MDViewer vs Typora
Two Markdown apps for Mac — different tools for different jobs
Quick Overview
Typora is a full-featured Markdown editor with live WYSIWYG rendering. It is a paid app ($14.99, one-time) designed for people who write long-form Markdown content.
MDViewer is a free, native macOS Markdown viewer with inline editing, Git history, and a smart table of contents. It is designed for people who primarily read .md files and occasionally edit them.
They solve different problems. Here's how they compare.
Feature Comparison
| MDViewer | Typora | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $14.99 (one-time) |
| Platform | macOS only | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Technology | Native SwiftUI | Electron |
| Primary use | Viewing & quick edits | Writing & editing |
| WYSIWYG editing | No (source + preview) | Yes (live rendering) |
| Inline editing | Yes (double-click to edit) | Yes (always in edit mode) |
| Git history & diff | Yes (built-in) | No |
| Table of contents | Yes (auto, tracks scroll) | Yes (outline panel) |
| Tabs | Yes | No (separate windows) |
| GitHub Flavored Markdown | Yes | Yes |
| Math (LaTeX) | No | Yes |
| Diagrams (Mermaid) | No | Yes |
| Export to PDF/HTML | Via macOS Print | Yes (built-in) |
| Custom themes | Light & Dark (system) | Yes (CSS themes) |
| Launch speed | Instant (native) | Moderate (Electron) |
| Memory usage | Low | Higher (Chromium runtime) |
When to Choose MDViewer
- You mostly read Markdown files — READMEs, docs, specs, changelogs
- You want a default .md app that opens instantly from Finder or terminal
- You need Git history without opening a terminal or Git GUI
- You want tabs to keep multiple files in one window
- You prefer a native macOS app that uses minimal resources
- You want a free solution with no trial limitations
When to Choose Typora
- You write long-form Markdown content regularly (blog posts, papers, books)
- You need WYSIWYG editing — seeing formatted output as you type
- You use LaTeX math or Mermaid diagrams in your documents
- You need built-in export to PDF, HTML, Word, or other formats
- You work across multiple operating systems
- You want custom CSS themes
Can You Use Both?
Yes — and many developers do. Set MDViewer as your default .md app for quick viewing and reading. Use Typora (or another editor) when you sit down to write or do heavy editing. They don't conflict.
Try MDViewer
MDViewer is free — download it and see if it fits your workflow.
Requires macOS 13.0 or later. Intel and Apple Silicon.