What is Dillinger used for?

Dillinger is a free online markdown editor that runs in the browser with live preview and cloud sync. It is a good fit for writing READMEs, documentation, and blog posts; drafting prompts and structured content for LLMs; and quick note-taking without account setup.

Is Dillinger open source?

Yes. Dillinger is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at joemccann/dillinger and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Dillinger is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Dillinger?

Yes. Dillinger can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Dillinger an alternative to?

Dillinger is an open-source alternative to Inkdrop. Other open-source alternatives to Inkdrop include MarkText, Joplin and Pandoc.

Is Dillinger actively maintained?

The most recent commit to Dillinger was on 21 June 2026, and the latest release is 3.5.1, published on 4 August 2016. The project has 8.3k stars on GitHub.

Dillinger: open-source alternative to Inkdrop

About Dillinger

Dillinger is a free markdown editor that runs in a browser. It provides a live preview pane beside the editor and requires no signup, paywall, or installation. Drafts persist locally so work survives a closed tab.

The editor is built on the Monaco editor that powers VS Code and supports Vim and Emacs keybindings, dark mode, and a distraction-free zen mode. Users can sync documents with GitHub, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Bitbucket, and export to Markdown, styled HTML, or PDF.

Key features

Live preview with synced scrolling
No signup required; documents persist locally
Cloud sync with GitHub, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Bitbucket
One-click export to Markdown, HTML, or PDF
Monaco editor with Vim and Emacs keybindings
Zen mode for distraction-free writing

Good fit for

Writing READMEs, documentation, and blog posts
Drafting prompts and structured content for LLMs
Quick note-taking without account setup

Built with: TypeScript tools; Node.js tools; JavaScript tools
Tags: markdown; editor; live preview; cloud sync; monaco; online

Dillinger: questions and answers

What is Dillinger used for?: Dillinger is a free online markdown editor that runs in the browser with live preview and cloud sync. It is a good fit for writing READMEs, documentation, and blog posts; drafting prompts and structured content for LLMs; and quick note-taking without account setup.
Is Dillinger open source?: Yes. Dillinger is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at joemccann/dillinger and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Dillinger free?: Yes. Dillinger is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Dillinger?: Yes. Dillinger can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Dillinger an alternative to?: Dillinger is an open-source alternative to Inkdrop. Other open-source alternatives to Inkdrop include MarkText, Joplin and Pandoc.
Is Dillinger actively maintained?: The most recent commit to Dillinger was on 21 June 2026, and the latest release is 3.5.1, published on 4 August 2016. The project has 8.3k stars on GitHub.