The short answer
If you write for a living on a Mac and want proofing, statistics, custom styles and a long list of export formats, Marked is the stronger tool and worth its price. If you mainly need to read Markdown well, on a Mac, on Windows or in a browser, with nothing to set up first, MarkdownPaper is the simpler and cheaper answer.
Where Marked is the better choice
- Proofing and statistics. Marked checks grammar and style, counts words, and reports readability scores such as Flesch Kincaid and the Fog Index. MarkdownPaper has none of that.
- Export. Marked exports PDF, HTML, Word, RTF, EPUB and more, and Marked 3 reads Word documents as well as writing them. MarkdownPaper prints to PDF, saves an HTML file and copies rich text.
- Control. Custom CSS, a choice of Markdown processors, and in Marked 3 custom processors and rules that change how a document is rendered. MarkdownPaper is deliberately fixed: three paper stocks and one renderer.
- Long projects. Documents built from several files, Scrivener integration, and tabbed windows. MarkdownPaper opens one document at a time, with a library beside it.
- Reading modes of its own. Marked 3 adds full screen reading, autoscroll and a speed reading overlay.
- Maturity. A decade of writers' requests has gone into Marked, and it works alongside Scrivener, Ulysses, Obsidian and any plain text editor.
Where MarkdownPaper is the better choice
- Windows, and any browser. Marked is Mac only. MarkdownPaper has a Windows app, a Mac app, and a free web reader that runs anywhere, all with the same renderer.
- Nothing to set up. Open a file and it is typeset: tables, highlighted code, footnotes, task lists, KaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams, with no processor, style or preference to choose first.
- The page as typography. Text is set to a measure counted in characters, 74 by default, in a serif made for reading. Drag either edge of the page to change it. The contents sit in the page margin, and the few controls fade out while you read.
- Small fixes without a second app. MarkdownPaper has a focused editor of its own, and the desktop app saves a correction back to the file. Marked is built to sit beside the editor you already use.
- Trying before paying. The web reader is free, with no account and no install, and nothing is uploaded: the page is rendered in your browser.
- Handing it on. Print gives real page margins for a PDF, and a rendered page copies into Google Docs with its headings and tables intact. A share link carries the whole document inside the link.
Both follow a file while something else edits it. Marked has done so for years; the MarkdownPaper desktop app does too, which is why it suits a plan or spec that a coding agent keeps rewriting. The web reader shows a file as it was when you opened it.
Side by side
| Marked | MarkdownPaper | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Previewing, proofing and exporting beside an editor | Reading the finished page |
| Where it runs | Mac only | Any browser, or a Mac and Windows app |
| Trying it | A 7 day trial | The web reader, free with no install |
| Follows file changes | Yes, from any editor | Yes, in the desktop app |
| Appearance | Built in themes and custom CSS | Three paper stocks, width set in characters |
| Math and diagrams | Marked 3: MathJax, KaTeX and Mermaid | KaTeX and Mermaid |
| Export | PDF, HTML, Word, RTF, EPUB and more | Print to PDF, self contained HTML, rich text |
| Editing | Left to your editor | A focused editor for quick fixes |
Marked 2 or Marked 3?
If you are choosing within Marked rather than between Marked and something else: Marked 3 adds Mermaid diagrams, MathJax and KaTeX, reading and writing Word documents, EPUB export with custom CSS, custom processors and rules, and its new reading modes. Marked 2 remains on sale for people whose needs are simpler, as a one time purchase. Both run only on the Mac; Marked 2 needs macOS 10.12 or later and Marked 3 needs macOS 11 or later.
Price
Marked 2 costs 2.99 a month or 4.99 and 69.99 that will rise to 69.99, paid once. Those are the prices on Marked's pricing page on the date at the top of this page.
The MarkdownPaper desktop app: Coming soon to the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store. $6.99 launch price, paid once, with no subscription. About the desktop app.
MarkdownPaper is sold separately in each store, so a Mac and a Windows PC need a purchase each. The web reader stays free on both.
Questions
Is there a version of Marked for Windows?
No. Marked 2 and Marked 3 are Mac apps only. On Windows, the MarkdownPaper desktop app and its free web reader are built for reading, and if you want a full editor instead, the Typora comparison covers one that runs on Windows and Linux too.
Is Marked free?
No. Both versions offer a 7 day trial, then Marked 2 is a one time purchase and Marked 3 is a subscription or a permanent unlock.
Does MarkdownPaper watch a file the way Marked does?
The desktop app does: keep a document open and it updates when another program saves the file, and it waits while you are editing in MarkdownPaper so it never overwrites what you are typing. The web reader does not watch files.
Can I use MarkdownPaper and Marked together?
Yes, since both open the same plain .md files. A common split is Marked
while a document is being written and proofed, and MarkdownPaper for the
people who will only read it, particularly anyone on Windows.