# atiea

> atiea is a native Mac app for markdown notes. It has live markdown highlighting, wiki links and backlinks, #tags, smart filters and an archive, a grid with groups, focus mode, and export to Markdown, HTML, PDF and DOCX. Notes are stored locally on the Mac. No account is required. Requires macOS 15 or later. An iPhone and iPad app with iCloud sync is coming soon. Made by North Human Limited. Registered in England and Wales under company number 15842252. Registered office: 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, England, United Kingdom, EC2A 4NE.

## Product
- [Home](https://atiea.app/): overview and FAQ
- [About](https://atiea.app/about): facts about the app and publisher
- [FAQ](https://atiea.app/faq): all questions and answers
- [Glossary](https://atiea.app/glossary): definitions of markdown and note-taking terms
- [Full text of this site](https://atiea.app/llms-full.txt)
- [Features](https://atiea.app/features): full feature list and shortcuts
- [Markdown editor for Mac](https://atiea.app/markdown-editor-for-mac): what atiea offers as a markdown editor
- [Privacy](https://atiea.app/privacy): how data is handled

## Comparisons
- [atiea vs Obsidian](https://atiea.app/alternatives/obsidian-alternative): Choose Obsidian if you want a deeply customizable, cross-platform knowledge base. Choose atiea if you want a calm, native Mac app with wiki links, backlinks and tags that works the moment you open it.
- [atiea vs Notion](https://atiea.app/alternatives/notion-alternative): Notion is a cloud workspace for teams, databases and docs. If you mainly want to write and link notes, atiea is a lighter, local-first alternative that opens instantly and stores notes on your Mac.
- [atiea vs Apple Notes](https://atiea.app/alternatives/apple-notes-alternative): Apple Notes is great for quick everyday notes. If you want to write in markdown and link ideas together, atiea gives you that in a native Mac app.
- [atiea vs Bear](https://atiea.app/alternatives/bear-alternative): Bear and atiea share a love of calm design. atiea leans local-first with wiki links, backlinks and multi-format export; Bear is a well-established Apple-ecosystem app. Try both and keep the one that feels right.

## Guides
- [Best Markdown Notes Apps for Mac in 2026](https://atiea.app/blog/best-markdown-notes-app-for-mac): The best markdown notes app for Mac depends on what you want. atiea is a calm, native, local-first option; Obsidian is the most extensible; Bear is polished and Apple-only; Apple Notes is built in; Notion is best for team workspaces.
- [Does Apple Notes Support Markdown?](https://atiea.app/blog/does-apple-notes-support-markdown): Not natively. Apple Notes uses its own rich-text format and does not render or store notes as markdown. Recent versions can export to markdown, but if you want to write in markdown day to day, use a markdown-first app such as atiea.
- [What Are Wiki Links and Backlinks in Note-Taking?](https://atiea.app/blog/what-are-wiki-links-and-backlinks): A wiki link is a link to another note written with double square brackets, like [[Project ideas]]. A backlink is the automatic reverse link: every note that points at the note you are reading.
- [Zettelkasten for Beginners: A Simple Markdown Workflow](https://atiea.app/blog/zettelkasten-for-beginners): Zettelkasten is a note-taking method built on small, single-idea notes linked together. You can run it with any markdown notes app that supports wiki links and backlinks, no special software required.
- [How to Take Notes in Markdown (With a Cheat Sheet)](https://atiea.app/blog/how-to-take-notes-in-markdown): To take notes in markdown, write plain text and add a few symbols for structure: # for headings, - for lists, **bold**, [ ] for tasks, and [[double brackets]] for links. That handles 95% of note-taking.
- [Why a Local-First Notes App Is Better for Privacy](https://atiea.app/blog/private-local-first-notes-app): A local-first notes app stores your notes on your own device by default and works offline. It is more private because your writing does not have to pass through a company's servers to be usable.
- [Obsidian Alternatives: 6 Apps Like Obsidian for Mac](https://atiea.app/blog/obsidian-alternatives): Good Obsidian alternatives for Mac include atiea (calm and native), Logseq (open-source outliner), Joplin (open-source markdown), Bear (polished, Apple-only), Notion (team workspace) and Apple Notes (built in). Obsidian itself is not open source.
- [Obsidian vs Notion: Which Is Right for Notes?](https://atiea.app/blog/obsidian-vs-notion): Choose Obsidian for local, customizable, linked markdown notes. Choose Notion for a collaborative cloud workspace with databases. If you want something calmer than both for personal notes on Mac, atiea is a third option.
- [Markdown Cheat Sheet for Mac: Every Syntax You Need](https://atiea.app/blog/markdown-cheat-sheet): Markdown formats text with plain characters: # for headings, ** for bold, - for lists, [text](url) for links, ``` for code blocks, and | for tables. This cheat sheet covers all of it in one place.
- [What Is an MD File? How to Open One on Mac](https://atiea.app/blog/what-is-an-md-file): An MD file is a plain-text file written in markdown, usually ending in .md. On a Mac you can open it with TextEdit, any code or text editor, or a markdown app such as atiea.
- [Markdown Tables Explained: Syntax, Alignment and Examples](https://atiea.app/blog/markdown-tables): A markdown table uses pipes (|) between columns and a row of dashes under the header: | Name | Role |, then | --- | --- |, then your rows. Add colons to the dashes to align columns.
- [How to Convert Markdown to PDF or Word on Mac](https://atiea.app/blog/convert-markdown-to-pdf-and-word-on-mac): The easiest way to convert markdown to PDF or Word on Mac is to export from a markdown app such as atiea, which exports to PDF, DOCX, HTML and Markdown. Alternatively use the command-line tool Pandoc.
- [Markdown Task Lists and Checklists: Syntax and Workflow](https://atiea.app/blog/markdown-task-lists-and-checklists): Make a markdown checklist with a dash, a space and square brackets: - [ ] for an open task and - [x] for a finished one. Nest tasks by indenting.
- [Choosing a Markdown Note-Taking App: A 7-Point Checklist](https://atiea.app/blog/markdown-note-taking-app-checklist): When choosing a markdown note-taking app for Mac, check seven things: how notes are stored, how markdown is displayed, linking, tags, export, speed and privacy. Use this checklist to compare any app, including atiea.