Zettlr
An open-source writing app for researchers.
Organize local Markdown files into research notes, projects, and longer manuscripts. Zettlr combines linked notes, workspace search, multiple document panes, and citation workflows with bibliography managers such as Zotero. Pandoc-based export, citation styles, and project settings help turn drafts into academic documents.
Product preview
See Zettlr in action
What is Zettlr best for?
Zettlr is a free Markdown tool best suited to research notes and manuscripts that need citations and structured exports. It is available as Desktop app on macOS, Windows, Linux, and its source status is open source.
Verified editor profile
Reviewed September 27, 2026
MarkdownList independently checked these facts against the product, its official documentation, or its public source. Missing items mean not verified, not necessarily unsupported.
Editing experience
Files and offline use
- Local Markdown files
- Folder or workspace support
- Works offline
Long documents
- Outline or table of contents
- Document search
- Tabs or multiple documents
Markdown support
- Tables
- Footnotes
- Math
- Syntax-highlighted code
Output and extensions
- PDF export
- HTML export
- Word / DOCX export
At a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Source
- Open source
- Best for
- Research notes and manuscripts that need citations and structured exports
Availability
Platforms
Surfaces
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