Typora vs iA Writer: which one should you pick in 2026?

Pick Typora

If you want rendered-page editing and can tolerate performance quirks on M-series Macs

Pick iA Writer

If you prefer pure source with a focus-mode discipline and can stomach the $50 price

Side by side

	Typora	iA Writer
Price	$14.99 one-time + version upgrades	$49.99 one-time
Platforms	Mac, Win, Linux	Mac, iPad, iPhone, Win
Rendering mode	WYSIWYG (markup auto-hidden)	Source only with inline styles
Apple Silicon	Works, known slowdowns on M1/M2	Native, excellent
Offline	Yes	Yes
File format	Plain .md	Plain .md

When Typora wins

You want rendered markup while editing
You work across macOS, Windows, and Linux
You're fine with Typora's performance on your hardware

When iA Writer wins

You want pure markdown source with focus mode
iOS/iPadOS workflow matters
$50 is fine; you value the craft of the UI

If neither fits

Both force a choice: hybrid-render (Typora) or pure-source (iA). Enfoca's hybrid-reveal engine shows markup only on the line you're editing — the rest renders like a book. $12.99 once. Native on M-series.

See Enfoca →