Editor.md vs SimpleMDE
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
An embeddable Markdown editor component for web pages, built on CodeMirror, jQuery and Marked.
Open source · MIT
A simple embeddable JavaScript Markdown editor with a toolbar, live syntax styling, autosave and spell checkin
The short answer
Choose Editor.md if you need…
- Web developers who want a Markdown input box inside their own site or admin panel
- Projects that already use jQuery and want a drop-in editor
- Sites that need Markdown with KaTeX formulas, flowcharts, or sequence diagrams
- Teams that need a Markdown editor with image upload and a live preview
Choose SimpleMDE if you need…
- Web developers who want a ready-made Markdown input box inside their own site or form
- Non-technical users who need to write Markdown and benefit from toolbar buttons
- Projects that need autosaved drafts stored between page loads
- Developers who want to customize toolbar icons, status bar items or preview rendering
Side-by-side
| Editor.md | SimpleMDE | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 14.3k | 10.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 3 years ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
Editor.md
Editor.md is a JavaScript component you add to a web page so visitors get a Markdown editor with a live preview. It is built on CodeMirror for the editing area, jQuery, and Marked for rendering. It also includes a function to convert Markdown text into HTML for display on a page.
SimpleMDE
SimpleMDE is a JavaScript component that replaces a plain textarea on a web page with a Markdown editor. It offers toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts, and it styles Markdown syntax while you type, so headings look larger and links look underlined. It can also autosave text and check spelling, and it is aimed at people who are new to Markdown.
Best for
Editor.md
- Web developers who want a Markdown input box inside their own site or admin panel
- Projects that already use jQuery and want a drop-in editor
- Sites that need Markdown with KaTeX formulas, flowcharts, or sequence diagrams
- Teams that need a Markdown editor with image upload and a live preview
SimpleMDE
- Web developers who want a ready-made Markdown input box inside their own site or form
- Non-technical users who need to write Markdown and benefit from toolbar buttons
- Projects that need autosaved drafts stored between page loads
- Developers who want to customize toolbar icons, status bar items or preview rendering
Strengths
Editor.md
- Gives a full Markdown editor with live preview, code folding, and search and replace
- Supports GFM and CommonMark, plus extras like table of contents, emoji, and task lists
- Has many configuration options and a plugin system with AMD/CMD module loading
SimpleMDE
- Simple to add: a single script call on an existing textarea
- Syntax is shown styled while editing, which helps less experienced Markdown users
- Built-in autosave and spell checking, with many options to configure
Not ideal for
Editor.md
- Projects that do not use jQuery or JavaScript, since the README describes a jQuery-based component
- Anyone needing HTML-to-Markdown conversion, which the README says is not supported
- Teams wanting an actively maintained editor, since the latest push shown is from April 2024 and the README does not describe current maintenance
SimpleMDE
- Teams looking for a standalone desktop or web app, since this is a component to embed rather than a finished product
- Projects that need active maintenance guarantees, since the last push shown is from June 2024 and the README does not describe ongoing support
- Anyone needing rich features beyond the README's described options, such as collaborative editing, which the README does not mention
Trade-offs
Editor.md
- Depends on jQuery and older browser-era libraries, so it may not fit modern JavaScript stacks
- The README shows no recent release activity, and the last push date is April 2024
- The README is truncated, so some setup and feature details could not be verified
SimpleMDE
- The README describes it as a component, so you must build any surrounding app yourself
- Some features such as code highlighting need an extra library (highlight.js) included on the page
- The README is truncated, so some details of the toolbar and shortcuts are not visible here
Getting started
Editor.md
Install with npm
npm install editor.mdInstall with Bower
bower install editor.mdFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Editor.md and SimpleMDE?
Editor.md: An embeddable Markdown editor component for web pages, built on CodeMirror, jQuery and Marked. SimpleMDE: A simple embeddable JavaScript Markdown editor with a toolbar, live syntax styling, autosave and spell checkin. Editor.md suits web developers who want a markdown input box inside their own site or admin panel, while SimpleMDE suits web developers who want a ready-made markdown input box inside their own site or form.
Are Editor.md and SimpleMDE free?
Editor.md: Free and open source. SimpleMDE: Free and open source.
Is Editor.md or SimpleMDE more popular?
Editor.md has more GitHub stars (14.3k) than SimpleMDE (10.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Editor.md and SimpleMDE?
Other options people compare them with include Milkdown, Vditor, react-markdown, Showdown, Turndown.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.