The Best Markdown Editors for iPad

Start looking for a Markdown editor for iPad and you quickly notice something odd: most of the apps everyone recommends do not exist here. Typora, MacDown, Marked 2, BBEdit, VS Code — all of them are Mac software, and none of them has an iPad version. The “best Markdown editor” lists are written for desktops, and half of what they recommend you cannot install.

So the iPad field is genuinely smaller, and choosing well means asking different questions: does it work with the Files app or trap your writing in its own library, does it survive Split View and Stage Manager, does it behave properly with an external keyboard, and does it keep a real live preview on a screen where there is not much room for two panes.

The short answer: Inkiostro is free, native, and does everything the Mac version does bar a few keyboard-only extras. iA Writer is the premium choice if the writing feel matters more than the price. Obsidian if you already have a vault.

First, the ones that are not here

This is worth stating plainly, because it is the reason so many people end up disappointed:

If you arrived here after reading a “best Markdown editor for Mac” list, that is what happened. We wrote a dedicated page on what to use instead of Typora on iPad, since it is by far the most common version of this disappointment.

The short version

Prices checked 13 August 2026 from each vendor’s own pricing page. They change; verify before buying.

1. Inkiostro — the full desktop feature set on a tablet

Inkiostro is a native iPad app rather than a phone app stretched to fit, with the editor and live preview side by side and your files a tap away. The reason it leads this list is that the iPad build is not a reduced version of the Mac one: LaTeX/KaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, version history, EPUB and self-contained HTML export, the document outline and the cheat sheet are all here too.

That matters more than it sounds. The usual pattern in this category is a capable desktop app and a companion tablet app that can only type and sync. If you write technical documents, being able to render a formula or a flowchart on the iPad — and export a PDF where they stay selectable text rather than flattened images — is the difference between a tablet you can work on and one you can only draft on.

The iPad-specific work is in the details. The formatting bar floats just above the keyboard where your thumbs already are, so you are not reaching for a toolbar at the top of a 13-inch screen — and Settings › Editor › Formatting Bar restores the fixed bar if you prefer it. Tables use the same engine as the Mac: you pick the size by dragging across a grid instead of tapping counters, and Tab moves cell to cell and adds a row at the end. The table of contents lists every heading with the one you are writing in highlighted, which is how you navigate a long document without a mouse. And Inkiostro is in the iOS share sheet — send a paragraph from Safari or Notes and it becomes a document with the title already filled in.

A few things stay on the Mac, because they need a keyboard and a Finder: the command palette, tabs, drag-and-drop from the Finder, printing, and the menu bar.

It is free with no account and no time limit — unlimited documents, iCloud sync, the full editor, live preview, LaTeX, Mermaid and PDF export. Pro is $19.99 once and covers iPad, iPhone and Mac together, which is worth comparing against the two apps below that charge per platform or per month.

Choose it if you want a real editor on the iPad rather than a drafting pad. Skip it if you need Windows, Linux or Android.

2. iA Writer — the premium writing feel

iA Writer’s iPad app is excellent and has been for years: superb typography, a genuinely calm interface, and Syntax Highlight, which colours adjectives, nouns, verbs and conjunctions so weak prose becomes visible. Nothing else does that, and for revising your own drafts it earns its reputation.

The cost structure is the thing to understand before buying. The iOS app is $49.99 and the Mac app is another $49.99 — they are separate purchases, so a writer who works on both pays $99.98. There is no LaTeX math, no Mermaid diagrams and no EPUB export, so anything technical is out of scope.

Choose it if typography and writing feel are the product for you, and you mostly write prose. Skip it if you write documentation, maths or anything with a diagram in it. See the iA Writer alternative comparison.

3. Obsidian — only if you already have a vault

Obsidian’s iPad app is a real port of the desktop app, plugins included, and it is free for personal use. LaTeX and Mermaid are built in. If you already keep a vault, installing it on the iPad is obviously the right move.

If you do not, think twice. Obsidian on a tablet asks you to set up a vault, pick a sync strategy, and navigate a settings tree designed for a mouse before you write a word. Sync is the paid part — Obsidian Sync at roughly $4–5 a month, or you bring your own through iCloud Drive and accept the occasional conflict, which is more painful on iPadOS than on a Mac because you have less visibility into what the file system is doing.

Choose it if you have an existing vault. Skip it if you want to open the app and write. See the simple Obsidian alternative comparison.

4. Bear — best for notes, not for documents

Bear is beautifully designed and very good at what it is: fast capture, nested tags, and finding a short note later. It renders LaTeX, and its free tier exports ePub and DOCX.

Two caveats matter more on iPad than on Mac. First, Bear keeps notes in its own database rather than as .md files, so they do not appear in the Files app and you cannot point another app at them. Second, iCloud sync is behind the subscription — $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year — and sync is precisely why you would want the same notes on the iPad in the first place. No Mermaid diagrams, no version history.

Choose it if the iPad is where you capture short notes. Skip it if you write documents you will export. See the Bear alternative comparison.

