HTML vs Markdown
Comparing HyperText Markup Language and Markdown — which format should you use?
| HTML | Markdown | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | HyperText Markup Language | Markdown |
| Extension | .html | .md |
| MIME Type | text/html | text/markdown |
| Category | data | data |
HTML Pros
- +Foundation of the web — universally supported
- +Human-readable
- +Works offline in any browser
- +No compilation needed
HTML Cons
- -Not a programming language (no logic)
- -Needs CSS for styling and JS for interactivity
- -Can become complex for large pages
- -Accessibility requires careful implementation
Markdown Pros
- +Simple, intuitive syntax
- +Readable as plain text
- +Converts to HTML easily
- +Used everywhere: GitHub, Reddit, Notion, Obsidian
Markdown Cons
- -No standard for extended features (tables, footnotes)
- -Limited styling control
- -Different flavors (CommonMark, GFM, MDX)
- -No embedded media (just links)
Use HTML when...
- -Web pages and websites
- -Email templates
- -Documentation
- -Static content
Use Markdown when...
- -GitHub README files
- -Technical documentation
- -Blog posts and articles
- -Note-taking (Obsidian, Notion)
- -Comments on Reddit, Stack Overflow