Compare software

mdv vs Glow: catalog facts
mdv	Glow
Best for: Reading Markdown files from a terminal or remote shell	Best for: Reading a project's README or your own notes without leaving the terminal
Free Free and open source under BSD-3-Clause.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Renders Markdown directly in a terminal Can display Markdown docstrings in source code All 3 strengths for mdv Renders Markdown directly in a terminal Can display Markdown docstrings in source code Supports configurable colors and themes	Finds Markdown files in the current directory tree or the whole git repository on its own Pager keybindings match less, so there is nothing new to learn All 4 strengths for Glow Finds Markdown files in the current directory tree or the whole git repository on its own Pager keybindings match less, so there is nothing new to learn Also works as a formatter in a pipeline with a width flag Packaged for Debian, RPM and Alpine plus binaries for five operating systems
Complex Markdown and inline HTML may not render well	Reading only; it does not edit Terminal rendering cannot show images All 4 limitations for Glow Reading only; it does not edit Terminal rendering cannot show images Colour output depends on the terminal supporting it Complex HTML embedded in Markdown renders poorly
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for mdv github.com/axiros/terminal_markdown_viewer Catalog checked October 8, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Glow github.com/charmbracelet/glow Catalog checked September 21, 2026

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