One plan, two ways to pay.
Marginal is a subscription that covers editing. Reading, preview, print, and export always work, signed in or not, and the AI runs on your own API key.
Marginal · every platform
- 14-day trial of the full app, no card
- Editing on macOS, Windows, and Linux with one account
- Inline AI editing with your own API key, never gated
- Six coding agents' files listed in the sidebar
- Ten built-in themes, add-on themes welcome
- Updates included
Sign in inside the app to start the 14 days. Payment goes through Stripe.
Always works, subscription or not
- Opening files and folders
- Reading, and the live preview
- Print, PDF export, and HTML export
- Themes, light and dark
- Saving a document you changed while licensed
Needs the trial or a subscription
- Editing in the text pane
- Creating new documents
- Applying an AI edit, since an edit is an edit
If a subscription lapses, Marginal turns read-only rather than locking up. Your files are plain markdown on your disk, and they are never held hostage.
Questions
What platforms does Marginal run on?
macOS 12 or later, Windows 10 or later, and Linux on x86_64 or aarch64. It is the same app on all three, with a few differences that follow each platform's conventions; the manual's platforms page lists them.
How does the trial start?
Install Marginal and sign in from Settings ▸ Account with Google or GitHub. The first sign-in starts a 14-day trial of the full app. No card is asked for, and nothing is charged when the trial ends; the editor simply becomes read-only until you subscribe.
Is there a free plan?
No, but reading is free. Opening files, the preview, printing, and PDF and HTML export work without a subscription, signed in or not. The subscription is what makes the editor writable.
What happens if I stop paying?
Marginal turns read-only. Your files stay where they are, everything that reads keeps working, and a document you changed while you were licensed can still be saved. Nothing is ever locked.
Does the AI cost extra?
The AI features run on your own API key from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, or Alibaba Cloud, and the vendor bills usage to that key. Marginal's subscription never gates the AI, and the key is stored in your system keychain, not on Marginal's servers.
How do I cancel or change my plan?
Settings ▸ Account ▸ Manage subscription… opens the Stripe customer portal, where you can switch between monthly and yearly, update the card, download invoices, and cancel.
Do I need to be online?
Only to sign in and to subscribe. After that the licence is checked once a day in the background, and a network failure changes nothing; you can keep working offline.
What if a payment fails?
The status shows Payment issue and editing keeps working for a few days while you update the card. After that the app is read-only until the payment goes through.
Can I use it on more than one computer?
Yes. Sign in with the same account on each machine. Settings ▸ Account lists the devices signed in, lets you rename them, and lets you deactivate one you no longer use.
More in the manual: Account and subscription.
Try it for 14 days
Download Marginal, sign in, and the trial starts. No card, and reading stays free afterwards.