Markdown Better View vs Marked
Both render your Markdown beautifully — but they are built for different jobs. Marked is a previewer for writers mid-document (with heavy-duty export); Markdown Better View is a viewer for reading, with Quick Look and a one-time price.
Short version: if you need DOCX/EPUB export, proofreading and writer tooling, get Marked. If you just want to read Markdown fast — AI output, READMEs, docs — with Quick Look and no subscription, Markdown Better View is the one-time $9.99 fit (and it live-previews too).
| Markdown Better View | Marked 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Viewer (+ live previewer) | Previewer for your editor |
| Price | $9.99 one-time | $2.99/mo · $29.99/yr (unlock costs more) |
| Subscription | No | Yes (primary) |
| Live reload on save | Yes | Yes |
| Quick Look + thumbnails | Yes | No |
| Open a folder as native tabs | Yes | No |
| Reading mode | Yes | Speed-reading overlay |
| Math (KaTeX) · Mermaid | Yes | Yes |
| Export PDF · Print | Yes | Yes |
| Export DOCX · EPUB · RTF | No | Yes |
| Proofreading · writer tools | No | Yes |
When to choose Marked
Marked is excellent and purpose-built for writing. Choose it if you draft long documents and need advanced export (DOCX, EPUB, RTF), proofreading, custom processors, or the polished writer tooling Brett Terpstra has refined over years. It pairs with your editor and previews live — that is its job, and it does it well.
When to choose Markdown Better View
Choose Markdown Better View if you mostly read Markdown rather than write it:
AI agent output (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT generate piles of .md), READMEs, notes,
and docs other people send you. You get a fast native viewer, Quick Look previews and thumbnails
in Finder, a table of contents, instant find, folder→tabs, KaTeX and Mermaid — for a
one-time $9.99, no subscription. And with live reload it still previews a file
you edit elsewhere, so for reading-plus-preview it replaces Marked at a fraction of the cost.
FAQ
- Is Markdown Better View an editor like the apps Marked previews for?
- No. It is a viewer — it opens and renders Markdown, it does not edit it. But because it live-reloads on save, it also covers the previewer job: edit in any editor and the view updates instantly.
- Does Marked require a subscription?
- Marked 3 leads with a subscription (about $2.99/month or $29.99/year introductory). A permanent unlock exists but costs several times more. Marked 2 is still sold as a one-time $14.99. Markdown Better View is a one-time $9.99 with no subscription.
- Can Markdown Better View preview a file I edit in another app?
- Yes. Live reload re-renders the document on every save, so it works as a live preview next to your editor — without pairing to a specific editor or a subscription.
- Does it show Markdown in Finder with Quick Look?
- Yes — press Space on any .md file for a rendered preview, plus rich thumbnails in every folder. Marked does not ship a Quick Look extension.
- Can it export to DOCX or EPUB like Marked?
- No. Markdown Better View exports to PDF and prints, but it is a reader, not a publishing tool. If you need DOCX/EPUB/RTF export, proofreading, or writer tooling, Marked is purpose-built for that.