free & open source · GPL-3.0 · now on the Snap Store
Markdown that reads like a finished document.
Sarala is a minimal writing app that renders Markdown the moment you type it — no split panes, no preview window, no friction. Free forever, open source, and yours to hack on.
macOS · Windows · Linux · built with Tauri · no account, no telemetry
welcome.md Search commands… ⌘K Live Source
Welcome to Sarala
A seamless WYSIWYG Markdown editor built with Tauri and SolidJS — no preview pane, no split view. Click any block to edit its Markdown source; click away and it renders in place.
Why no preview window?
A Markdown document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it's been marked up with tags or formatting instructions.
Split panes duplicate content, waste half the screen, and pull your eyes away from the writing. Here, the editing surface is the preview.
What works
- Live blocks — click to reveal source, blur to render
- Keyboard:
Cmd/Ctrl+Bbold,Iitalic,Klink,1–6headings - Task lists with clickable checkboxes
- try checking this
- this one is done
196 words 1,184 chars 1 min read Ln 1, Col 1 Saved Markdown · UTF-8 Sarala Default
palette
Built with a fast, modern, native stack
Tauri SolidJS Rust KaTeX Shiki Mermaid D2
Screenshots
See Sarala in action.
Real captures from the app — the live editor, syntax highlighting, math, diagrams and more. Click any shot to open it full-size.
WYSIWYM
You write the markup. We render it instantly.
Most editors split your screen in two: raw text on the left, a preview on the right, and a scrollbar
fighting between them. Sarala collapses both into one surface. Type
**bold** and it turns bold under your cursor — the syntax stays close, but never
in your way.
01
No split, no lag
The document you edit is the document you'll publish. Rendering happens on the same line you're typing.
02
Markers when you need them
Move your cursor into a heading or link and its Markdown reappears — color-coded, ready to edit.
03
Smart list & block continuation
Sarala auto-numbers lists, carries over unchecked tasks, continues blockquotes, and handles code fences for you.
essay.md
The quiet tools
Good software is invisible. It lets you forget it's there and just write.
A tool should feel like a pencil, not a cockpit.
- –Zero chrome
- –Pure keyboard flow
- Reads like print
Learn more at sarala.md.
One editor, everything in it
One plain-text file. Every kind of content.
Tables, code, math and diagrams, rendered the moment you type them — plus a command palette, live outline, focus mode and typewriter scrolling that keep a long writing session in flow.
Tables, without the pain
Draw a table with pipes and dashes, or use the visual builder. Sort columns, add rows, and align cells — Sarala keeps the underlying Markdown tidy.
| Feature | Sarala | Others |
|---|---|---|
| Live render | instant | on save |
| Math | LaTeX | plugin |
Fenced code
Shiki-powered syntax highlighting for 100+ languages, themed to match your palette.
def hello():
return "hi"
Math & equations
Inline and block LaTeX, rendered with KaTeX as you write.
eiπ + 1 = 0 · ab
Diagrams — Mermaid & D2
Flowcharts, sequences and animated D2 pipelines, straight from a fenced code block.
client gateway queue worker
Images, footnotes & tasks
Drag an image in and it's copied beside your file. Footnotes,1 reference links and ☑ task lists all render live.
 - [ ] todo text[^1]
Command palette ⌘K
Every command, file, and heading — one keystroke away. Never reach for the mouse.
⌘ Toggle focus mode
⇧ Switch palette…
↦ Export as PDF
Live outline
Every heading becomes a jump-to anchor as you write.
▸ Sprint 24 — notes
▸ Today
· Ship inline editor
· Theme switcher
· Command palette
▸ Blockers
· Font loading race
· Export edge cases
▸ Next week
· Review docs
· Plugin API draft
▸ Backlog
· Mobile layout
· Folder sync
Your fonts
Pick any installed editor & code font.
EditorCode
Newsreader
JetBrains Mono
Focus mode
Dim everything but the sentence you're writing.
File tree
Open a folder and Sarala becomes your whole notebook.
▾ /notes
sprint-24.md
essay.md
Typewriter mode
The line you type stays centered on screen.
>
Always current
Built-in updater ships new versions the moment they land.
Export anywhere
One document, every format. Your words aren't locked in.
PDF HTML .docx LaTeX EPUB .md
Seven built-in palettes
Pick a palette. The whole app follows.
Every Sarala palette is a complete, hand-tuned color system — backgrounds, text, and a six-color accent set for your syntax. Click any card to recolor this entire page, right now.
apply ✦
Sarala ☀ light
the signature warm parchment
# heading
**bold** · code
apply ✦
Pro
the signature warm dark
# heading
**bold** · code
apply ✦
Octagon
cool, deep indigo
# heading
**bold** · code
apply ✦
Machine
teal-tinted graphite
# heading
**bold** · code
apply ✦
Ristretto
warm espresso brown
# heading
**bold** · code
apply ✦
Spectrum
neutral, true black
# heading
**bold** · code
apply ✦
Classic
the original, since '06
# heading
**bold** · code
Free & open source
Free forever. Owned by everyone.
Sarala is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0. No price, no license keys, no telemetry — read the source, build it yourself, fork it, and ship your changes back.
sarala — git:(main) LICENSEREADME.md
$git clone github.com/solancer/sarala
$cd sarala && pnpm install
$pnpm tauri build
✓ bundled Sarala.app
No telemetry
Sarala never phones home. Your files, your keystrokes, and your habits stay on your machine — verifiably, because you can read the code.
Built in the open
Every line is on GitHub under GPL-3.0. Open an issue, send a pull request, or fork it into something entirely your own.
Plain-text forever
Your documents are just .md files on disk. No proprietary format, no lock-in — open them in any editor, any decade.
get-sarala.md
Get started
Download Sarala
The native, no-friction Markdown editor for Linux, macOS & Windows. Free, open source, and yours to keep.
Sarala_1.1.2_universal.dmg · 27.5 MB · v1.1.2
Ubuntu .deb Debian .deb Fedora .rpm Snap store
universal build, Apple Silicon & Intel
Opening Sarala the first time
Installing the .dmg by hand? macOS blocks apps that Apple hasn’t notarized. Clearing it takes about ten seconds, and you only do it once. Homebrew handles this for you.
-
Put Sarala in Applications
Open the downloaded
.dmgand drag the Sarala icon onto the Applications folder. -
Run this line once
Press ⌘Space, type Terminal, then paste the command below and hit Return.
Terminal xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sarala.appIt clears the “downloaded from the internet” quarantine flag on Sarala, and nothing else on your Mac.
-
Open Sarala
Launch it from Applications. Every launch after this one is normal.
Seeing “Sarala is damaged and can’t be opened”? Your download is fine. That is simply how Gatekeeper describes an un-notarized app on Apple Silicon, and either method above clears it.
Notarization needs a paid Apple Developer account. Sarala is free and open source, so you can verify the release checksums or build it from source instead of taking our word for it.
Rather use Homebrew?
Three lines in Terminal instead of the download: no disk image to drag, no first-launch warning, and brew upgrade keeps Sarala current.
brew tap solancer/sarala https://github.com/solancer/saralabrew trust --cask solancer/sarala/saralabrew install --cask --yes sarala
tap points Homebrew at the Sarala repository, trust approves that source once, and install puts Sarala 1.1.2 in your Applications folder. Later on, brew upgrade --cask sarala updates it.