UnmarkedOur pick
Pick Unmarked for a native Mac editor that's ready for your Markdown files. Its Read view, table grid, slides and Word export take one document from the first edit to the version you hand over. Lettera makes sense if a folder workspace with tabs and wiki links is why you want an editor, and you already have a place in its beta.
| Question | Unmarked | Lettera beta |
|---|---|---|
| Can you get it? | Yes. Released, and free from the App Store or by direct download | Closed TestFlight beta that isn't taking new testers. Free during the beta, with no price or release date announced |
| Files | One document per window, opened from Finder and saved in place | A single file, or a folder workspace with a sidebar, tabs and wiki links |
| Reading | A separate Read mode that shows only the finished document | One live view where you write and preview |
| Math | The LaTeX stays visible while you write. Read, slides and PDF show the typeset equation, and Word export writes an editable one | MathJax shows typeset equations right in the editor |
| Tables | A grid. Select any range of cells to clear or replace it. Move, duplicate and align rows and columns | Tables render inside the live editor |
| After writing | Present as full-screen slides. Export to Word, PDF or self-contained HTML | Export to PDF, PNG, ePub and more. Copy as RTF, Markdown or HTML |
Writing in one view, reading in another
Lettera and Unmarked agree on writing. Both format Markdown while you work and keep the marks in the background until you edit them. Lettera keeps writing and preview together in that one live view.
Unmarked gives the finished document a mode of its own. ⌘E swaps the editor for Read, where a click on a link follows it and a ticked task saves straight to the file. Images and Mermaid diagrams open in a zoom viewer. A spec under review or a README you keep coming back to reads like the finished document it is.
Tables, by the cell or by the range
In Write, a Markdown table opens as a grid. Tab steps from cell to cell. Select a range with the mouse or the keyboard, then type over it, clear it or copy it as both Markdown and rich text.
A row or column can be added from a hover bar. Whole rows and columns move, duplicate and change alignment in place, and ⌘Z undoes any of it. Word export turns the table into a real Word table.
Slides and Word from the same file
Present breaks the open file into full-screen slides at each H1, H2 or divider. Leave with Esc and you're back at the part you were reading.
For handoff there's [Word export](/unmarked/support/export-to-word-docx) with editable equations, a PDF with your choice of page size and margins, and HTML that carries its styles and images in one file.
One document, or a folder of them
Lettera comes from the team behind Bear, and its editor began as the one inside Bear 2. Its strongest idea is the folder workspace. The sidebar shows a folder as it sits on your Mac, files open in tabs and wiki links tie them together.
Unmarked opens one document per window and has no folder sidebar. If your day means moving among dozens of linked files, Lettera's workspace suits that.
Which one fits your work?
Choose Unmarked if
- You want an editor for your Markdown files that you can install and use this week.
- You want the finished document in a view of its own, apart from the editor.
- Your tables need a grid where you can select a range and move whole rows.
- You give talks or reviews from the document itself, in full screen.
Choose Lettera only if
- You work across a folder of linked files and want a sidebar, tabs and wiki links in one window.
- You need ePub export, or want Mermaid diagrams drawn while you type them.