Alternatives to Glow
Reads Markdown files in a terminal with proper formatting, and finds them for you in the current directory or git repository. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Glow
Reads Markdown files in a terminal with proper formatting, and finds them for you in the current directory or git repository.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Glow.
bat
Like cat, but with syntax highlighting, line numbers, Git markers and a pager when the file is long.
bat shows Markdown and many other languages with syntax highlighting and Git markers, but displays the source text rather than rendering formatted Markdown.
ov
Read long command output with a configurable terminal pager.
ov is a general configurable terminal pager with search and column views, without Glow's Markdown rendering or automatic file discovery.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
tldr pages
Community-written example pages that replace verbose manual pages.
tealdeer
Read concise, example-based command help in the terminal.
delta
A pager that makes git diffs readable: syntax highlighting, word-level changes, side-by-side view and line numbers.
nb
A command-line and local web tool for plain text notes, bookmarks and a Git-backed knowledge base.