5. Ulysses — for the manuscript, at a monthly price

Ulysses on iPad is mature and pleasant, built around its library of sheets and groups, with goals and deadlines per sheet and direct publishing to WordPress, Medium and Ghost. For managing a book across devices it is genuinely well suited.

It is $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year with no free tier — when the subscription lapses the app stops working. No LaTeX, no Mermaid, and your text lives in the Ulysses library rather than as files, though external folders are supported.

Choose it if you are writing a manuscript and publishing to a blog platform. Skip it if you would rather not rent an editor. See the Ulysses alternative comparison.

What actually matters on an iPad

The desktop criteria still apply — live preview, distraction-free writing, export quality, math and diagrams — but four things are specific to the tablet and are where most apps fall down.

The Files app. Whether your writing lives as real .md files you can open from Files, hand to another app, or store in iCloud Drive alongside everything else, or whether it is locked in a proprietary library. Inkiostro, iA Writer and Obsidian give you files; Bear and Ulysses manage a library. Both are defensible, but only one lets you leave.

Split View and Stage Manager. An iPad editor gets resized constantly — half a screen next to Safari, a floating window in Stage Manager, a rotation. A well-built app reflows its preview at every width. A poorly built one shows you a squeezed two-pane layout with eight words per line, or drops the formatting entirely until you type.

The external keyboard. If you attach a Magic Keyboard the iPad is a laptop, and the editor should behave like one: real keyboard shortcuts for formatting, Tab that moves through a table instead of inserting a character, arrow keys that navigate lists sensibly.

Where the toolbar sits. On a large screen, a formatting toolbar pinned to the top means reaching across the whole display for every bold word. Floating it above the keyboard is a small decision that changes how the app feels over an hour of writing.

The best free Markdown editor for iPad

Free is scarcer on iPad than on Mac, because the classic free desktop editors are all Mac-only. Two real options:

• Inkiostro — free with no account and no time limit: unlimited documents, iCloud sync across iPad, iPhone and Mac, live preview, LaTeX, Mermaid and PDF export. Pro is optional, one-time, and covers all three devices.
• Obsidian — free for personal use and fully featured, but sync costs money and the setup cost is real.

Bear’s free tier exists but withholds sync; Ulysses and iA Writer have no free tier at all.

And on iPhone

Everything above applies, with one adjustment: a phone screen has no room for two panes, so live preview becomes a mode you switch to rather than a pane you watch. That makes the phone better for capture and revision than for composing long documents — which is honest rather than dismissive, and it is why this guide is written around the iPad.

Inkiostro on iPhone is the same app and the same purchase, with the formatting bar above the keyboard, the table of contents for jumping around a long file, and the share sheet for turning a paragraph from anywhere into a new document. What you write on the phone in a queue is on the Mac when you sit down, through iCloud, with no account and nothing to configure.

FAQ

What is the best Markdown editor for iPad?

For most people, a native app with a live preview, real .md files in the Files app, and export that works. Inkiostro is a strong free choice — LaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, version history, EPUB export and iCloud sync, with one optional $19.99 purchase covering iPad, iPhone and Mac. iA Writer is the premium alternative if typography matters most; Obsidian makes sense if you already keep a vault.

Is there a version of Typora for iPad?

No. Typora is macOS, Windows and Linux only, and there has never been an iPad or iPhone version. If you want the closest equivalent on a tablet — live preview, LaTeX, Mermaid, one purchase — see our Typora for iPad page.

Is there a free Markdown editor for iPad?

Yes. Inkiostro is free with no account, no ads and no time limit, including iCloud sync, live preview, LaTeX, Mermaid and PDF export. Obsidian is free for personal use, though sync is a paid add-on. Bear has a free tier but keeps sync behind its subscription.

Can I write Markdown on an iPad with an external keyboard?

Yes, and it is the best way to use one. A well-built iPad editor supports keyboard shortcuts for formatting, Tab to move between table cells, and sensible arrow-key behaviour in lists. With a Magic Keyboard attached, an iPad running a proper Markdown editor is close to a laptop for writing.

Do Markdown editors on iPad save real .md files?

Some do, some do not. Inkiostro, iA Writer and Obsidian store plain Markdown files you can reach from the Files app and open in any other editor. Bear and Ulysses keep your writing in their own library instead, which is more convenient inside the app and harder to leave.

Can an iPad Markdown editor render LaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams?

Inkiostro and Obsidian do both; Bear renders LaTeX only; iA Writer and Ulysses do neither. If you write technical documents on a tablet this is the single fastest way to narrow the list. See math in Markdown and diagrams in Markdown.

Does the same app work on iPad, iPhone and Mac?

It depends on the developer’s pricing. Inkiostro is one free download and one optional $19.99 purchase across all three. Ulysses covers every device with one subscription. iA Writer charges separately for iOS and macOS — $99.98 for both. See the best Markdown editors for Mac for the desktop side of this comparison.