that power users might expect, such as integrated version control.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues, such as lag or crashes, especially when working with large Markdown files.
  • Slow Development
    The development and update cycle for MacDown can be slow, meaning that bugs and feature requests might take longer to be addressed.
  • Learning Curve for Customization
    While customizable, new users might find the process of tweaking themes and styles to be complex and time-consuming.

Analysis of MacDown

Overall verdict

  • Yes, MacDown is generally considered a good Markdown editor, especially for macOS users who are looking for a straightforward and efficient tool for writing in Markdown.

Why this product is good

  • MacDown is a popular open-source Markdown editor for macOS. It is praised for its simplicity, ease of use, and its ability to render Markdown syntax in real time, which makes it particularly appealing to writers and developers. The editor offers a clean and intuitive interface, customizable themes, and support for various Markdown features. Its open-source nature allows for community-driven improvements and updates, which can enhance its functionality over time.

Recommended for

    MacDown is recommended for writers, bloggers, and developers who frequently work with Markdown and are using macOS. It is ideal for those who appreciate open-source software and want a tool that combines functionality with simplicity.

MarkNote videos

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MacDown videos

BARRAS DE CORTE DA MACDOWN | APRESENTANDO MODs | FS19

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MarkNote and MacDown)
Markdown Editor
14 14%
86% 86
Text Editors
6 6%
94% 94
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Notes
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using MarkNote and MacDown. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MacDown seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MarkNote mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MarkNote yet. Tracking of MarkNote recommendations started around Apr 2024.

MacDown mentions (8)

  • Show HN: NotesHub: cross-platform, Markdown-based note-taking app
    Thank you for crafting and sharing this. Have been looking for a modern MacDown[0] replacement, and this fit the bill nicely. Especially appreciate the reasonable, one-time cost and support for local storage. The "Key Features" section mentions "Export notes to PDF"; please consider adding an "Export notes to HTML" option. Custom theme support for the preview pane via CSS would be helpful too. [0]... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Epub rendering with Pandoc
    I write a LOT of documentation in Markdown for $DAYJOB. I normally use Marked2 (not free, but I paid for my license 7-8 years ago) or MacDown (free) to preview them, and to export them to PDF. Both of these programs are specific to macOS, but a web search for "markdown editor" turns up a few dozen others, for other platforms. Most of these will have an "export to PDF" function built into them. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Good Free Application For Reading `.md` Files On Mac Pro
    MacDown is free, open source and super simple. Has been my go-to Markdown editor for years. Highly recommend. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Is there any beautiful Markdown editor?
    Macdown: https://macdown.uranusjr.com/ And here's a huge list: https://github.com/mundimark/awesome-markdown-editors. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • High probability of conversion issues from PDF to Epub
    So I convert the PDF to Markdown format. Then I use my Markdown editor of choice, Macdown, to clean up the text and then convert the resulting document into the format that I want. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing MarkNote and MacDown, you can also consider the following products

Typora - A minimal Markdown reading & writing app.

Notepad App - A markdown-based notes app for macOS, with simplicity and moderation.

Markdown by DaringFireball - Text-to-HTML conversion tool/syntax for web writers, by John Gruber

Zettlr - Write Markdown documents with a comprehensive GUI and many workflow/time management tools.

Dillinger - joemccann has 95 repositories available. Follow their code on GitHub.

SiYuan - SiYuan is a desktop Markdown Block-Reference and Bidirectional-Link note-taking application. Support fine-grained block-level reference and Markdown WYSIWYG.