Marked.js VS ShowdownJS

Marked.js

A full-featured markdown parser and compiler, written in JavaScript. Built for speed.

ShowdownJS

A Markdown to HTML converter written in JavaScript

Landing page //
2023-07-23

Landing page //
2023-08-04

Marked.js features and specs

Performance
Marked.js is known for its speed, being able to compile Markdown to HTML faster than many other libraries due to its efficient parsing and rendering processes.
Customization
Marked.js allows extensive customization. You can modify its default behavior through options and use an event-driven architecture to integrate custom logic during parsing.
GitHub Flavored Markdown
Marked.js supports GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), which is a very popular dialect of Markdown that includes features like tables, strikethrough, and task lists.
Extensibility
Users can extend Marked.js with plugins to add additional features or modify existing functionality, offering flexibility for developers.

Possible disadvantages of Marked.js

Complexity
Though customizable, Marked.js can be a bit complex for beginners to use effectively, especially when it involves deep customizations or handling edge cases.
Security
Like many Markdown parsers, Marked.js does not sanitize input by default. This means developers must manually sanitize input to prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
Bundle Size
While performant, Marked.js may be larger in size compared to some lightweight Markdown parsers, which could be a consideration for performance-sensitive applications.
Learning Curve
The library can have a steep learning curve for new users, especially for those who are not familiar with Markdown parser internals or Node.js environments.

ShowdownJS features and specs

Open Source
ShowdownJS is open source and freely available under the MIT license, allowing for modification and distribution.
Wide Compatibility
It can be used in both the browser and server-side environments, making it versatile for various projects.
Active Community
The project has an active community and regular updates, which contribute to stability and ongoing support.
Extensive Documentation
ShowdownJS provides comprehensive documentation, making it easier for developers to understand and implement.
Customizable
It offers a wide range of extensions and options, allowing users to customize the behavior to suit their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of ShowdownJS

Performance
For very large documents, performance may not be as high compared to some other specialized Markdown parsers.
Learning Curve
Although documentation is available, new users might need some time to fully understand how to leverage all features.
Dependency Management
In projects where minimizing dependencies is important, adding another library might be a concern.
Feature Parity
While ShowdownJS supports many Markdown features, some advanced or niche features might not be covered.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Marked.js and ShowdownJS)

ShowdownJS

Competitive Intelligence

52 52%

Competitive Intelligence

48% 48

Data Profiling

50 50%

Data Profiling

50% 50

SEO

49 49%

SEO

51% 51

Resource Profiling And Monitoring

53 53%

Resource Profiling And Monitoring

47% 47

User comments

Share your experience with using Marked.js and ShowdownJS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Marked.js should be more popular than ShowdownJS. It has been mentiond 16 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Marked.js mentions (16)

To learn svelte, I clone Github's issues page including useful features that you might consider reusing.
📑 Marked Markdown parser. Use it to create your own markdown editor. Source: over 1 year ago
Better code highlighting on the web: rehype-tree-sitter
Another contestant in this realm is Bright[1]. It runs entirely on the server and doesn't increase bundle size as seen here[2]. Regarding parsing speed tree-sitter is without a doubt performant since it is written in Rust, but I don't have any problems "parsing on every keystroke" with a setup containing Marked[3], highlight.js[4] and a sanitizer. I did however experience performance issues with other Markdown... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
[Project Share] List dialog that supports complex HTML and Markdown format.
The project uses markedJS to convert markdown into HTML, this is their GitHub page. Source: almost 2 years ago
Looking for a Comprehensive Guide for Building Complex Chatbots with GPT-4 API
GPT API returns data in markdown format. You can parse it using a Markdown library and string manipulation. On Electron app I developed https://jhappsproducts.gumroad.com/l/gpteverywhere, I used https://github.com/markedjs/marked and a code syntax highlighting package to display code blocks. And used JavaScript string manipulation to detect when code blocks start and end so I could add COPY/SAVE buttons to the... Source: almost 2 years ago
Releasing Longdown: Convert longform markdown files to outline format used by Logseq
Did you look at the marked parser? (https://github.com/markedjs/marked) I'm using it for an upcoming plugin I'm working on. Source: about 2 years ago

ShowdownJS mentions (9)

How do I display a markdown table on a website with go backend?
So you're going to need a Markdown parser that produces HTML. But there's a question of where is the data coming from and where you you want to process it? If it's going to be all on the frontend like a text editor, use a JS library for it (a quick google search produces ShowdownJS). Source: over 2 years ago
Docusaurus first impression and stealing like an open sourcer
Previously, I was required to implement the markdown support manually which meant that the use of public libraries was prohibited. My tool could only support limited styling elements such as header1, header2, links, bold and italics, but now I can finally let my tool have a full markdown support by using Showdown. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
I made a full-stack portfolio site using Next.js and Tailwind!
The first two ages are very heavy on content so I decided to use markdown and tailwind’s typography plugin for styling. I also used showdown to fetch the markdown and turn it into HTML. The code for the above can be found on the site’s GitHub repository. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
Working on a no-code data notebook. You can quickly pull data from platforms like Stripe and do complex analysis without writing SQL, all within a Notion-style interface. Thoughts?
I'm using https://github.com/showdownjs/showdown for the core rendering-markdown functionality, with a bunch of additional listeners etc on top of it to fit it into the notion-style UX! Hope that helps :). Source: over 2 years ago
Markdown-Tag: Add Markdown to any HTML using a <md> tag
It looks like it uses showdown as the engine. Source: almost 3 years ago