iPad and MultiMarkdown Supported Apps
Updated 2014–07–06
Since I originally wrote this article, much has happened. The Elements app looks like it’s been discontinued because I couldn’t find it in the AppStore, so I have removed it from the comparison table. I’ve added my new favourite iOS text editor, Editorial which is an amazing app for configure your text workflow just the way you like it. IA Writer has added support for MultiMarkdown so I added it to the list as well.
Trying to use MultiMarkdown for writing this blog on an iPad has been frustrating. Just trying to find a writing app that supports tables, footnotes, internal links and tables drives you crazy. One App can do some of the things right, others do nothing right. So here is my test of the Markdown Writing Apps I have available, and how they compare feature-wise.
I’ve moved over all my writing to Markdown, just because it’s a great way of writing for different media. But I need to use the more advanced version MultiMarkdown to be able to handle internal links, cross-references, more advanced image links, footnotes, tables and bibliography. So I did a Markdown test document with all the stuff I need, and checked if the App could handle it and generating working HTML. So here it goes.
iOS App | Cross-Ref | Images | Footnotes | Tables | Bibliography | Definitions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Byword 2.1.6[1] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Phraseology 2.0.4[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
Poster 2.1.1[4] | No | Yes[2] | No | No | No | No |
Notesy 2.5.3[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | No | No | No | No |
Writing Kit 3.9.2[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
Drafts iPad 3.6.3[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
IA Writer v2.0[1] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Editorial 2[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
Conclusion
So if you need some or all of these features, have a look in the table and make your choice. I like to write in Editorial when blogging because of the workflow I added for uploading images and the ability to export to any app using URL scheme. When writing other texts I usually use IA Writer or Byword. Thankfully the apps for iOS isn’t expensive and most of them can sync via Dropbox, so switching between apps isn’t the end of the world.
I’ll try to keep this list updated whenever an update is available.
-
Includes SmartyPants support. ↩
-
Doesn’t display image caption. ↩
-
Messed up when having bold text in alt-text. ↩
-
This app is no longer for sale. WordPress has bought it. It’s still updated for those who bought it. ↩
Michael says
Hi!
Byword is at version 2.0 now, Writing Kit at 3.8. Do you know about these versions? I was using Evernote for cross-Apple writing, but its a mess when it comes to formatting – iPad Evernote does that better than Mac Evernote… So I thought about changing that cosy stem to multimarkdosn, but am struggling with which app to use. Byword and iWriter both have iOS and Mac apps. Writing kit would have to synch using Dropbox. Daedalus is nice but does not support multimarkdown nor custom CSS as far as I have been able to find out…
I modtly write scientific scripts using iPad and MacBook, sometimes even the iPhone. I would like to bee able to use footnotes and tables, and custom CSS as well, and the app should be able to export PDF (and possibly ePub).
What apps would you recommend today, based on your workflow and experience?
Thanks for that article!
Michael
jjarava says
Nice and useful table, thanks!
Only on caveat/doubt: I’m a happy user of Editorial, but I only see version 1.1.1 on the [AppStore](https://appsto.re/es/UqWkO.i), updated June 2014. Also, I’ve done a quick test and tables and x-refs **are** supported (I was sure I has used them).
Drafts has been updated to v4, but that’s a more recent update than your posts and markdown support for “Multimarkdown” is not included.
Lastly, could you provide a link to your test document? I’ve been looking for a sample MMD document online but the ones I’ve seen are too focused on “esoteric” features I don’t much care for 🙂
Thanks!!