A real Markdown editor
Three views — source, live preview, reading — with wikilinks, frontmatter and syntax highlighting. If you come from Obsidian, you are already home.
In active development — free at launch
Every file. One workspace. Zero cloud.
Atelier is a local-first desktop workspace where your Markdown notes, Word documents, PDFs and images live in one vault — and open, and get edited, without ever switching apps. Runnable code blocks are next.
Local app free forever · No account required · Your files stay on your disk
One vault, every format —
.md
.docx
.pdf
.png
.svg
.txt
and soon
.xlsx
.pptx
▶ code
Features
The workspace that replaces three apps
Today, editing a Word file that lives in your notes vault takes six steps and two clouds. In Atelier it takes a click — everything opens where it already lives.
Word documents, real pages
Open a .docx and edit it on true A4 pages: fonts, tables, line spacing, headers and footers with page numbers. Saving writes a proper Word file back.
PDFs you can work in
Select text, search inside the document, highlight in three colors that save into the PDF itself — and automatic OCR turns scanned pages into searchable text.
Images with annotations
Draw, add arrows, shapes and rotatable text, crop, adjust brightness and contrast, extract text with OCR — a full image studio inside your vault.
A vault that behaves
A plain folder on your disk, watched live. Quick open, full-text search that reads inside PDFs and DOCX too, drag-and-drop, and deleting means the system trash — never gone for good.
Runnable code blocks Soon
Type /js or /python and get a block with a Run button. Mini-projects — multiple files attached to a note — run in a sandboxed preview, with hot reload.
Local-first
Your files never leave your disk
Atelier is built on a simple promise: no account, no server, no telemetry. Everything happens on your machine, in plain files you can open with any other app.
- Plain files, plain folders. No proprietary database — a vault is just a directory. Leave anytime, take everything with you.
- Atomic saves. Every write goes to a temporary file first, then swaps in. A crash can never corrupt your document.
- Light by design. A native app of a few megabytes — not a browser in disguise. It starts fast and stays out of your way.
- Sync will be a choice. When multi-device sync arrives, it will be optional and end-to-end encrypted — the server will never read your content.
Compare
Where Atelier fits
We love these tools — Atelier exists for the gap between them.
| Atelier | Obsidian | Notion | VS Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local files, fully offline | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Markdown knowledge base | ✓ | ✓ | partial | partial |
| Edit Word documents | ✓ | ✗ | import only | ✗ |
| PDF: search, highlight, OCR | ✓ | view only | ✗ | ✗ |
| Run code inside notes | coming — V2 | ✗ | ✗ | not notes |
| No account required | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Roadmap
Built in the open, one act at a time
Atelier grows in deliberate stages — each one useful on its own, each one shipping before the next begins.
Foundation
“Obsidian that also opens DOCX and PDF”
- Markdown editor with 3 views
- DOCX editing on real pages
- Advanced PDF viewer + OCR
- Image editing & annotations
- Vaults, search, system trash
Power user
“The workspace that replaces three apps”
- Runnable code blocks (JS, Python)
- Mini-projects inside notes
- Developer mode toggle
- Excel & PowerPoint viewers
- Optional encrypted sync
Teams
“A local-first alternative to Notion”
- Shared vaults
- Per-folder permissions
- Audit log
- Node.js & PHP execution
Platform
“Make it yours”
- Plugin system
- Local, private AI search
- Graph view
- Mobile companion
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is Atelier free?
Yes. The local app — every viewer, every editor, every file format — is free, permanently. It is not a trial. Optional paid services (like multi-device sync) will arrive later, and only ever as an addition.
When can I try it?
Atelier is in active development and internal builds are already shipping. Leave your email with “Stay updated” and you’ll be the first to know when the public beta opens — that’s the only kind of email we’ll send.
Which platforms will it support?
Atelier is a native desktop app built with Tauri — a single binary of a few megabytes, not a bundled browser. Windows comes first; macOS and Linux are planned.
Can I use my existing Obsidian vault?
Yes. An Atelier vault is just a folder of plain files, and your Markdown stays Markdown — wikilinks included. Open the same folder in Atelier and everything is there, untouched. Nothing stops you from using both apps on the same vault.
Does it send my data anywhere?
No. There is no account, no server and no telemetry — your files never leave your disk. When optional sync arrives, it will be end-to-end encrypted: the server stores ciphertext it cannot read.
Early access
Be the first to open Atelier
Leave your email and we’ll write only when it matters: the first public beta, the launch. No newsletters, no noise.