Zettlr

Zettlr is a Markdown editor built around a folder of plain text files rather than a database. It opens a directory as a workspace, shows the file tree beside the editor, and leaves the documents readable by any other program.

The writing surface renders headings, emphasis, links and footnotes inline while keeping the Markdown source in place. Internal links written in double brackets connect notes to each other, and a search across the workspace finds where a note is referenced, which is what makes the Zettelkasten style of note-taking workable. Citations are inserted as citation keys and resolved against a BibTeX or CSL JSON library, so a draft carries its references from the start.

Export goes through Pandoc, and PDF output additionally needs a LaTeX installation. Both are separate downloads that Zettlr calls rather than bundles. Targets include HTML, DOCX, ODT and PDF. Zettlr is an Electron application with builds for Linux, macOS and Windows.