Three tests: it opens and saves with the network off; the text lives somewhere you can find without the app; and it is still maintained. Plenty of “offline” editors fail the second test — the document exists only inside a database you cannot read or move.
Disclosure: Quorly is our app. It is in the list because it belongs here, and the entries that beat it for a given job say so.
| App | What offline means | Platforms | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quorly | Web app cached after first load; drafts in browser storage | Any browser; Win/macOS/Linux app | Free; Pro $5.99/mo | Drafting anywhere, no account |
| iA Writer | Native Markdown files | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows | Per-platform licence | Markdown purists on Apple |
| Typora | Native Markdown files | Win, macOS, Linux | One-time licence | Markdown with a live preview |
| Obsidian | Markdown files in a local vault | Win, macOS, Linux, mobile | Free personal use | Writing tied to linked research |
| Scrivener | Native project files | Win, macOS | One-time licence | Long manuscripts with structure |
| FocusWriter | Native, distraction-free | Win, macOS, Linux | Free | Getting words down, nothing else |
Scroll the table sideways to read every column
How the list was chosen
The apps
Quorly — the one with no install and no account
Install it from the browser once and it keeps working without a connection: writing, formatting and exporting all happen locally. Drafts sit in the browser's storage, so a cleared profile takes them — export a .quorly package or sync a folder to keep a copy. Free for Markdown, PDF and plain text; EPUB and Cloud Sync to your own Drive are Pro. No native iOS app.
iA Writer — Markdown, native, Apple-first
The reference Markdown editor. Files on disk, a beautiful typeface, and per-platform purchases that add up if you work across a Mac and a PC. If you already live in Markdown and on Apple hardware, it is hard to beat.
Typora — the Markdown editor that renders in place
Source and preview are the same surface, which is the feature most people mean when they say they want Typora. One-time licence, three desktop platforms, no mobile.
Obsidian — the local vault
Markdown files in a folder you own, linked with [[wiki links]], extended by plugins. The strongest choice when the writing depends on notes, sources and connections between them. It is a workshop, not a page.
Scrivener — the manuscript manager
Binder, corkboard, snapshots, compile. The right tool for a book with forty scenes, and too much tool for a 900-word essay. Offline in the old sense: a project file on your disk.
FocusWriter — free, plain, full-screen
A distraction-free text editor with a hide-everything-fullscreen mode and daily goals. Minimal, free, and a good first stop if you only want the page.
Which one fits
| If you… | Pick |
|---|---|
| write on machines you do not control, or refuse accounts | Quorly |
| want Markdown files and a Mac | iA Writer |
| want Markdown on Windows or Linux | Typora |
| write inside a web of notes | Obsidian |
| are structuring a novel | Scrivener |
| want free and minimal | FocusWriter or Quorly |
The question that matters
Ask where the draft is when the app is closed. If the answer is “in a file I can open with something else”, the app is a tool. If it is “in the app's database, and the app needs a connection to start”, the draft is borrowed. Every app above passes the first test in some form; the differences are in how easy the file is to find and how much the app insists on being involved.
Ready when you are
Start writing — free
Try the one that keeps your draft on your own device.