| nicemd | MacDown | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Reader with Quick Look, plus a live editor | Split-pane Markdown editor, no longer developed |
| Free | Reading, Quick Look, outline, live reload, find, PDF export | Everything — free and open source (MIT) |
| Paid | $4.99 once (3-day free trial) — live editor, split view, HTML and Word export | Nothing to buy |
| Quick Look in Finder | Yes | No |
| Editing | Live editor that hides the Markdown as you write, plus split view | Markdown source on the left, rendered preview on the right |
| Exports | PDF free; HTML and Word (.docx) with the unlock | HTML and PDF |
| Diagrams and math | Mermaid and KaTeX, bundled offline | Optional TeX-style math (MathJax) |
| Requires | macOS 14 or later | Intel-only build; runs on Apple silicon through Rosetta |
| Distribution | Mac App Store | GitHub releases; Homebrew cask disabled 1 September 2026 |
MacDown earned its following honestly. It was free, open source, native, and did one thing clearly: Markdown on the left, the rendered page on the right, updating as you typed. For years it was the default answer to “what do I write Markdown in on a Mac”.
That answer has gone stale. MacDown's last release is 0.7.3, from January 2020; its GitHub repository has more than 500 open issues; and Homebrew disabled its macdown cask on 1 September 2026. The copy you already have keeps running. It is just not going to get better, and new Macs will run it as an Intel app.
If you liked MacDown, start with MacDown 3000
The honest first answer to “MacDown alternative” is not us. MacDown 3000 is a community continuation of MacDown — its README calls it “essentially MacDown Continued” — and it is free and open source under the same MIT licence. It keeps the split-pane editor you know and has been doing the overdue work: a universal build that runs natively on Apple silicon, support back to macOS 11, a Quick Look extension (added in 3000.0.5), and Mermaid, Graphviz and MathJax rendering.
Its latest stable release is 3000.0.7, from 13 July 2026, with 3000.0.8 release candidates, the latest on 11 October 2026. It installs from GitHub or with brew install --cask macdown-3000. If what you want is MacDown, maintained, that is exactly what it is, and it costs nothing.
When nicemd is the better fit
nicemd is a different shape of app. MacDown and MacDown 3000 are editors first: you open a file to work on its source. nicemd opens a .md file as a document — rendered, with an outline, find and live reload — and treats editing as something you switch into. That matters if most of the Markdown on your Mac is something you were handed rather than something you are writing.
- You mostly read Markdown. READMEs, specs, and the
PLAN.mdfiles AI tools leave behind. Reading in nicemd is free, and so are Quick Look, Save as PDF and Copy as HTML. - You need Word. MacDown and MacDown 3000 export HTML and PDF. nicemd also exports to Word (.docx), which is usually the format the rest of an organisation wants. For an occasional file, the free Markdown to Word converter on this site does it in the browser.
- You prefer writing without the syntax showing. nicemd's live editor hides the Markdown as you write, with split view when you want the source beside the page. MacDown's model is always source on one side and preview on the other.
- You would rather install from the App Store. nicemd is distributed there; MacDown 3000 is distributed through GitHub and Homebrew.
Reading, Quick Look, Save as PDF and Copy as HTML are free; edit mode, split view and export to HTML and Word are a one-time unlock — $4.99, with a 3-day free trial.
When nicemd is the wrong fit
- You want everything free and open source. MacDown 3000 is both. nicemd's editor is a paid unlock and its source is not public.
- You are on macOS 11, 12 or 13. nicemd needs macOS 14. MacDown 3000 supports macOS 11 and later.
- You want MacDown's exact workflow and preferences. MacDown 3000 keeps them; nicemd does not try to.
Moving off MacDown
Your files are plain .md text, so nothing needs converting — any of these apps opens them as they are. The one thing to change is which app opens them by default: select a .md file in Finder, choose File → Get Info, pick the new app under Open with, and click Change All. More detail in opening .md files on a Mac.
If you install MacDown 3000 and nicemd side by side, both register a Markdown Quick Look extension and Finder will use one of them; turn off the one you do not want in System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Quick Look.
The summary
Want MacDown, still free, still open source, and maintained? Install MacDown 3000. Want an app that treats the Markdown you receive as a document — readable for free, with Quick Look, and exportable to Word when you need it to leave your Mac? That is what nicemd is for.
Written by the people who make nicemd, so read it with that in mind. Facts about MacDown come from its own website and release notes, checked October 2026; everything framed as a preference is a preference. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and it gets corrected.