Zettlr

A free, open-source Markdown editor for academic notes and writing with citations.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 6
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Zettlr

Zettlr is a free, open-source Markdown editor aimed at researchers, students and writers who take notes and turn them into papers. It works directly on folders of Markdown files on your computer, supports Zettelkasten-style links and IDs, tags, a file tree, full-text search and writing statistics. Its stand-out feature is citation support: connect a Zotero, JabRef or Juris-M library and cite as you write, then export to Word, PDF, LaTeX or other formats with Pandoc-based export profiles and templates. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, has no account or cloud, and is funded by donations. The trade-offs are that there are no mobile apps or built-in sync, so you bring your own sync service, and it is more of a writing tool than a quick-capture notes app. It suits academics and long-form writers who want plain-text notes that become properly cited documents.

Best for: Academics and writers who want Markdown notes with citations and Pandoc export.

What works

Free and open source
Citations from Zotero, JabRef or Juris-M
Pandoc export to Word, PDF and LaTeX
Plain Markdown files on your disk

Why people leave

No mobile apps
No built-in sync
Less suited to quick capture

Top Zettlr alternatives

See all 6

1
Obsidian
Local Markdown with mobile apps and plugins, including citation plugins.
80.3
2
Joplin
Open-source Markdown notes with built-in sync and mobile apps.
69.8
3
Logseq
Free outliner with Zotero integration for research notes.
67.4
4
Heptabase
Visual research boards with Zotero integration, as a paid app.
53.6
5
Scrivener
A full manuscript tool for long writing projects.
52.2

Why people left Zettlr

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Zettlr: common questions

Is Zettlr free?

Yes. Zettlr is free, open-source software.

Is Zettlr open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at Zettlr/Zettlr.

What platforms does Zettlr run on?

Zettlr is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Zettlr?

The highest-ranked Zettlr alternatives right now are Obsidian, Joplin and Logseq. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 Zettlr alternatives

Zettlr facts

4 of 4 verified

License: GPL-3.0; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-3.0 (GNU General Public License v3.0).”
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux; Checked Oct 25, 2026zettlr.com(opens source in a new tab); “All download options Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.”
Funding: Donations; Checked Oct 25, 2026zettlr.com(opens source in a new tab); “Zettlr is Free and Open Source software, supported by donations.”
Reference managers: Zotero, JabRef, Juris-M; Checked Oct 25, 2026zettlr.com(opens source in a new tab); “Whether you use Zotero, JabRef, or Juris-M — Zettlr supports them all.”