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Backtickle vs iA Writer
iA Writer is a paid, focused writing app; Backtickle is a free, open-source Markdown editor and reader that also runs on Linux.
Short answer: iA Writer is a carefully designed, paid writing app focused on prose: Focus mode, Style Check and Authorship tracking. Backtickle is free and open source, runs on Linux too, and is aimed at reading and writing technical Markdown: math, diagrams, citations and several Markdown flavors. Writers who want the iA experience on a phone should stay with iA Writer; anyone else who mainly needs a solid Markdown app can use Backtickle for free.
At a glance
| Backtickle | iA Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | One-time: $49.99 Mac, $29.99 Windows, $49.99 iPhone and iPad |
| Source code | Open source, MIT License | Closed source |
| Platforms | macOS 14+, Windows 10 and 11, Linux | macOS, Windows, iPhone, iPad (no Linux, Android discontinued) |
| Editing | Editor, Split and Preview views | Source editor with styled syntax and a Preview |
| Focus tools | Typewriter scrolling, focus-line spotlight, reading ruler | Focus mode, Style Check, Authorship |
| Markdown flavors | CommonMark, GFM, Obsidian, Pandoc / MultiMarkdown, Quarto / R Markdown, MDX | iA Writer's Markdown |
| Math | KaTeX | KaTeX |
| Diagrams | Mermaid and Graphviz | Not listed |
| Citations | Pandoc citations and bibliographies | Not listed |
| Export | HTML, PDF, print, Word (through Pandoc), Render with Quarto | PDF and Word; HTML by copying |
iA Writer details from ia.net, its pricing and Markdown guide, checked October 2026.
Where Backtickle is the better choice
- Free, and open source. No purchase per platform.
- Linux. Backtickle ships a .deb and an AppImage alongside the macOS and Windows builds, all in one release.
- Technical documents. Mermaid and Graphviz diagrams, Pandoc citations, Quarto cross-references and callouts, and six Markdown flavors detected per file.
- Accessibility. Dyslexia-friendly reading, a reading ruler, high-contrast dividers, interface scaling and editable shortcuts, checked against WCAG 2.2 AA.
Where iA Writer is the better choice
- Prose writing tools. Style Check and Authorship tracking, which marks typed versus pasted text, have no equivalent in Backtickle.
- iPhone and iPad. iA Writer has polished mobile apps; Backtickle is desktop only.
- Design. iA Writer's typography and calm interface are its signature.
Switching from iA Writer
Your iA Writer library is a set of plain Markdown files in a folder (local, iCloud, Dropbox and so on). Open that folder in Backtickle with Open Folder. Turn on typewriter scrolling and the focus-line spotlight in Preferences for an iA-like writing mode.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to iA Writer?
Yes. Backtickle is a free, open-source Markdown editor and reader for macOS, Windows and Linux. It has typewriter scrolling, a focus-line spotlight and a reading ruler for focused writing, plus math, Mermaid diagrams, citations and export to PDF and Word.
Does iA Writer run on Linux?
No. iA Writer is available for macOS, Windows, iPhone and iPad. Backtickle runs on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Can Backtickle open iA Writer documents?
Yes. iA Writer stores plain Markdown files in your folders, and Backtickle opens the same files and folders directly.
More comparisons
- Backtickle vs Typora: Typora costs $14.99 and is closed source; Backtickle is free, open source and reads six Markdown flavors.
- Backtickle vs Obsidian: Obsidian is built for a linked vault of notes; Backtickle opens any Markdown file, in any flavor, and is open source.
- Backtickle vs MarkText: Both are free and MIT-licensed; Backtickle adds Pandoc, Quarto and Obsidian flavors, citations, a split view and Word export.
- Backtickle vs Zettlr: Zettlr is a research workbench with Zotero and a bundled Pandoc; Backtickle is a lighter reader and editor for every Markdown flavor.
- Backtickle vs MacDown: MacDown has not been updated since 2020 and needs Rosetta; Backtickle is a maintained, free split-view editor that runs natively on Apple silicon.
- Backtickle vs ghostwriter: ghostwriter is a distraction-free KDE editor that leans on Pandoc; Backtickle has math and diagrams built in and ships for macOS too.
- Backtickle vs Marked: Marked is a paid, Mac-only previewer for files written elsewhere; Backtickle previews and edits, for free, on three platforms.