Best Android Markdown Libraries

Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain text formatting syntax, and it’s widely used to format README files, for writing messages in online discussion forums, and to create rich text using a plain text editor. In the context of Kotlin for Android development, there are several libraries that can help you render Markdown. Here are some of the best Markdown libraries for Kotlin Android:

1. Markwon

Markwon is one of the most popular and feature-rich Markdown rendering libraries for Android. It provides a lot of flexibility and supports various Markdown extensions.

Key Features:

  • Supports all standard Markdown features.
  • Extensible with plugins for additional features like syntax highlighting, image loading, and more.
  • Handles asynchronous image loading with libraries like Glide, Picasso, and Coil.
  • Supports tables, emojis, and custom inline parsing.

Example Usage: First, add the dependency in your build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    implementation 'io.noties.markwon:core:4.6.2'
}

Then, you can use it in your Kotlin code as follows:

val markwon = Markwon.create(context)

val markdownText = """
    # Heading
    This is a **bold** text and this is an *italic* text.
    ![Image](https://example.com/image.png)
    ```kotlin
    fun main() {
        println("Hello, Markdown!")
    }
    ```
""".trimIndent()

markwon.setMarkdown(textView, markdownText)

2. MarkdownView

MarkdownView is a simple library that provides a WebView to render Markdown. It uses Markdown-it, a JavaScript Markdown parser and renderer.

Key Features:

  • Simple integration using WebView.
  • Supports custom CSS for styling.
  • JavaScript-based, allowing use of Markdown-it plugins.

Example Usage: First, add the dependency in your build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    implementation 'br.tiagohm.markdownview:markdownview:0.19.0'
}

Then, you can use it in your Kotlin code as follows:

val markdownView = findViewById<MarkdownView>(R.id.markdown_view)
val markdownText = """
    # Hello World
    This is a simple example of Markdown.
    - List item 1
    - List item 2
"""

markdownView.loadMarkdown(markdownText)

3. Flexmark Java

Flexmark is a Java library for parsing and rendering Markdown, which can also be used in Android projects. It’s highly extensible and supports a wide range of Markdown syntax extensions.

Key Features:

  • Comprehensive support for Markdown extensions.
  • Highly customizable.
  • Can convert Markdown to HTML, which can be displayed using a WebView or other methods.

Example Usage: First, add the dependency in your build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.vladsch.flexmark:flexmark-all:0.64.0'
}

Then, you can use it in your Kotlin code as follows:

val parser = Parser.builder().build()
val renderer = HtmlRenderer.builder().build()

val markdownText = """
    # Flexmark Example
    Flexmark is a great library for rendering Markdown.
    - Item 1
    - Item 2
"""

val document = parser.parse(markdownText)
val html = renderer.render(document)

// Use the HTML in a WebView or any other HTML-capable view
webView.loadData(html, "text/html", "UTF-8")

4. Markdown4j

Markdown4j is a Java library that can be used to parse and render Markdown content. It’s lightweight and easy to use.

Key Features:

  • Lightweight and fast.
  • Supports basic Markdown syntax.
  • Can be easily integrated with Android applications.

Example Usage: First, add the dependency in your build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    implementation 'org.markdown4j:markdown4j:2.2-cj-1.0.2'
}

Then, you can use it in your Kotlin code as follows:

val markdownText = """
    # Markdown4j Example
    This is a simple Markdown rendering example.
    - Point 1
    - Point 2
"""

val html = Markdown4jProcessor().process(markdownText)

// Use the HTML in a WebView or any other HTML-capable view
webView.loadData(html, "text/html", "UTF-8")

Summary

Each of these libraries offers unique features and can be selected based on your specific needs:

  • Markwon is ideal for rich, feature-complete Markdown rendering with high flexibility.
  • MarkdownView offers simplicity and ease of use with WebView.
  • Flexmark is perfect for projects needing extensive Markdown extension support and customization.
  • Markdown4j is a lightweight option for basic Markdown rendering.

Choose the one that best fits your requirements and development style.