Best Markdown apps: shortlist criteria

The best iPhone apps for Markdown files should open from Files, Mail, downloads, cloud drives, and the iOS Share Sheet. They should handle real .md, .markdown, .mdx, .rmd, .qmd, preview locally, and make the App Store install path obvious when the user needs a viewer now.

Md Preview fits the dedicated viewer slot

Md Preview is not trying to be a browser, code IDE, note system, or website builder. It fills the dedicated viewer slot for people who need to open a Markdown file quickly on iPhone or iPad.

When the file comes from AI

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, DeepSeek, Cursor, Codex, v0, and other AI tools can export Markdown reports, saved pages, specs, notes, and prototypes. If iOS shows an icon, raw code, or an incomplete preview, share the file to Md Preview and read it locally.

Checklist before choosing a viewer

Look for Files and Share Sheet support, local preview, real Markdown rendering, no forced account, no ad clutter, and a clear related app for HTML. Md Preview has no subscriptions, no in-app purchases, and no ads.

Why a narrow file viewer beats a big editor

A full editor can be useful later, but the high-intent iPhone user wants to open the file immediately. Md Preview keeps the workflow small: save the file, share it to the app, preview it, and continue.

Add the HTML companion

AI and document workflows often produce both Markdown and HTML. Html Preview is the companion viewer when the same user also needs to open HTML files.