The best writing & notes apps for Mac
Distraction-free editors, notebooks and PDF tools for people who think in text.
Last checked · No paid placements
Our ranking
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$49.99iA WriterEditor's pick
Focused Markdown writing, nothing more.
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SubscriptionUlysses
A complete writing environment for long work.
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Free + ProBear
Beautiful notes, linked and tagged.
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Free + ProDrafts
Where text starts, before it knows where it goes.
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Free + ProCraft
Documents that look designed by default.
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Free + ProTot
Seven dots. Seven notes. That's it.
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Open sourceMarkEdit
TextEdit, if it spoke Markdown.
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Free + ProAgenda
Notes that live on a timeline.
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SubscriptionNotePlan
Tasks, calendar and notes in plain Markdown.
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$59.99Scrivener
The novelist's corkboard, binder and typewriter.
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Free + ProDay One
A private journal for a lifetime of entries.
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SubscriptionPDF Expert
Read, annotate and edit PDFs without a fight.
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Free + ProHighlights
Turn PDF highlights into notes.
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Free + ProCirrus
A Markdown note that pops up over whatever you are doing.
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PaidHushNotes
Floating sticky notes that stay out of screen shares.
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Open sourceTolaria
A knowledge base made of plain Markdown files and Git.
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$29.99Inkstone
A WYSIWYG editor for the Markdown files already on your Mac.
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Free + ProTraverse
An outliner that keeps its work in OPML files.
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Free + ProGlance
A fast Markdown reader with a proper Quick Look.
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FreeClearly
A Markdown editor that opens plain .md files.
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Open sourceMarkdown Preview
Read .md files as formatted documents.
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PaidDraftKey
On-device rewrites and autocomplete in any text field.
Writing & Notes apps side by side
| App | Price | Mac App Store | Homebrew | Open source | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iA Writer | $49.99 | Yes | No | No | – |
| Ulysses | Subscription | Yes | No | No | – |
| Bear | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| Drafts | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| Craft | Free + Pro | Yes | craft | No | – |
| Tot | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| MarkEdit | Open source | No | markedit | MIT | 5.9k |
| Agenda | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| NotePlan | Subscription | Yes | No | No | – |
| Scrivener | $59.99 | Yes | scrivener | No | – |
| Day One | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| PDF Expert | Subscription | Yes | pdf-expert | No | – |
| Highlights | Free + Pro | No | No | No | – |
| Cirrus | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| HushNotes | Paid | No | No | No | – |
| Tolaria | Open source | No | tolaria | AGPL-3.0 | 20k |
| Inkstone | $29.99 | Yes | No | No | – |
| Traverse | Free + Pro | Yes | No | No | – |
| Glance | Free + Pro | No | No | No | – |
| Clearly | Free | Yes | No | No | – |
| Markdown Preview | Open source | No | markdown-preview | MIT | 2.5k |
| DraftKey | Paid | No | No | No | – |
Choosing a writing & notes app
What is the best writing & notes app for Mac?
Our editor's pick is iA Writer (one-time purchase). iA Writer: Focused Markdown writing, nothing more.
Are there free writing & notes apps for Mac?
Yes. 14 of the 22 apps here are free to download: Bear, Drafts, Craft, Tot, MarkEdit, Agenda, Day One, Highlights, Cirrus, Tolaria, Traverse, Glance, Clearly and Markdown Preview.
Which open-source writing & notes apps are there for Mac?
MarkEdit, Tolaria and Markdown Preview are open source, with code on GitHub.
How does MacWorthy pick these apps?
Every app is native to macOS, actively maintained and tried by hand before it is listed. Nobody pays to be included or to be ranked higher. Facts such as price and install commands were last checked on October 19, 2026.
Every writing & notes app we list
iA Writer
Focused Markdown writing, nothing more.
Ulysses
A complete writing environment for long work.
Bear
Beautiful notes, linked and tagged.
Drafts
Where text starts, before it knows where it goes.
Craft
Documents that look designed by default.
Tot
Seven dots. Seven notes. That's it.
MarkEdit
TextEdit, if it spoke Markdown.
Agenda
Notes that live on a timeline.
NotePlan
Tasks, calendar and notes in plain Markdown.
Scrivener
The novelist's corkboard, binder and typewriter.
Day One
A private journal for a lifetime of entries.
PDF Expert
Read, annotate and edit PDFs without a fight.
Highlights
Turn PDF highlights into notes.
Cirrus
A Markdown note that pops up over whatever you are doing.
HushNotes
Floating sticky notes that stay out of screen shares.
Tolaria
A knowledge base made of plain Markdown files and Git.
Inkstone
A WYSIWYG editor for the Markdown files already on your Mac.
Traverse
An outliner that keeps its work in OPML files.
Glance
A fast Markdown reader with a proper Quick Look.
Clearly
A Markdown editor that opens plain .md files.
Markdown Preview
Read .md files as formatted documents.
DraftKey
On-device rewrites and autocomplete in any text field.