Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Jq-Like Tool for Markdown

There have been a few times I wanted the ability to select some text out of a Markdown doc. For example, a GitHub CI check to ensure that PRs / issues / etc are properly formatted. This can be done to some extent with regex, but those expressions are brittle and hard to read or edit later. mdq uses a familiar pipe syntax to navigate the Markdown in a structured way. It's in 0.x because I don't want to fully commit to the syntax being stable, in case real-world testing shows that the syntax needs tweaking. But I think the project is in a pretty good spot overall, and would be…

mdq is a command-line tool for extracting and querying text from Markdown documents using a pipe-based syntax similar to jq. It's designed for developers who need to programmatically select specific content from… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

1. 1
   MDV – a Markdown superset for docs, dashboards, and slides with data▲152

   MDV — a Markdown superset for documents, dashboards, and slides with embedded data and visualizations. HTML + PDF export, live preview, VS Code extension. - drasimwagan/mdv

   Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Mdx – Execute your Markdown code blocks, now in Go▲127

   Hey HN! I recently came across makedown here on HN and loved the concept. Wanting to learn Go, I thought this could be a great starter project - so I started working on my own Go implementation, which I’m calling mdx (https://github.com/dim0x69/mdx). Key Features: - Define dependencies between commands - Supports shebangs - Ability to pass arguments to code blocks Would love feedback and thoughts! Ref. makedown: https://github.com/tzador/makedown. Thanks for the idea! :)

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Xq – command-line XML and HTML beautifier and content extractor▲104

   Command-line XML and HTML beautifier and content extractor - sibprogrammer/xq

   2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   jql – Easier jq Alternative with a Lispy Syntax Written in Go▲217

   Easy JSON Query Processor with a Lispy syntax in Go - cube2222/jql

   2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Textual Markdown – a Markdown “browser” in the terminal▲254

   Hi HN, This is a TUI app which displays interactive Markdown documents. Interactive in the sense that you can scroll code fences / tables / and click links. There's a Table of Contents extracted from the MD, and a very rudimentary browser like forward + back. I'm thinking it could be the starting point for a variety of hypertext like applications in the terminal. Very much a work in progress.

   2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   .MD This Page▲112

   Convert any page to clean Markdown instantly

   Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Makedown – A Markdown powered Makefile alternative▲142

   `makedown` allows you to organise your shell scripts in one or several markdown files, by mix and matching different scripting languages for various commands and needs. zsh/bash/sh, python, javascript or anything else available on your system. Handy for replacing one-line-based package.json scripts or shell-based Makefiles. One can also write documentation and explanations to various commands in the same `.md` file. Most editors highlight correctly most languages in the markdown code blocks, even when you use several scripting languages. Here is a demo .md file…

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Write.md▲137

   Sharable, distraction free markdown editor.

   2020 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Email.md – Markdown to responsive, email-safe HTML▲380

   Turn markdown into responsive, email-safe HTML that renders perfectly across every client.

   Mar 2026 · emailmd.dev · its alternatives →

10. 10
    HTML-to-Markdown – convert entire websites to Markdown with Golang/CLI▲360

    Hey HN! I originally built “html-to-markdown” back in 2018 (while still in high school) to handle complex HTML conversions where other libraries struggled. Now, I’ve released v2 — a complete rewrite designed to handle even more edge cases. It supports entire websites with a high accuracy. Example use: I’ve used it in my RSS reader to strip HTML down to clean Markdown, similar to the "Reader Mode" in your Browser. It can be used as a Golang package or as an CLI. Give it a try & tell me what edge cases you encounter!

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Qq: like jq, but can transcode between many formats▲115

    qq is jq inspired interoperable config format transcoder with interactive querying. It features an optional interactive editor with autocomplete for structured data. And supports inputs and outputs for json, xml, ini, toml, yaml, hcl, tf, and csv to varying degrees of capability.

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Write.md – A free, open-source, themeable Markdown editor for macOS▲107

    A free, open-source Markdown editor for macOS with customizable appearance profiles, optional Vim keys, and local writing corrections.

    Aug 2026 · writemd.app · its alternatives →

13. 13
    jnv: interactive JSON filter using jq▲373

    Interactive JSON filter using jq. Contribute to ynqa/jnv development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Markdown page – Create a web page with just markdown▲169

    📝 create a webpage with just markdown. Contribute to oscarmorrison/md-page development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    A tool like jq, but for parsing HTML▲40

    jq, but for HTML. Contribute to orf/html-query development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    showmd▲204

    Markdown was never meant to be previewed plain text

    Apr 2026 · showmd.yetanother.one · its alternatives →

17. 17
    JSON Query▲154

    I'm working on a tool that will probably involve querying JSON documents and I'm asking myself how to expose that functionality to my users. I like the power of `jq` and the fact that LLMs are proficient at it, but I find it right out impossible to come up with the right `jq` incantations myself. Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Which tool / language did you end up exposing to your users?

    Oct 2025 · jsonquerylang.org · its alternatives →

18. 18TA
    Typeform alternative, turns Markdown to forms▲193

    2024 · blocks.md · its alternatives →

19. 19
    OpenMarkdown▲189

    A feather-light, local-first Markdown editor built for you and your agent.

    Jul 2026 · openmarkdown.dev · its alternatives →

20. 20
    MD+HTML Reader▲117

    Review AI-generated Markdown and HTML in a focused workspace

    Jun 2026 · mdhtmlreader.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Marked QL▲159

    Instant markdown previews in Finder

    Jul 2026 · markedapp.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    cq – Query CSVs using SQL▲80

    Query CSVs using SQL. Contribute to jolmg/cq development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    gq – like jq or zq, but you use Go▲107

    Hi HN. I've gotten pretty tired of needing to learn a custom programming language for a tool I use once a week or less. So I figured, it might be easier to pick up if `jq` used a programming language I already know. Voila, gq.

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

24. 24WM
    Write.md – a shareable distraction-free Markdown editor▲105

    2020 · writemd.xyz · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →