Smart blocks
∑i=1n i² = n(n+1)(2n+1)⁄6
Draft→Review→Ship
Diagrams, math & charts
that just render
Mermaid, Vega-Lite, KaTeX, and a live calculation engine — type the source, watch it render in place.
Local-first · Built native for macOS
Write in markdown.
Think in blocks.
The native editor that turns plain .md files into a Notion-grade writing surface — with AI that drafts alongside you and exports that look hand-set.
Free to start · macOS 13+ · Your files never leave your Mac.
Product Brief.md
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Product Brief
Ampersand turns plain markdown into a calm writing surface.
2h ago
Q3 Roadmap
Milestones, owners, and target dates for the quarter.
Yesterday
Launch Notes
Positioning, pricing, and the day-one checklist.
Mon
# Product Brief
*Ampersand · v1 launch*
Ampersand turns plain markdown into a calm writing surface — every note a file you own.
## Goals
- [x] Define the core thesis
- [ ] Draft the launch note
> Plain files. Real ownership. No lock-in.
Export
Product Brief
Ampersand · v1 launch
Ampersand turns plain markdown into a calm writing surface — every note a file you own.
Goals
Define the core thesis
Draft the launch note
Plain files. Real ownership. No lock-in.
Saved1,185 words7,605 characters6 min read⌘K
Product Briefesc
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Product Brief↵
Q3 Roadmap
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StyleProduct Brief.md
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+5AI providers — or run fully offline, on-device.
Claude
OpenAI
Apple Intelligence
Ollama
Markdown
Git history
Native desktop
The surface
Everything you need to write ship
Powerful editing, intelligence, and export — beautifully unified in one fast, native app.
Proposal.md
Live Source Split
Export
Proposal
Agentic Platform
Prepared 2026-06-18 · Rate $9,000 / wk
A modern platform delivering instant scoring and in-app agents — designed to run alongside the current system.
Phase A — Core platform
| # | Feature | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R&D & discovery | 1 wk | $12,000 |
| 2 | Core platform build | 4 wks | $60,000 |
| 3 | Launch & QA | 2 wks | $28,000 |
Saved1,185 words7,605 characters6 min read⌘K
Agent Working Done
Q3-forecast.xlsx rates.pdf
Analyze these and add a pricing table under Phase A.
Searched the web
agency-rates-2026.com market-report.io/pricing
Inserted pricing table
Working…
Added a 3-tier table from the forecast and current market rates.
Drop files to attach
ClaudeGPTLocal
Ask the Agent…
Q3-forecast.xlsxSpreadsheet · 84 KB
rates.pdfPDF · 1.2 MB
IntelligenceAI that drafts
AI that drafts
alongside you
Autocomplete a sentence, rewrite a paragraph, summarize a page, or hand the whole document to an agent — powered by Claude, GPT, Apple Intelligence, or a local model that never leaves your Mac.
- Inline ghost-text autocomplete
- Rewrite, expand, translate, grammar
- Agent mode with tool use
Auto page break
Hmm, looks kinda bad…
Exported Product Brief.pdf
ExportExports that look
Exports that look
hand-set
A real vector engine renders your document to pixel-perfect PDF, Word, HTML, or Markdown — with smart page breaks that move a block to the next page instead of splitting it across the seam, plus running headers, syntax-highlighted code, and editable math.
- PDF, Word, HTML & Markdown
- Smart breaks — never a split block
- Drop in your own page breaks
Strategy.md.age
Encrypted · age + ChaCha20
Strategy
The plan stays on this Mac — plain text, end-to-end encrypted at rest.
Lock with a passphrase
Ship the launch
Unlocked with Touch ID
Touch ID
Unlock “Strategy.md.age”
OwnershipYour words,
Your words,
encrypted yours
Just plain .md files on your disk. Lock any note with a Touch-ID passphrase, travel back through git-backed version history, and search the whole vault at ripgrep speed — no account, no cloud.
- Per-note encryption (age + Touch ID)
- Time-machine version history
- Instant full-text vault search
Why AmpersandBuilt for writers
Built for writers
who own their words
Made for people who care about speed, privacy, and craft.
Native, not Electron
Built in Rust + Tauri. Launches instantly and sips memory.
Plain markdown, forever
Every document is a real .md file you can open anywhere.
Bring your own AI
Claude, GPT, Apple Intelligence, Ollama, or any CLI agent.
Pixel-perfect export
Vector PDF, native Word, and HTML from a single source.
Time-machine history
Git-backed versions for every save. Restore anything.
Search the whole vault
Ripgrep-quality full-text search across every note.
Diagrams, math & charts
Command
Type a command or search…⌘K
Actions
Ask AI to continue writing⏎
Export as PDF⌘E
Insert smart block/
Open version history⌘⇧H
Drive everything
from the keyboard
A Cmd-K palette, slash commands, and a quick-switcher put every action one keystroke away.
Flow
The paragraph above gently fades from view.
The sentence you are writing stays perfectly sharp
…and the next one dims away again.
Stay in flow,
stay offline
Focus, typewriter, and zen modes keep the page quiet — and everything runs on-device.
Loved by makers
What writers say about Ampersand
Real words from people who write, ship, and own their work.
MCFieldnote
“It replaced Notion and my PDF pipeline in a single afternoon.”
The export engine alone is worth it — our docs finally look typeset, not printed from a browser.
TVSelf-published
“Finally, a markdown app that gets out of my way.”
Zen mode and typewriter scrolling make 2,000-word mornings feel effortless.
PRNorthwind
“Local AI on my own notes, with zero cloud risk.”
I point it at Ollama and nothing ever leaves the laptop. Security signed off in a day.
AnswersFrequently asked
Frequently asked
questions
Everything about pricing, privacy, and how Ampersand fits your workflow.
Still have questions?
Our team is happy to walk you through everything.
The core editor is free forever. A one-time Pro license ($49, or $29 at launch) unlocks export, AI agents, encryption, and multi-vault — backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee. No subscription.
As plain .md files in a folder you choose — locally, in iCloud Drive, or any synced folder. There's no proprietary database and no account, so your library is portable forever.
Claude, OpenAI, Apple Intelligence, local models through Ollama, and any CLI agent. Bring your own API key, or run completely on-device — routing is configurable per feature.
Yes. Everything except cloud AI works with no network at all. Pair Ampersand with a local model and the entire app — editing, search, AI, and export — runs offline.
Both — plus HTML and a markdown bundle. A real vector engine renders pixel-perfect pages with running headers, footers, smart page breaks, syntax-highlighted code, and native math.
macOS today (13 Ventura and later), built natively with Tauri for instant launch and a tiny footprint. Windows and Linux are on the roadmap.
Get startedReady to own
Ready to own
your writing?
Start with a blank page built for your best work — free, native, and entirely yours.
Download for MacOnboarding in ~2 minutes
Free to start · macOS 13+ · No account required