html2text vs markitdown
HTML-to-Markdown tools compared
html2text converts HTML into readable Markdown through a Python API or command-line tool. markitdown also converts HTML, but handles a wider range of document and media formats for text-analysis and LLM workflows.
html2text: Convert HTML into Readable Markdown
html2text turns HTML into readable Markdown from Python code or the command line. It suits scripts and applications that need text from web content, with options for handling links and code blocks.
markitdown: Convert Files and Office Documents to Markdown
MarkItDown is a Python utility that converts documents and other files into Markdown for LLMs and text-analysis pipelines. It preserves useful structure such as headings, tables, and links, with optional cloud services and plugins for additional capabilities.
| html2text | markitdown | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Python | Python |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Stars | 2.2k | 194k |
| Forks | 301 | 14.6k |
| Last analyzed | Oct 13, 2026 | Nov 7, 2026 |
Key differences
- html2text focuses on HTML input, while markitdown supports formats including PDF, office files, images, audio, EPUB, ZIP, and YouTube URLs.
- html2text offers controls for link formatting and code blocks; markitdown emphasizes retaining document structure such as headings, lists, tables, and links.
- Both provide Python and command-line interfaces, while markitdown also supports piped input and output and optional format-specific dependencies.
- html2text is licensed under GPL-3.0; markitdown is licensed under MIT.
- html2text is marked Quiet, with no commits in the measured recent period and no release in over a year; markitdown's data lists 188k stars and 13.9k forks.
- markitdown requires Python 3.10 through 3.14 and warns that its output is not intended for high-fidelity visual reproduction.
Choose html2text if you…
- need to convert HTML into Markdown from Python or the command line.
- want to control whether links are included and how they are formatted.
- need options for marking preformatted and code blocks in the output.
Choose markitdown if you…
- need to convert several document and media formats into Markdown.
- want to use extracted headings, lists, tables, or links in an LLM or text-analysis workflow.
- need optional format dependencies, plugins, or Azure-based extraction integrations.
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This comparison is generated with AI from the OSRepos analyses of both projects. Always check each project's repository and documentation before choosing.