# Marp review (2026): is it any good? > Markdown presentation ecosystem with PDF and PowerPoint export Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Marp turns a Markdown document into a slide deck, with pages split by a horizontal rule. The ecosystem includes Marp for VS Code, a command-line converter, the Marp Core engine and the Marpit framework. The vendor says all of its tools are MIT-licensed. - **Category:** Presentations - **Made by:** Marp team - **Website:** https://marp.app - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want to drag boxes around, as there is no visual editor. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Marp is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free. The vendor says all Marp tools and libraries are open source under the MIT license. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Open source | $0 | Marp for VS Code, Marp CLI, Marp Core and Marpit, all MIT-licensed and free to use. | Read from https://marp.app on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Marp before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Writers who want slides from plain Markdown, versioned in Git - VS Code users who want a live preview while writing - Anyone who needs HTML, PDF or PowerPoint output from one source ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Marp turns a Markdown file into slides, with themes in CSS and export to HTML, PDF and PowerPoint. It is free and open source. There is no visual editor, so you write text in VS Code or run a command line, and exports need Chrome or Chromium installed. - **Value for money: A.** Free 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. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright, with no paid plan and no account. The vendor says all its tools are open source. - **Features: C.** Markdown 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. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. You write Markdown and use a command line or VS Code, and exports depend on Chrome or Chromium being present. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Runs through VS Code or the command line on a computer. The site does not list operating systems. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Marp's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among presentation tools - Marp's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 37 of the 51 other presentation tools we grade, and level with 5. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 44 of 51) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Marp has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/presentations ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Marp is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 37 of the 51 other presentation tools we grade. - You could make: Markdown: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A slide editor. - You could not: It plugs into other products, VS Code, Google Chrome and Chromium among them. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with VS Code, Google Chrome, Chromium, npm, CommonMark **Tags:** Open source, Markdown, Presentations ## Alternatives - [Slidev](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slidev): Markdown slides for developers, built on Vue and Vite. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/marp-vs-slidev) - [reveal.js](https://toolgpa.com/tools/revealjs): Open source HTML framework for building slide decks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/marp-vs-revealjs) - [Deckset](https://toolgpa.com/tools/deckset): Turns Markdown notes into themed slides on Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/deckset-vs-marp) - [iA Presenter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ia-presenter): Markdown presentation app that builds slides from your script. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ia-presenter-vs-marp) - [Slides](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slides): Browser-based presentation editor with HTML, CSS and code support. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/marp-vs-slides) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://marp.app Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/marp Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).