Desk AlternativesNote-taking Tools and other similar apps like Desk

Desk is described as 'An award-winning & beloved desktop publishing client, exclusively for OS X' and is a Note-taking tool in the news & books category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Desk for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based and iPad apps. The best Desk alternative is Typora. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try ghostwriter or FocusWriter. Other great apps like Desk are Dendron, Foam, Nuclino and Bear.

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Alternatives list

  1. Typora icon

    Typora

     326 likes

    A minimalist Markdown editor offering cross-platform synchronization, live preview, and seamless export/import in various formats like PDF, DOCX, and LaTeX. Features include distraction-free Focus and Typewriter modes, file management with tree and articles panels, and content organization through an outline panel.

    178 Typora alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Electron
    Typora screenshot 1
     

    • Typora is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Desk.

    • Typora is the most popular commercial alternative to Desk.

    • Typora is Paid and ProprietaryDesk is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Typora is Lightweight, Minimalistic and CustomizableDesk is not according to our users
  2. ghostwriter icon

    ghostwriter

     109 likes

    ghostwriter is a feature-rich text editor using Markdown syntax which makes it suitable for note-taking, document redaction, simple HTML website creation and much more.

    139 ghostwriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    ghostwriter screenshot 1
     

    • ghostwriter is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Desk.

    • ghostwriter is Free and Open SourceDesk is Paid and Proprietary
    • ghostwriter is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDesk is not according to our users
  4. FocusWriter icon

    FocusWriter

     208 likes

    Simple but configurable and themeable, distraction-free text editor for writers. Open-source and available across desktop platforms.

    103 FocusWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    FocusWriter screenshot 1
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Typora icon
    Typora

    A minimalist Markdown editor offering cross-platform synchronization, live preview, and seamless export/import in various formats like PDF, DOCX, and LaTeX. Features include distraction-free Focus and Typewriter modes, file manag...

    https://typora.io
    Learn More
  6. Dendron icon

    Dendron

     71 likes

    Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, note-taking tool built on top of VSCode. It supports all the usual features you would expect like tagging, backlinks, a graph view, split panes, and so forth.

    207 Dendron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
    Dendron screenshot 1
     
  7. Foam icon

    Foam

     52 likes

    Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.

    250 Foam alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Visual Studio Code
    Foam screenshot 1
     

    • Foam is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Desk.

    • Foam is Free and Open SourceDesk is Paid and Proprietary
  8. Nuclino icon

    Nuclino

     133 likes

    Nuclino is a unified workspace where teams can bring all their knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. It’s a modern, simple, and blazingly fast way to collaborate, without the chaos of files and folders, context switching, or silos.

    331 Nuclino alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    Nuclino screenshot 1
     

    • Nuclino is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone & iPad alternative to Desk.

    • Nuclino is Freemium and ProprietaryDesk is Paid and Proprietary
    • Nuclino is Lightweight and MinimalisticDesk is not according to our users
  10. Bear icon

    Bear

     95 likes

    Flexible note-taking and writing tool featuring advanced markdown with in-line images, cross-note links, live preview, hashtags, Focus Mode, plain text storage, iCloud sync, one-tap formatting, smart data recognition, and multiple export formats for portability.

    250 Bear alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Bear screenshot 1
     
  11. iA Writer icon

    iA Writer

     96 likes

    The key to good writing is not that magical glass of Bordeaux, the right kind of tobacco or that groovy background music. The key is focus. What you need to write well is a spartan setting that allows you to fully concentrate on your text and nothing but your text.

    120 iA Writer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    iA Writer screenshot 1
     
  13. Ulysses icon

    Ulysses

     69 likes

    Ulysses is a text editor for creative writers. Used by bloggers, poets, students and published novelists all over the world, it offers an integrated environment to brainstorm, draft, revise and even submit text on a professional level.

    129 Ulysses alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Ulysses screenshot 1
     
  14. Notepack icon

    Notepack

     16 likes

    Privacy oriented, without vendor lock in note organizer, todo list desktop application. Work offline with text, markdown and pdf files.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Markdown support
     
  15. scrutch icon

    scrutch

     8 likes

    End-to-encrypted, laser-focussed yet elegant editor. No registration, no login, no ads, no tracking, no hassle. Just write. In private or together with others.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    scrutch screenshot 1
     

    • scrutch is the most popular SaaS alternative to Desk.

    • scrutch is Free and ProprietaryDesk is Paid and Proprietary
    • scrutch is Security-focused, Minimalistic, Lightweight and Privacy focusedDesk is not according to our users
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