Start with the same document
A renderer is easier to evaluate when you know what its input contains. Our Markdown rendering reference supplies a synthetic source document, a companion file and a local SVG image. It is not a benchmark score, certification or published comparison of tested apps.
The reference was built for concrete checks: read the source, open the same folder in a renderer, and compare the visible result with what the source asks for. No private document is needed.
Aero Markdown publishes this file as a reading example; it is not a benchmark result and not a claim about another app.
What is in the reference
| Feature | Check to make |
|---|---|
| Headings and paragraphs | Can you identify structure and navigate it? |
| Task list and table | Are checked states and columns preserved? |
| Code | Does indentation survive? |
| Mermaid | Is the diagram drawn, or is its source shown? |
| Math | Are formulas interpreted by this renderer? |
| Local SVG | Does the image resolve from the folder? |
| Relative links | Can you reach the companion and return? |
| Footnote | Can you find the note from its reference? |
A feature remaining as source is an observation, not automatically a failure. The right output depends on what the application claims to support and what the reader needs.
Keep the full folder
The image lives in assets/reading-path.svg. The companion is a second Markdown document. Copying only the first file removes part of the test context.
This catches a common confusion: a renderer can support images and relative links correctly while a document still points to files that were not delivered. Distinguish missing input from unsupported syntax.
Record an observation without inventing a score
Note the app and version, macOS version where relevant, source file and action. Describe what appeared, what you expected and what remains untested. When reporting a problem, a minimal source example is more useful than a screenshot without its input.
For repeated timing measurements, define the start and finish, file size, equipment and number of runs. This reference does not include timing results, and download size is not a measurement of reading performance.
The browser reader has deliberate boundaries
Our free web reader uses this source as one of its examples. It renders ordinary Markdown and tables, shows Mermaid and math as source, does not load images, and does not open local document links. Those limits are stated beside the tool.
The Mac reader has its own rendering capabilities and remains in development. The same source can later support a versioned comparison, but this article does not claim those application tests have already been performed.
Use the reference to ask a better question
Instead of asking only whether an app “supports Markdown”, ask whether it handles the documents you read: a long requirement table, a diagram with assumptions, local images, and links to supporting evidence.
For an example with a narrative rather than isolated formatting cases, use the connected project walkthrough. For a PDF handoff, use the export checklist.