Every online Markdown editor does the same first thing: text on the left, formatted preview on the right. Where they differ is what happens next. Some sync to Google Drive or GitHub, some let five people type at once, and some export a file you could send to a client. Choosing on the preview alone is how people end up copying text between three tools.
Here are five worth knowing, grouped by the job.
Which online Markdown editor should you use?
| Editor | Best for | Account | Preview | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillinger | Quick edits, cloud sync | Not needed to start | Side by side, scrolling | Markdown, HTML, PDF |
| StackEdit | Notes synced to Drive, Dropbox, GitHub | Optional | Side by side, with math and diagrams | Markdown, HTML |
| HackMD | Real-time team writing | Yes | Side by side | Several, some on paid tiers |
| Markdown Live Preview | Checking syntax in seconds | No | Side by side | Copy out |
| bukpress | Reports, guides, ebooks you export | Yes, free plan | Paginated A4 pages | Typeset PDF; EPUB on Pro |
The first four are general-purpose. The last one is for a different job, which the end of this post covers.
What are the best free online Markdown editors?
Dillinger opens straight to an editor with a preview beside it, without making you sign up first. It connects to several cloud services, so you can open and save files where they already live. Good for editing a README or a note. It has no real-time collaboration.
StackEdit has been around since 2013 and is open source. It syncs with Google Drive, Dropbox and GitHub, and renders math (KaTeX) and diagrams (Mermaid), which makes it a good fit for technical notes. Reviewers describe the interface as dated, but it does the job.
Markdown Live Preview and similar single-page tools are for checking whether your syntax does what you think. Paste, look, copy out. Nothing is saved.
Which online Markdown editor is best for teams?
HackMD is built for several people editing the same document at once, with comments and shared workspaces. It's a strong pick for meeting notes, specs and team documentation. Some features, such as GitHub sync and some export options, sit on paid tiers; check its pricing page for the current split.
If your team already lives in GitHub, editing Markdown in the repository's web editor is often simpler than adding another tool.
What's missing from a scrolling preview?
A scrolling preview is one long column. It's the right view for notes and web pages, which never have pages. It's the wrong view for anything that will be read as a PDF, because the questions that matter there are page questions:
- Does a heading end up alone at the bottom of a page?
- Does a table split, with its header on one page and the data on the next?
- Where does each chapter start?
A browser's print-to-PDF answers those after the fact, and usually badly. Five ways to convert Markdown to PDF compares the routes.
Which online editor is best for documents you export?
When the Markdown becomes a report, a guide, a workbook or an ebook, use an editor that previews pages. bukpress is built for that: you type or paste Markdown, or drop in a .md file, and the preview beside it shows each A4 page as the export will set it, repaginating as you type. It autosaves, and each document is its own project with its own text and design.
What it adds over a general editor:
---on its own line is a real page break, and every#heading starts a new page.- Tables that cross a page repeat their header row.
- Title, subtitle and body fonts, each with its own size and colour, margins in points, page numbers, and covers on Essentials and up.
- Exports render on the server, with fonts embedded and no watermark on any plan.
What it doesn't do: real-time collaboration, cloud sync to Drive or GitHub, HTML export, or page sizes other than A4. For notes and team docs, the editors above are the better choice. The Free plan covers documents up to 40 pages with 20 exports a month; see pricing.
How do you pick one?
Write down what happens to the file after you finish it. If it stays a note or a README, use Dillinger or StackEdit. If three people will edit it this week, use HackMD. If it will be sent as a PDF, write one page of it in an editor with a paginated preview and check where the pages break before you write the rest.
Common questions
Is there a free online Markdown editor with a preview?
Yes. Dillinger, StackEdit and Markdown Live Preview are free in the browser, each with a side-by-side preview.
Can I export Markdown to PDF from an online editor?
Several offer a PDF export, usually through the browser's print engine. For control over page breaks, fonts and page numbers, use a tool that paginates, like bukpress.
Do online Markdown editors save my files?
Some save in the browser or sync to your cloud storage; single-page preview tools save nothing. Check before you write anything long.
Is there an offline alternative?
Desktop editors like Typora and Obsidian, or VS Code with extensions. Writing a book in VS Code covers that setup.