Our pick
Choose Unmarked if you want one app for the Markdown file. It includes the editor Marked expects you to bring, then adds direct table editing and full-screen slides beside PDF, Word and HTML export. Marked 3 is the specialist exception when you are keeping another editor and need its proofreading, custom processors or ePub workflow.
| Question | Unmarked | Marked 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Working with the whole Markdown document | Previewing and publishing from another editor |
| Apps needed | One | Marked plus the editor you write in |
| Editing | Full WYSIWYG Write mode with direct table editing | Substantive editing stays in the companion editor |
| Reading | Clean Read mode in the same document window | A dedicated preview that watches another app's file |
| Presenting | Built-in full-screen slides | No slide presentation mode listed |
| Export | Slides, paginated PDF, editable Word and self-contained HTML | Publishing formats and reusable export profiles |
| Price | Free | Subscription or one-time license. Marked 2 remains the legacy option |
One window replaces the editor-preview loop
Marked watches a file while you edit it somewhere else. Unmarked opens that file itself. Write mode styles the Markdown in place, Read mode shows the finished document and Split keeps both visible when you need to inspect the source.
The cursor, outline, undo history and file all stay in one document. Switch modes and keep working. The save-and-check rhythm between two apps disappears.
The rendered document stays useful
Unmarked puts you inside the table instead of showing pipe syntax in a preview. Select several cells, replace or clear the range, move rows and columns, change alignment and copy the result into another document with its formatting intact.
In Read mode, the grid becomes a clean selectable table. Links and copying still work. Task boxes can be checked. Code blocks can be copied. The rendered page remains part of the document instead of a pane that only reports what another app saved.
The same file can face a room or a recipient
Present turns headings and dividers into full-screen slides. It uses the same tables, code, images and Mermaid diagrams as Read mode, with no second deck to maintain.
For handoff, Unmarked creates paginated PDF, real Word documents and self-contained HTML. Marked 3 earns the extra app when specialist proofreading, custom processors, export profiles or ePub decides the purchase. For writing, reading, presenting and sending one Markdown file, Unmarked keeps the path shorter.
Marked 2 is now the legacy product. People searching for a Marked 2 alternative can make the same decision here: keep a separate preview tool, or bring the editor and document together in Unmarked.
Which one fits your work?
Choose Unmarked if
- You want one beautiful Mac app instead of an editor and a previewer.
- You want to edit the rendered table directly.
- The document becomes slides as well as PDF, Word or HTML.
- You prefer a free workflow with no second app.
Choose Marked only if
- You are committed to another editor and want a specialist preview beside it.
- Deep proofreading, custom processors or ePub export decides the purchase.