MacMD ViewerMacMD Viewer vs MD-Viewer: Free App Store Reader (2026)
MD-Viewer is free, it runs on Macs going back to High Sierra, and it exports PDF — if your Mac is too old for anything else, it is the answer and it costs nothing. MacMD Viewer is worth $19.99 over it only for what MD-Viewer does not advertise at all: Quick Look previews in Finder, Mermaid diagrams, and live reload while a file is being written.
MD-Viewer is free on the Mac App Store and exports PDF — but it is a 124.8 MB download with no Quick Look and no Mermaid. Both facts checked at the source.
How Does MacMD Viewer Compare to MD-Viewer?
| Feature | MacMD Viewer | MD-Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 one-time | Free |
| Minimum macOS | 14.0 | 10.13, per its App Store listing |
| Download size | 5.4 MB DMG, 16 MB installed | 124.8 MB, per its App Store listing |
| Quick Look preview in Finder | Yes | Not advertised on its site |
| Mermaid diagrams | Yes — bundled, offline, also inside Quick Look | Not advertised on its site |
| Live reload | Yes — re-renders when an editor or an agent saves | Not advertised on its site |
| Document themes | 12 built-in | Dark mode with theme persistence |
| Table of contents | Document outline | Auto-generated sidebar |
| Search inside a document | Yes | Yes |
| Export | Print and PDF | PDF export |
| Syntax highlighting languages | ~34 | 100+, per its own homepage |
| Platforms | macOS only | macOS and Windows |
| Distribution | Direct DMG, Homebrew cask, Setapp | Mac App Store |
| Version and updates | 1.8.x | 1.2.1, updated 2026-06-17 |
MD-Viewer's official site: www.md-viewer.com
$19.99 one-time · 14-day money-back · No subscription
What Does Each Tool Cost Over Time?
| Period | MacMD Viewer | MD-Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | $19.99 | Free (Mac App Store) |
| After 1 year | $19.99 | Free (Mac App Store) |
| After 3 years | $19.99 | Free (Mac App Store) |
Both MacMD Viewer and MD-Viewer are one-time purchases. No recurring costs.
When is the free app enough?
If your Mac runs a macOS older than Sonoma, or you open a Markdown file now and then, MD-Viewer is enough and costs nothing. The $19.99 buys what MD-Viewer does not advertise: a Quick Look preview in Finder, Mermaid diagrams in the app and in Quick Look, and live reload while an editor or an agent rewrites the file. It also buys installation outside the App Store, by direct download, Homebrew or Setapp. A direct purchase is refundable within 14 days.
What Are the Pros and Cons?
MacMD Viewer
Pros
- +Quick Look extension — select a `.md` file in Finder, press Space, read it rendered
- +Mermaid diagrams render, including inside the Finder preview, with no network
- +Live reload, so a document being written by an agent updates as you watch it
- +12 document themes rather than a light and dark switch
- +5.4 MB to download against a 124.8 MB App Store listing
- +Installs outside the App Store — direct DMG, Homebrew, Setapp
Cons
- -$19.99 against free
- -Requires macOS 14; MD-Viewer's listing goes back to macOS 10.13
- -~34 syntax highlighting languages against a claimed 100+
- -macOS only; MD-Viewer also ships for Windows
- -No App Store distribution, so no family sharing and no Apple-handled refunds
MD-Viewer
Pros
- +Free, with no tier and no upsell
- +Runs on macOS 10.13 and later, which covers Macs nothing else supports
- +On the Mac App Store, so installation, updates and refunds go through Apple
- +PDF export with formatting preserved
- +Auto-generated table of contents sidebar and in-document search
- +Dark mode with theme persistence
- +Also available for Windows
Cons
- -124.8 MB download for a Markdown viewer, per its own App Store listing
- -No Quick Look extension advertised, so Space in Finder still shows raw text
- -No Mermaid diagram rendering advertised anywhere on its site
- -No live reload advertised, so a file rewritten by an agent needs reopening
- -Theming is light and dark, not a set of document themes
When Should You Choose MD-Viewer vs MacMD Viewer?
Choose MD-Viewer if:
- →You need to write and edit Markdown files, not just read them
- →You work across Mac, Windows, and Linux
- →You prefer a WYSIWYG or split-pane editing experience
Choose MacMD Viewer if:
- →You primarily read and review Markdown files, not write them
- →You want QuickLook preview: press Space in Finder to see any .md file rendered
- →You need Mermaid diagram rendering without plugins or configuration
- →You want a native macOS app that launches instantly and uses minimal resources
$19.99 one-time · 14-day money-back · No subscription
MacMD Viewer vs MD-Viewer: which one should you install?
MD-Viewer is free, it is on the Mac App Store, and it installs on Macs going back to macOS 10.13. If either of those two facts is decisive for you — no budget, or a Mac that cannot run macOS 14 — MD-Viewer is the answer and nothing below changes that.
Disclosure: this page is published by macmdviewer.com, which sells MacMD Viewer for $19.99 one-time. MD-Viewer is published by M25 and its App Store listing reports version 1.2.1, free, 124.8 MB, macOS 10.13 or later, first released 2025-12-01 and last updated 2026-06-17 (Apple's App Store API, checked 2026-09-28).
The two apps have similar names and are not related in any way.
