Marp vs remark (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Marp and remark share a 2.6 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Marp if
- Fits if you already write in Markdown and want slides from the same text file
- Works for developers who keep decks in Git
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to drag boxes around, as there is no visual editor
- Skip it if you do not use a command line or VS Code
- Watch out: HTML, PDF and PowerPoint export needs Google Chrome or Chromium installed
- Watch out: the site does not say which operating systems it supports
Pick remark if
- Fits if you write notes in markdown
- Works for developers who keep slides in version control
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to drag shapes around, as there is no visual editor
- Skip it if you need to know it is kept up, since the site does not say
- Watch out: you need HTML and CSS to change how it looks
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMarpGood | 2.6GPAremarkGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree under the MIT licence, and anyone can download and run it. Marp for VS Code, the command-line tool and the core library are all free. | AFree under an open licence that anyone can download and run, with no server to host. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid plan and no account. The vendor says all its tools are open source. | AThe whole thing is free, with no plan to outgrow. |
| Features | CMarkdown slides, themes in CSS, and export to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job: there is no visual editor. | CIt shows markdown as slides and does that job fully. The vendor's page is short, and the listing says to check GitHub for maintenance activity. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You write Markdown and use a command line or VS Code, and exports depend on Chrome or Chromium being present. | DYou write the deck in code or markup and run it yourself, with no visual editor. |
| Platforms and integrations | CRuns through VS Code or the command line on a computer. The site does not list operating systems. | CRuns in the browser from a file you keep. No apps and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | slide decks written in Markdown | slides written in markdown |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Marp and remark. How we grade
Price against what you get
Marp has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. remark has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, none scores higher than Marp for less, and none scores higher than remark for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceMarkdownPresentations
At a glance
| Marp | remark | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free. The vendor says all Marp tools and libraries are open source under the MIT license. | Free under the MIT license. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Marp team | gnab (open-source project) |
| Price read from | marp.app | remarkjs.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Marp
- There is no standalone visual editor; you write Markdown in VS Code or any text editor and convert with the CLI.
- HTML, PDF and PowerPoint export is powered by Google Chrome or Chromium, which has to be present.
- The site does not list operating systems, so supported platforms were not confirmed beyond the VS Code extension and the command line.
remark
- Aimed at people who know HTML and CSS; there is no visual editor.
- The project's own site describes it simply; check the GitHub repository for current maintenance activity.
Key features
Marp
- Markdown based on CommonMark
- Slides are ordinary CommonMark Markdown, with a horizontal rule separating pages.
- Directives and extended syntax
- Directives and extra syntax cover image placement, math typesetting and auto-scaling text.
- Themes in CSS
- Three themes ship with the core engine (default, gaia and uncover), and you can write your own theme in plain CSS.
- Export to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint
- Markdown converts directly to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint files, using Google Chrome or Chromium.
- Marp for VS Code
- An extension that previews slide Markdown and custom themes inside the editor's Markdown preview pane.
- Marp CLI
- A command-line tool that converts Markdown into the supported formats, watches for changes and can run a server for on-demand conversion.
remark
- Markdown slides
- Slides are written in Markdown with extensions, separated by lines of dashes.
- Presenter mode
- A presenter view with a cloned slideshow window.
- Syntax highlighting
- Supports a range of languages in code blocks.
- Slide scaling
- Slides scale to different screen sizes.
- Touch support
- Swipe to move between slides on phones and tablets.
Plans
Marp
Open source$0
Marp for VS Code, Marp CLI, Marp Core and Marpit, all MIT-licensed and free to use.
remark
Open source$0
MIT-licensed code on GitHub.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Marp or remark?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Marp and remark are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Marp or remark?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Marp and remark have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.