Quick Markdown Viewer vs SoloMD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Quick Markdown Viewer
This app provides a fast, local-first reader for Markdown folders, documentation packets, and media-rich notes across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It allows opening local files or public GitHub repositories without requiring an account, subscription, or tracking.
- Open local folders and browse Markdown, CSV, TSV files
- Open JSON, JSONC, NDJSON, JSONL files
- Read JSON-family code blocks within Markdown
- Search current or all open documents
- Native rendering for Markdown elements and Mermaid diagrams
- Open public GitHub repository URLs
- macOS Quick Look extension and command-line launcher
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Quick Markdown Viewer is a local-first reader for Markdown folders, documentation packets, CSV/TSV tables, and media-rich notes on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Open a folder of files you already have, or open a public GitHub repository URL when you need to inspect remote docs. The app keeps reading fast and direct: no account, no subscription, no in-app purchase, and no tracking layer. Features: - Open local folders and browse Markdown, CSV, and TSV files in a file sidebar - Open JSON, JSONC, NDJSON, and JSONL files with collapsible structured rows - Read JSON-family fenced code blocks inside Markdown without switching apps - Expand and collapse folders, filter large file trees, and use keyboard navigation on macOS - Search the current document with Command-F or all open documents with Command-Shift-F - Click search results in the sidebar to jump to matches highlighted in the document - Read Markdown with native rendering for headings, lists, tables, code blocks, links, images, GIFs, and local video - Render Mermaid diagrams natively, then zoom and pan diagram previews - Detach Mermaid diagram previews into resizable macOS windows - Open a document outline, jump to headings, and track the current section while reading - Open CSV and TSV files as native tables with controls for wrapping and sizing - Preview linked media without converting your Markdown files - Print the current document or assemble a cancellable background Print All packet - Preview Markdown from Finder with the macOS Quick Look extension - Install the optional `qmv` command-line launcher on macOS and open supported files directly from Terminal - Open public GitHub repository and repository tree URLs, including branch and tag paths - Hide dependency and vendor folders with editable ignore patterns per window - Navigate between files with back and forward history - Adjust viewer font size for comfortable reading Quick Markdown Viewer is designed to stay lightweight and direct: - no account required - no subscription - no in-app purchase - no tracking - no web view renderer
SoloMD
A distraction-free Markdown editor for iPad, focusing on writing with live preview, rich syntax, and export options. Your notes are stored locally as plain text files.
- Distraction-free writing environment
- Live Markdown preview
- KaTeX math and Mermaid diagram support
- Multiple export formats (HTML, PDF, DOCX)
- File tree and outline view
- Focus and typewriter modes
- Split-view and multitasking support
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SoloMD is a lightweight, distraction-free Markdown editor for iPad. One file. One window. Just write. Built from the ground up as a focused writing tool - no account, no cloud, no telemetry, no subscription. Your notes stay in plain .md and .txt files on your iPad, readable by any editor on any platform, today and in ten years. CORE EDITING - Live preview - Markdown symbols fade out after the cursor leaves the line. - Rich syntax styling - real big headings, real bold, real monospace for code. - Light and Dark themes that follow iPad system appearance. - Multi-encoding - auto-detects UTF-8, UTF-16, GBK, Big5. - Tabs with dirty indicators. - File tree sidebar, outline view, and global search. MARKDOWN POWER - KaTeX math - inline and block math render instantly. - Mermaid diagrams - flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts. - Task lists with clickable checkboxes. - Footnotes, YAML front-matter, text highlighting. - Syntax highlighting for 13 plus languages. - Synced split-pane scroll. - Tap an image or Mermaid diagram to open a pinch-zoomable overlay. BUILT FOR IPAD - 44 pt touch targets across toolbar, outline, and file tree. - Larger default font sizes tuned for iPad screen distance. - Split-view and multitasking friendly. - Works with hardware keyboards. - Portrait and landscape, every orientation. WRITER TOOLS - Focus mode - non-current paragraphs dim for deep work. - Typewriter mode. - Session restore - auto-saves so you never lose a line. - Chinese power tools - simplified/traditional conversion, pinyin, CJK word counts. - Spell check. - Custom CSS. EXPORT - HTML (newsletter quality) - PDF with KaTeX and Mermaid baked in - Word (.docx) with tables preserved - Copy as HTML, plain text, or Markdown PRIVACY FIRST SoloMD collects no personal data. No account. No analytics. No ads. No tracking. All your notes live locally in files you own. SoloMD is open source (MIT). Source: github.com/zhitongblog/solomd
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Quick Markdown Viewer at 5.0 against SoloMD's 1.0. SoloMD's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Quick Markdown Viewer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 26, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Quick Markdown Viewer | SoloMD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sous Chef Studio, Inc. | 向东 李 |
Customer experience
Quick Markdown Viewer
SoloMD
In-app purchases
Quick Markdown Viewer
No in-app purchases
SoloMD
No in-app purchases





