Skip to main content

Markdown-it vs Marked

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Marked

130.4 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Marked

33.8M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Marked

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Markdown-it

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Marked

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

markdown-it icon

markdown-it

Extremely Popular

Version 14.1.1

0
79
Good

Markdown-it - modern pluggable markdown parser.

Weekly Downloads
20.7M
35%
Bundle (gzip)
225.0 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
80
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
marked icon

marked

Extremely Popular

Version 17.0.6

0
85
Excellent

A markdown parser built for speed

Weekly Downloads
33.8M
32%
Bundle (gzip)
130.4 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Markdown-it and Marked? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Marked leads with 33.8M weekly downloads — roughly 1.6x more. Markdown-it has 20.7M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Marked has the smallest gzipped bundle at 130.4 KB. Markdown-it comes in at 225.0 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Marked has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Markdown-it has an overall health score of 79/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Markdown-it if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record. Choose Marked if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Markdown-it and Marked are solid choices for JavaScript development. Marked has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is markdown-it better than marked?
It depends on your needs. Markdown-it has a health score of 79/100 while Marked scores 85/100. Marked has more weekly downloads (33.8M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, markdown-it or marked?
Marked has the smaller gzipped bundle at 130.4 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use markdown-it vs marked?
Based on npm download statistics, Markdown-it has approximately 20.7M weekly downloads and Marked has approximately 33.8M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, markdown-it or marked?
Marked currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Markdown-it has a maintenance score of 80/100 and Marked scores 100/100 on maintenance.

The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet

One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.