Typora alternative · macOS · free and open source

A free Typora alternative for Mac

Like Typora, Hem lets you edit the formatted document with no source pane. Unlike it, Hem is free and open source, previews files in Finder and leaves the rest of your file untouched when it saves

Download for macOS

Version 1.2 · 5.7 MB · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon

A Markdown document being read and edited as a formatted page in Hem: a table, a checklist, a tip and a numbered list.

Hem and Typora, side by side

Both are good at their job. The differences below are the ones that decide which fits

	Hem	Typora
Price	Free	Paid, about $15 once, after a trial
Source code	Open, MIT licence	Closed
Platforms	macOS 14+, Apple silicon	macOS, Windows and Linux
Editing	The formatted page, with a formatting bar and Markdown shortcuts	The formatted page, with Markdown shortcuts and a source mode
On save	Rewrites only the blocks you edited	Rewrites the file in its own style
Finder preview (Quick Look)	Included	Not included
Mermaid, LaTeX, code highlighting	Yes	Yes
Themes and custom CSS	Light and dark, two typefaces, text size and line width	A full theme system
Export	Word, PDF, HTML	PDF, HTML, Word and more, some through Pandoc
File tree and outline sidebar	No	Yes

Prices and features as of autumn 2026; check Typora’s site for the current details

Why people switch

It is free

Hem is MIT-licensed, with no trial, licence key or paid tier. Editing and export are part of the one free app

It keeps git diffs small

Typora normalises a file when it saves. Hem writes back only what you edited, so a typo fix does not turn into a hundred changed lines

The two-minute test for any editor →

It previews in Finder

Press Space on a .md file and see the page. Typora has no Quick Look extension

Quick Look for Markdown →

When Typora is the better choice

If you work on Windows or Linux as well, want themes and custom CSS, or like a sidebar with a file tree and an outline, Typora does those and Hem does not

If you write long documents from scratch, Typora’s focus and typewriter modes, outline and source mode make it the fuller writing tool. Hem is at its best with files you read, review and correct

Nine Markdown apps for Mac, compared →

Questions about switching from Typora

Is there a free alternative to Typora for Mac?

Yes. Hem is a free, open source app for macOS that edits the formatted Markdown page the way Typora does. MarkEdit and MacDown are free too, but they edit the source text

Is Typora still free?

No. Typora was free while in beta and became a paid app with version 1.0 in late 2021. It offers a trial

Can Hem open the files I wrote in Typora?

Yes. They are ordinary Markdown files. Tables, task lists, code, Mermaid diagrams and LaTeX maths all render; a Typora-specific [toc] line is shown as text

Does Hem have a source code mode?

No. Hem shows the formatted page only. If you need to edit the raw text now and then, keep a text editor alongside; Hem reloads the page when the file changes

Which Macs does Hem run on?

macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer). The download is 5.7 MB

Related guides

Edit the page, keep the file, pay nothing

Download for macOS

Version 1.2 · 5.7 MB · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon