OpenMark vs MacMD Viewer
A read-only viewer vs a viewer that also edits
MacMD Viewer and OpenMark both turn Markdown files into clean, rendered documents on the Mac, both render Mermaid diagrams, and both add a Quick Look preview to Finder. The difference is scope. MacMD Viewer is a read-only viewer for one Mac that you pair with a separate editor. OpenMark is a viewer and editor for Mac, and the same purchase includes a reader for iPhone and iPad.
We make OpenMark, so this page is not neutral. Every MacMD Viewer fact below comes from macmdviewer.com (its pricing, features, download and changelog pages), compared on 2026-10-28. Where we could not confirm something, we left it out.
Feature comparison
Which one should you choose?
Choose OpenMark if…
- You want to read and edit Markdown in the same app, switching views with ⌘⇧M
- You need LaTeX math rendered with KaTeX next to your Mermaid diagrams
- You want one $9.99 purchase that also covers iPhone and iPad
- You want PDF and HTML export, wiki-style [[links]] and a command palette (⌘⇧P)
- You edit Markdown tables by hand and want ⌘⇧T to line the columns up
Choose MacMD Viewer if…
- You only read Markdown and want an app that never touches the file
- You write in another editor or a coding agent and want the preview to reload when the file is saved
- You are on macOS 14 Sonoma or macOS 15
- You want a choice of 12 themes that follow light and dark mode
- You want to buy outside the App Store, or already use Setapp
Pricing and licensing (as of 2026-10-28)
MacMD Viewer's Single licence costs $19.99 once, before tax. It covers one active Mac at a time, and you can move it to another Mac. A Family Pack is $39.99 for three keys and a Team pack is $129 for ten. All updates to the current major version are included. There is no free trial or freemium tier, and direct purchases can be refunded within 14 days. Its pricing page also lists the app on Homebrew and Setapp.
OpenMark costs $9.99 once, with no subscription and no account. It is a Universal Purchase: the same purchase covers the Mac app and the iPhone and iPad reader. It works fully offline, and you get it from the App Store.
Read-only viewer vs viewer and editor
MacMD Viewer is deliberately narrow. Its site calls it a viewer, not a Markdown editor, and says it never modifies your files. It watches the open file and reloads when another editor or a coding agent saves it, and version 1.7.0 added Copy as Markdown and a command to open the file in your text editor. Its changelog shows active development: the latest release is version 1.8.0 on October 16, 2026, which added a copy button and line wrapping for code blocks.
OpenMark keeps two views in one app. The Document view shows the file fully rendered, with Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX math, code highlighted in 30+ languages and GitHub-style alerts. The Markdown view is where you edit the source. ⌘⇧M switches between them, and Focus Mode, Typewriter Mode and Zen Mode (⌃⌘Z) help with longer writing. On iPhone and iPad, OpenMark is a reader that opens files from iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox and the Files app, with an outline sidebar on iPad.
OpenMark for Mac requires macOS 26 or later; MacMD Viewer runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later. To check how a single file renders without installing either app, try our free online Markdown viewer. To make either app open .md files on double-click, see how to set the default app for Markdown files.
Frequently asked questions
- Is MacMD Viewer free?
- No. As of 2026-10-28, macmdviewer.com lists a Single licence at $19.99, a one-time payment that covers one active Mac at a time, with prices excluding tax. Its pricing page says there is no free trial or freemium tier, and direct purchases have a 14-day refund window. OpenMark, which we make, costs $9.99 once and covers Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Does MacMD Viewer support Mermaid?
- Yes. Its features page says Mermaid diagrams written in fenced code blocks render with no plugins, including flowcharts, sequence diagrams, state machines, Gantt charts and pie charts, and its product facts say this also works in Finder Quick Look. OpenMark renders Mermaid too, including class, Kanban and mindmap diagrams.
- What is a good MacMD Viewer alternative for Mac?
- We make OpenMark, so weigh this accordingly. If you want to read and also edit Markdown in one app, need LaTeX math, or want an iPhone and iPad reader in the same $9.99 purchase, OpenMark is built for that. If you only ever read files, run macOS 14 or 15, or want 12 themes and live reload while another app edits the file, MacMD Viewer covers those.
- Can I use both MacMD Viewer and OpenMark?
- Yes. Both open plain .md files, so the same file opens in either. MacMD Viewer never modifies your files, so you can keep it as a read-only previewer and use OpenMark for edits, or use OpenMark on iPhone and iPad to read the same files from iCloud Drive.
Try OpenMark — $9.99, one-time
Read and edit Markdown on your Mac. Mermaid and LaTeX included. iPhone and iPad reader in the same purchase.
