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Marked QL | Plorik

Marked QL dashboard and user interface - Instant markdown previews in macOS Finder.

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Marked QL

Productivity

Revenue: <$100k ARR

Instant markdown previews in macOS Finder.

Overview

Marked QL is a lightweight macOS Quick Look extension that renders formatted Markdown files instantly within Finder. Powered by the Apex processor, it transforms raw text documents into styled HTML previews featuring math equations, Mermaid diagrams, and code syntax highlighting. The app operates independently while serving as an efficient companion tool to the full Marked 3 application.

Founded year: 2026

Founder: Brett Terpstra

Team size: 1

Popularity: Thousands of active Mac App Store downloads and Finder users

HQ: United States

Status: Active

Funding status: Bootstrapped

Customer type: B2C

Pricing: One-time payment

Tech stack: Swift, Objective-C, Quick Look Framework, Apex Markdown Engine

Platform: Web

Integrations: macOS Finder, Quick Look, Terminal, Marked 3

What it does

Renders rich, formatted Markdown previews directly inside macOS Finder upon pressing the spacebar.
Supports multiple Markdown syntaxes and flavors including CommonMark, GFM, MultiMarkdown, and Kramdown.
Handles complex document elements such as Mermaid diagrams, MathJax equations, tables, and task lists.
Allows customization of preview styles, themes, and processing behaviors via dedicated app settings.

Who it's for

Mac Power Users
Writers & Bloggers
Software Developers
Researchers & Academics

Why it works

Leverages the high-performance Apex processing engine to deliver fast rendering speeds even for dense documents.
Provides a straightforward one-time purchase model on the Mac App Store without recurring subscription friction.
Eliminates the need to open a separate editor just to inspect document contents and structural formatting.
Integrates natively into macOS system protocols for seamless file inspection from both Finder and Terminal.

Founder story

Marked QL was created by independent developer and long-time Mac utility author Brett Terpstra to solve the limitations of default macOS text handling. Responding to years of user requests for native Markdown Quick Look capabilities, the developer built a fast, dedicated preview extension powered by the modern Apex parsing engine.

Alternatives

Comparison overview

Default macOS Quick Look displays Markdown files as unformatted plain text or raw monospace dumps.
Marked QL renders fully styled HTML previews complete with syntax highlighting, diagrams, and math equations straight inside Finder.

Social links

Website