Zettlr

A Markdown writing workbench for researchers and academics, with citations from Zotero, Zettelkasten linking and export to Word, PDF and LaTeX.

13.8k stars, 869 forks TypeScript On GitHub since December 2017

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is Zettlr?

Zettlr is a desktop editor for long-form writing in Markdown. It manages references through Zotero and other bibliography files, inserts citations, and exports through Pandoc to formats such as Word, PDF, LaTeX and HTML for whatever publication pipeline your school or employer uses. Notes can be linked Zettelkasten-style with IDs and wikilinks, and fast search finds what you need across a folder of files. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, with the interface translated into 28 languages.

Good fit if

  • You write theses, papers or books with citations.
  • You want notes and drafts as plain Markdown files.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a minimal Markdown editor without research features: MarkText.
  • You want an outliner for daily notes: Logseq.

Before you adopt it

Zettlr is GPL-3.0 and free, with no account or paid tier. It is led by its creator, Hendrik Erz, who writes most of the code.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

Zettlr health: is it still maintained?

82 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    117 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 1 November 2026.
    25 / 30
  • Contributors
    13 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 75% of them.
    15 / 20
  • Releases
    13 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v4.9.0, on 25 October 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 85% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 17 hours.
    19 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 4.1 of 10.
    4 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

Zettlr license: is it open source?

Zettlr uses GPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. December 2017First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayGPL-3.0.

How to run Zettlr yourself

Docker
No Docker files in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
Builds for Windows, Linux, macOS, including ARM in GitHub releases
Interface languages
28 languages

Install instructions: zettlr.com or the README on GitHub.

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Questions about Zettlr

Is Zettlr open source?

Yes. Zettlr is published under GPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is Zettlr still maintained?

Its health score is 82 of 100 (actively developed). It had 117 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 1 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 25 October 2026.

How do I run Zettlr?

You can run it as an app for Windows, Linux, macOS, including ARM. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to Zettlr?

Close alternatives in the Notes & knowledge bases category include MarkText, TiddlyWiki, Joplin.