Coffee vs Zettlr: which Markdown app for your Mac?

Checked November 2026 against Zettlr's site, documentation and GitHub page. I make Coffee, so read this with that in mind. Coffee isn't affiliated with Zettlr.

If you write papers or a thesis, or you need citations, Zotero or Pandoc export, choose Zettlr. It's also free and open source, and it runs on Windows and Linux as well as macOS. Choose Coffee if you work only on a Mac and your documents are everyday working files, where you want to review AI edits, do sums in your notes and export a PDF without installing anything else.

Both keep your writing as Markdown files on your computer, so you can try one on a copy of your folder and move on if it doesn't suit you.

At a glance

Where Zettlr is better

Citations. This is the main reason to choose it. Zettlr works with Zotero, JabRef and Juris-M through a library file, and it watches that file and reloads it when it changes. You type @ to autocomplete a citation, and on export you can apply any of over 9,000 styles. Coffee has no citation support of any kind.

Export options. Zettlr's export runs on Pandoc, through editable profiles, so you can keep a separate PDF profile for each conference template. It can export a whole project, and it can make presentations for Beamer, reveal.js or PowerPoint. Its docs also cover Word output, custom templates and Lua filters. Coffee exports PDF, Word, EPUB, HTML, Markdown and plain text with nothing to install, but there are no profiles, no LaTeX export and no Pandoc, and its three PDF templates can't be changed.

Academic Markdown. Zettlr's syntax covers footnotes, citations and cross-references, attribute syntax, admonitions and YAML front matter, and it has maths and Mermaid diagrams. Coffee draws footnotes, GitHub-style callouts and $$ maths blocks, but inline $…$ maths is only shown in italic, and of Mermaid's kinds it draws flowcharts, pie charts and sequence diagrams. Citations, cross-references and attribute syntax stay as plain text.

Zettelkasten. Zettlr gives notes timestamp IDs, autocompletes [[ links, has a tag manager, and includes a graph view of the links between your files. Coffee has [[links]], updates them when a note is renamed, and lists what links to a note. It has no note IDs and no graph.

Price and licence. Zettlr is free, with no hidden costs, and you can read and change its code. Coffee is a paid app.

Platforms. Zettlr runs on Windows and Linux, and on macOS back to version 13. Coffee needs macOS 15. If your Mac can't run that, or you also work on a PC, this settles it.

Writing aids. The docs describe a Pomodoro timer and writing statistics, and you can restyle the app with custom CSS. Zettlr's features page lists 30 interface languages and Apple Intelligence integration, though it gives no detail on the latter. Coffee has no custom styling.

What to expect from Zettlr's PDF export

Zettlr is clear that PDF needs an extra program. The default profile uses XeLaTeX, so you install a LaTeX distribution first. You can change the engine to something like Typst by copying the profile and editing it, and there's also a Simple PDF option, which goes through HTML and needs no LaTeX.

In return you get a great deal of control, including journal templates. If you need to match a publisher's format, Zettlr can do that and Coffee can't.

Coffee goes the other way. It lays out the PDF itself, with nothing else to install and three templates to choose from:

ExportCleanLetterheadMinimal

Coffee5 November

Trip to Lisbon

Four days in May. Stay near the river, walk everywhere, and leave one whole afternoon with no plan.

Where to stay

Alfama is steep and lovely. Baixa is flat and easy. Take the tram at least once, and sit on the left.

To do

☑ Book the flights
☐ Find a place near Alfama
☐ Ask Ana about the tram

1

There's more in the PDF guide, including the limits.

Where Coffee is different

I'm describing what Coffee has here, and not claiming Zettlr lacks all of it.

Reviewing edits from outside. When Claude, Cursor or anything else edits a file, Coffee shows each change since you last read the note, to keep or undo one at a time. See how that works.

Sums in your notes. Write $30 in EUR or today + 2 weeks and the answer appears beside the line, without going into the file. Try it here.

Propose a change. In a Git repository, Coffee can send one note to a new branch and open a pull request, for people who'd rather not learn Git.

On-device questions. On macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, Ask answers questions about your notes, with the model running on your Mac. Coffee also has an MCP server for AI apps, off until you turn it on.

Comments and version history. You can comment on selected words without changing the Markdown, and go back through earlier versions of a note. Both are kept on your Mac and don't travel with the file.

Built for the Mac. Coffee is written natively for macOS, and Zettlr's GitHub page describes it as an Electron app, which is how it reaches three platforms. Each file you open from Finder gets its own window in Coffee, private notes lock with Touch ID, and there's a searchable clipboard history.

Paste from a spreadsheet. Copy cells and paste, and you get a table.

Nothing to configure. This is a preference more than a feature. Zettlr offers profiles, templates and settings for people who need them. Coffee has few settings, and it won't let you change very much.

Moving between them

Since both use plain files, there's nothing to convert. Add the folder as a workspace in Zettlr, or point Coffee at it, and try it on a copy first. Zettlr may leave small hidden .ztr-directory files in a workspace to remember its settings.

Plain Markdown and [[links]] carry over. Footnotes carry over and are drawn. Citations written as [@Author2015] appear in Coffee as plain text, and Coffee can't export them as a formatted bibliography. Coffee only reads tags from front matter, so a #hashtag in the text stays as text.

Choose Zettlr if

• You write academic work, and need citations and a bibliography
• You use Zotero, JabRef or a similar reference manager
• You need journal templates or Pandoc's flexibility
• You write maths beyond Coffee's $$ blocks, or you keep a Zettelkasten with a graph
• You need Windows or Linux, or you don't want to pay for an editor

Choose Coffee if

• You work on a Mac running macOS 15 or later, and that's enough
• You edit Markdown with AI tools and want to check each change
• You want sums and PDF templates in the app, with nothing else to install
• You don't need citations or inline maths
• You're happy to pay a small amount for an app with fewer decisions in it

Questions

Is Zettlr free?

Yes. Zettlr describes itself as free and open source software, supported by donations, and its code is under the GNU GPL v3.

Does Coffee support citations or Zotero?

No. Coffee has no citation support. A citation key stays as plain text in the note. If you need citations, use Zettlr or another app built for them.

Does Zettlr need LaTeX for PDF export?

Its default PDF profile uses XeLaTeX, so that one does. You can switch the profile to another engine such as Typst, which you also install separately, or use Simple PDF, which needs no LaTeX.

Is Zettlr on iPhone or iPad?

No. Zettlr's FAQ says there are no plans to bring it to iOS or Android. Coffee isn't on either, as it only runs on a Mac.