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Writing & Markdown

Writing and Markdown
Writing and Markdown

Apps reviewed on AppAddict in this category.

BBEdit

  • Description: Veteran Mac text editor for non-programmers and power users alike; free version available, paid upgrade unlocks advanced features.
  • Price: Freemium

Bean

  • Description: Free, lightweight word processor for macOS (8MB) supporting rich text, tables, and images; author's default for non-Markdown documents.
  • Price: Free

Convert CSV Files to Markdown

  • Description: How-to post on converting CSV data files to Markdown tables for use in notes, blogs, and documentation.
  • Price: Free (tools described)
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — step-by-step CSV-to-Markdown conversion workflow.

Drafts (2024 — 50% off)

  • Description: Universal quick-capture writing app by Agile Tortoise; the author's first automation app for both iOS and Mac.
  • Price: Paid (subscription)

Drafts Wins App of the Year

  • Description: Post celebrating Drafts winning Mac Stories App of the Year 2025 — thirteen years after release; covers why the app remains relevant.
  • Price: Paid (subscription)
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — describes how the author uses Drafts in daily workflows.

FSNotes

  • Description: Free and open-source plain text note editor with Brett Terpstra's classic nvALT two-pane interface; extensive feature set for plain text workflows.
  • Price: Free / Open Source

How to Get a Word Count for Any Folder in Your Obsidian Vault

  • Description: A Python script for counting words across a folder of Markdown files in an Obsidian vault.
  • Price: Free (script)
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — Python script with usage instructions.

iA Writer

  • Description: Markdown/plain text editor designed for focused writing and document creation; stripped-down interface without code/editor features.
  • Price: Paid

Language Tool

  • Description: Grammar and style checker with a solid free tier and a more powerful (expensive) premium version; compared with Grammarly.
  • Price: Freemium

MarsEdit

  • Description: Mac desktop blogging app that makes publishing to WordPress, Ghost, and other platforms easier without a browser.
  • Price: Paid
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — blogging workflow integration details.

MarkEdit

  • Description: Free, open-source Markdown editor for macOS with a clean interface and no bloat.
  • Price: Free / Open Source

My Blogging Workflow

  • Description: Personal workflow post describing tools and process for publishing 16-17 blog posts per week across three blogs.
  • Price: N/A (workflow post)
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — detailed blogging workflow from draft to publish.

My Obsidian Plugin List

  • Description: Curated list of the author's Obsidian plugins with notes on each; for users who want to extend beyond vanilla Obsidian.
  • Price: Free (plugins)
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — explains how each plugin fits into the workflow.

Notenik

  • Description: Free and open-source notes app by developer Herb Bowie; well-designed, Mac-native, and plain-text based.
  • Price: Free / Open Source

Notesnook

  • Description: Fully encrypted, cross-platform notes app with end-to-end encryption; free tier available with strong privacy focus.
  • Price: Freemium

Nominations for Obsidian Gems of the Year 2024

  • Description: List of community-nominated Obsidian plugins and themes for the 2024 Gems of the Year awards.
  • Price: Free (plugins)

Obsidian's Many Uses

  • Description: Roundup of unconventional Obsidian use cases beyond standard note-taking, leveraging its 1,900+ plugin ecosystem.
  • Price: Free / Open Source
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — multiple use case examples.

ProNotes

  • Description: Adds Markdown formatting support and power-user features to Apple Notes without requiring a full migration.
  • Price: Paid

Rocket Typist

  • Description: Deep dive on a text expansion app; covers building reliable snippet workflows with a focus on friction reduction.
  • Price: Paid
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — extensive coverage of building text expansion workflows.

Simplenote

  • Description: Free cross-platform plain text/Markdown notes app by Automattic; reliable for over a decade with no downtime.
  • Price: Free

Text Count

  • Description: App for writers that tracks word count, character count, and reading time for text being written.
  • Price: Paid

Text Shot

  • Description: Creates formatted, shareable image screenshots of text for posting to social media.
  • Price: Paid

Things You Can Do with Obsidian

  • Description: Comprehensive overview of Obsidian use cases from basic notes to database, journal, project manager, and more.
  • Price: Free / Open Source
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — multiple workflow examples.

Tolaria

  • Description: Free and open-source files-first Markdown app for macOS and Linux; designed by Luca Rossi for Git-native workflows and AI agent compatibility.
  • Price: Free / Open Source

Two Apps to Use if You Work in Markdown

  • Description: Reviews two complementary Markdown workflow tools for writers who use Markdown daily.
  • Price: Varies

Typora

  • Description: Long-established Markdown editor that renders as you type with no dual-pane preview; strong with tables and code blocks.
  • Price: Paid

Using Obsidian and Drafts Together

  • Description: Workflow post describing how Drafts and Obsidian complement each other for capture and processing.
  • Price: Paid (Drafts) + Free (Obsidian)
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — specific Drafts-to-Obsidian integration workflows.

Use Obsidian in a Browser from Anywhere

  • Description: How to self-host Obsidian so it's accessible from any browser without installing the desktop app.
  • Price: Free
  • Workflow Tips: Yes — self-hosting setup instructions.

Revisiting Options for Text Expansion

  • Description: Reassessment of text expansion apps including TypeIt4Me, TextExpander, Espanso, and Rocket Typist.
  • Price: Varies

Lots of Choices for Text Expansion

  • Description: Compares multiple text expansion approaches including native macOS, TypeIt4Me, TextExpander, and Keyboard Maestro.
  • Price: Varies

Glide

  • Description: Reading aid for users with ADHD or dyslexia; improves readability through focused line highlighting and visual guides.
  • Price: Paid

Type

  • Description: Menu bar app for capturing time-stamped plain text or Markdown notes quickly without disrupting workflow.
  • Price: Paid

Zavala

  • Description: Free and open-source outliner for Mac, iPhone, and iPad; designed for planning, brainstorming, and writing without heavy academic features.
  • Price: Free / Open Source