A writer or developer might need to convert a Markdown document into PDF. Why? Because markdown suits the drafting of documentation, tutorials, or notes with structure.
However, that draft is often meant for final delivery — as an HTML page, as part of your website, etc. But some partners expect you to deliver a fixed layout in a universally readable format such as PDF.
Askreferral.io has been building a digital solution in a sector where many companies are used to PDF forms. (They also offer related solutions.)
How online Markdown to PDF converters work
Free online Markdown to PDF tools can be a bit misleading: they’re not “stitching” images together, they’re simply converting your text into a standards-compliant version of HTML that renders it into a vector-based PDF.
You’ll find several ways to convert Markdown to PDF online. Some sites offer live previews so you can see how it looks before downloading. You don’t have to sign up or install anything, no credit card needed.
There are dozens of free Markdown to PDF converters. This story walks through the steps you should take to convert a Markdown file to PDF using any of them.
Step 1: Paste or upload your Markdown file
You can paste in your Markdown content directly, or upload a .md file (either a .markdown or .txt file). Many allow you to drag-and-drop the file as well. Most will accept a file up to about five MBs.
Step 2: Live preview
Some services will give you a live preview so you can adjust formatting before exporting. You’ll get a downloadable link once your conversion is done.
Step 3: Download PDF
Once your conversion is done, you can click a link to download the PDF file right from your browser. No email required.
What Markdown to PDF online converters support
Not all Markdown to PDF online converters do exactly the same thing, but there’s enough commonality between them that you can generally choose either one.
coolutils.com lets you convert Markdown files to PDF and even to Word documents. The site claims to convert GitHub Flavored Markdown, headers, code blocks, tables, lists and more. It also supports Markdown via drag-and-drop.
mktoword.org says that it preserves your Markdown formatting, including tables, code, images, and links, allowing you to create a professional-looking PDF document without worrying about losing formatting.
markdowntoword.io converts Markdown files into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files as well. It automatically creates a table of contents and handles automatic paging. You can paste in your Markdown, edit it in an open editor, check out a live preview, and then export the PDF. Images may be fetched via proxy to avoid issues with Cross-Origin Resource Sharing, which can cause errors in some environments.
APITemplate.io lets you paste in your Markdown text, and it converts it to PDF quickly.
markdowntopdf.com lets you paste in your Markdown text using a live editor. You can then select a theme, and click on the “Download” button for a single-click conversion to PDF. It doesn’t ask you to log in or register for an account, nor does it require payment of any sort.
Which features set these services apart?
MD2FILE provides both Markdown to PDF and Markdown to HTML. You can optionally use AI writing tools within the editor. There’s also a separate Markdown to HTML converter.
markdowntopdf.com allows you to choose a theme to apply to the PDF. You don’t need to write your own custom CSS, and it offers a variety of themes that you can select.
markdowntoword.io offers Markdown to Word, Markdown to Docx, and other related tools as well. There’s also an option to enable AI writing tools.
APITemplate.io allows you to use a Markdown to HTML to PDF conversion service. APITemplate.io offers additional services, such as a real-time preview editor, which is similar to other Markdown to PDF services.
Limitations and trade-offs
markdowntoword.io caps its output at five MB. For larger files, you’ll have to upgrade to one of its premium plans.
markdowntopdf.com adds a watermark to its free-tier conversions, but you can avoid this by upgrading to one of its paid tiers. If you prefer not to use a browser tool, however, command-line alternatives exist for Linux and UNIX users. A recent review of GitHub Gist looked at several methods for converting .md to PDF on UNIX or Linux systems.