Who MacMD Viewer is built for
"Mac users who read Markdown" is a category, not a segment. The people who buy MacMD Viewer and keep it are narrower, and their published reviews say it plainly. One wrote: "I am not a developer and don't have other software on my computer besides TextEdit to work with MD files. Diving into the AI vibe coding world though…" Another: "I use MacMD Viewer to look at all the MD files Claude Code generates."
That is the segment — someone whose Mac filled up with .md files they did not write, who wants to read them the way they read a PDF: from Finder, at a glance, without learning a tool.
It matters here because that person's habit is the whole comparison. They select a file in Finder and press Space. If that gesture has to become "right-click, Open With, wait for a 124.8 MB app", the tool has already lost the moment it was bought for — and if it does not, MD-Viewer is free and this page costs you nothing to ignore.
What MD-Viewer does
Its homepage lists the feature set plainly: clean rendering with typography it describes as inspired by Claude's artifacts, dark mode with theme persistence, PDF export with formatting preserved, in-document search, an auto-generated table of contents sidebar, and syntax highlighting it claims for 100+ languages. There is a Windows build too.
That is a coherent, useful reader, and it costs nothing.
What it does not advertise
Three things, and they are the three that decide this comparison. Across its homepage, its features section and its support page, checked 2026-08-11, MD-Viewer's site does not mention:
- Quick Look. Space in Finder will still show you raw Markdown.
- Mermaid. If your documents carry diagram code fences, they stay as code.
- Live reload. A file rewritten by an editor or an agent needs reopening.
These are absences from its own marketing, not tested absences: this comparison did not install the app to prove a negative. If any of the three matters to you, check it yourself before choosing on the strength of this page.
The size difference, since it is unusual
MD-Viewer's App Store listing reports 124.8 MB. MacMD Viewer is a 5.4 MB download, about 16 MB installed.
For a free app, download size is often irrelevant — you install it once and forget it. It is worth a line here only because 124.8 MB for a document reader normally indicates a bundled runtime rather than a native one, and that shows up later as launch time and memory rather than as disk. Whether you notice depends on your Mac.
Where MD-Viewer wins outright
On price, obviously. On reach — macOS 10.13 covers Macs that no other app in this comparison supports, and MacMD Viewer needs macOS 14. On syntax highlighting breadth, if its 100+ figure holds against MacMD Viewer's ~34. And on distribution, if you want Apple to handle installation, updates, family sharing and refunds.
Where the $19.99 buys something
Finder. MacMD Viewer ships a Quick Look extension, so selecting a .md file and pressing Space renders it in place — headings, tables, syntax-highlighted code and Mermaid diagrams — with no app launch and no network. Then live reload, which matters specifically when a coding agent is writing the file you are looking at: the window re-renders on each save instead of showing you a stale document.
Those are narrow benefits. They are worth $19.99 to someone who reads Markdown out of folders all day, and worth nothing to someone who opens one file a week.
The recommendation
Install MD-Viewer if your Mac predates macOS 14, if you want to spend nothing, or if you want an App Store app with Apple handling updates.
Buy MacMD Viewer if you want Markdown rendered in Finder's Quick Look, Mermaid diagrams that draw offline, and live reload while an agent writes.
Related: MacMD Viewer vs MDHero · vs Meva · vs Markdown Better View · all comparisons
Both apps render CommonMark-compliant Markdown with GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions including tables and task lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MD-Viewer free?
Yes, entirely. Its App Store listing shows Free with no in-app purchases, currently version 1.2.1, updated 2026-06-17 (Apple's App Store API, checked 2026-09-28).
How big is MD-Viewer?
Its Mac App Store listing reports 124.8 MB (Apple's App Store API, checked 2026-09-28). MacMD Viewer is a 5.4 MB DMG and about 16 MB installed. For a free app the size may not matter to you at all — it is listed here because it is the largest single measured difference between the two.
Does MD-Viewer preview Markdown in Finder?
Its site does not advertise a Quick Look extension on its homepage, features section or support page (checked 2026-08-11). MacMD Viewer ships one, so pressing Space on a .md file in Finder renders the document without opening an app.
Does MD-Viewer render Mermaid diagrams?
Not that its site advertises. Its listed features are rendering, dark mode, PDF export, search, table of contents and syntax highlighting (md-viewer.com, checked 2026-08-11). If your documents contain Mermaid code fences, check this yourself before relying on it.
Which app supports older Macs?
MD-Viewer, by a wide margin — its listing accepts macOS 10.13 and later. MacMD Viewer requires macOS 14. On a Mac that cannot run Sonoma, MD-Viewer is the practical choice and it is free.
Why would I pay $19.99 when MD-Viewer costs nothing?
For three things it does not advertise: rendering in Finder's Quick Look, Mermaid diagrams, and live reload while a file is being written. If you do not need those, the honest answer is that you should not pay.
Are MD-Viewer and MacMD Viewer the same product with different names?
No, they are unrelated. MD-Viewer is published by M25 and distributed on the Mac App Store; MacMD Viewer is developed by Arthur Teboul and sold from macmdviewer.com, Homebrew and Setapp. The similar names are a coincidence of a crowded category.
Compare MacMD Viewer with other Mac Markdown apps
Ready to try MacMD Viewer?
MacMD Viewer is a native SwiftUI Markdown viewer: it renders any .md file with Mermaid diagrams, syntax highlighting and a Quick Look extension for Finder. $19.99 one-time, with no subscription and no account. See all MacMD Viewer features.
- Native on macOS
- 4.5 on Trustpilot
- On Homebrew & Setapp