Comparison
Dillinger vs Markdown Live Preview
Markdown Live Preview is a minimal, open-source scratchpad for rendering a single piece of markdown in your browser. Dillinger is a full workflow editor with cloud sync, multiple documents, and the Monaco editor from VS Code.
| Feature | Dillinger | Markdown Live Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Signup required | No | No |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Editor engine | Monaco (VS Code) | Plain textarea |
| Live preview | Side-by-side | Side-by-side |
| Multiple documents | Yes | No |
| Document persistence | Yes (localStorage) | No (single scratchpad) |
| GitHub sync | Yes | No |
| Dropbox sync | Yes | No |
| Google Drive sync | Yes | No |
| OneDrive sync | Yes | No |
| Bitbucket sync | Yes | No |
| PDF export | Yes | Yes |
| HTML export | Yes | No |
| Vim keybindings | Yes | No |
| Emacs keybindings | Yes | No |
| Syntax highlighting in editor | Yes | No |
| Dark mode | Yes | Yes |
| Zen / focus mode | Yes | No |
| Privacy (data stays local) | Yes | Yes |
When to choose Dillinger
- You manage more than one document and need persistence between sessions
- You sync to GitHub, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Bitbucket
- You want the VS Code editing experience with syntax highlighting
- You use Vim or Emacs keybindings
- You need HTML export alongside PDF
When to choose Markdown Live Preview
- You need a quick paste-and-render scratchpad with zero setup
- You want an open-source tool you can self-host or audit
- You only render one snippet at a time and do not need persistence