Peekdown vs VS Code for Markdown

Quick Look — Peekdown's Killer Feature

VS Code can't do this: select any .md file in Finder and press Space. Peekdown's Quick Look extension shows you a fully formatted preview — tables, code blocks, task lists, syntax highlighting — without launching any app.

This is the same Quick Look you already use for images and PDFs, extended to markdown. No context switch, no waiting for an editor to load. Just press Space, see your file, press Space again to dismiss.

VS Code requires you to open the editor, wait for it to load, then use the built-in preview panel. That's fine when you're already coding — but when you just want to check a README or docs file, it's overkill.

Resource Usage

Peekdown is a native macOS app built with SwiftUI. It weighs about 6MB and uses around 50MB of RAM. VS Code is an Electron app — essentially a bundled Chromium browser — at 100MB+ on disk and 500MB+ in memory.

For a task as simple as viewing a markdown file, Peekdown uses roughly 1/10th the resources. It launches instantly because it's native to macOS, not running a web browser under the hood.

GitHub-Exact Rendering

Peekdown renders markdown to match GitHub's styling exactly. Tables, task lists, strikethrough, fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting — they all look the same as they will on GitHub.

VS Code's built-in markdown preview is close, but not identical. The styling differs, and some GitHub-specific rendering (like how tables look or how task lists are spaced) doesn't match. If you need to proof a README before pushing, Peekdown shows you exactly what GitHub will display.

When VS Code Is the Better Choice

VS Code is a code editor. Peekdown is a markdown viewer. They solve different problems.

Use VS Code when:

• You need to edit code and preview markdown in the same window
• You want extensions for linting, formatting, or custom markdown features
• You're already working in VS Code and don't want to switch apps
• You need a full IDE with debugging, Git integration, and terminal

Use Peekdown when:

• You want to quickly check a markdown file without launching an editor
• You need Quick Look preview directly in Finder
• You want to proof READMEs with GitHub-exact rendering before pushing
• You want a lightweight, always-ready reference window pinned on top
• You work with Obsidian notes and want Quick Look for your vault

Many developers use both — VS Code for coding, Peekdown for quick previews and reference docs.