Markdown vs MDX: which should you use for documentation?

Markdown works well for documentation that needs simple formatting, broad compatibility, and minimal tooling. MDX extends Markdown with JSX components for tabs, callouts, reusable snippets, and interactive elements.

Plain Markdown is the better choice for READMEs, changelogs, and internal documentation that must render across different tools, while MDX suits hosted developer documentation where components improve content organization, reuse, and usability.

Mintlify accepts .md and .mdx files, allowing teams to migrate existing Markdown and introduce MDX on pages that need components. This guide explains how each format affects components, build requirements, and future migrations.

What is Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight markup syntax that converts readable text into formatted content. For example, ## Installation becomes a second-level heading, while **important** becomes bold text. CommonMark defines the widely shared core syntax, and GitHub Flavored Markdown extends it with tables, task lists, and strikethrough.

Markdown's strengths

.md files remain readable in text editors, render across repository hosts and documentation generators, and produce line-based diffs in version control. The syntax is small enough for engineers, writers, and other contributors to use with little setup. Low setup cost and broad rendering support make Markdown common for READMEs, changelogs, internal wikis, and docs-as-code workflows.

Markdown's limits

Core Markdown has no standard syntax for components such as tabs, callouts, cards, or accordions. Reusable content depends on tooling built on top of the format. Raw HTML covers some layout requirements, but rendering support varies. Markdown dialects and renderer-specific extensions can also create migration work when supported syntax differs.

What is MDX

MDX combines Markdown with JSX, allowing authors to place component tags and pass props alongside headings, lists, links, and code blocks. During the build, an MDX compiler converts the file into JavaScript, so a tag such as <Tabs> is rendered as an interactive element on the published page.

What MDX adds: Tabs can group installation instructions for npm, pnpm, and yarn on one page, while callouts give warnings and prerequisites a consistent visual treatment. Reusable snippets keep shared content in one source file that can be imported wherever it applies. API playgrounds are separate: Mintlify generates them from OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, or endpoint definitions rather than from MDX alone.

Mintlify's Tabs component shows how Markdown prose and a fenced code block can sit inside JSX tags in the same MDX file:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="First tab">
    ☝️ Welcome to the content that you can only see inside the first tab.

    You can add any number of components inside of tabs. For example, a Java code block:

    ```java HelloWorld.java
      class HelloWorld {
        public static void main(String[] args) {
          System.out.println("Hello, World!");
        }
      }
    ```

  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Second tab" icon="leaf">
    ✌️ Here's content that's only inside the second tab.

    This one has a <Icon icon="leaf" /> icon!

  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Third tab">
    💪 Here's content that's only inside the third tab.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Tooling requirements: .mdx files must pass through an MDX-aware build system that can resolve the components used on the page. A renderer that supports only plain Markdown cannot interpret the JSX tags, which may appear as literal text or prevent the page from rendering correctly.

Markdown and MDX compared in 2026

Category	Markdown	MDX
Syntax	Uses Markdown syntax for headings, lists, links, emphasis, blockquotes, images, and code blocks. Tables, task lists, frontmatter, and other extensions depend on the renderer.	Supports CommonMark syntax alongside JSX, JavaScript expressions, and ESM imports and exports. Indented code blocks and angle-bracket autolinks are unsupported by default. HTML elements must follow JSX syntax.
Components	Has no standard component model. Some renderers accept raw HTML, custom directives, or proprietary extensions, but support varies between tools.	Can render imported, locally defined, or injected JSX components such as tabs, callouts, cards, charts, and interactive elements.
Tooling	Requires a Markdown parser for formatted output, although the source remains readable without one and many editors and repository hosts include a renderer.	Requires an MDX compiler and definitions for any custom components used on the page. Interactive components may also ship client-side JavaScript.
Learning curve	The core syntax is small and quick to learn. Authors must also understand any extensions supported by the selected renderer.	Authors learn Markdown alongside JSX tags, props, nesting, and escaping rules. Creating custom components also requires JavaScript and knowledge of the selected UI framework.
Portability	Core CommonMark content transfers across many tools. Renderer-specific extensions, raw HTML, plugins, and frontmatter may require changes.	The Markdown content remains transferable, but component names, props, imports, and framework-specific JSX may need to be mapped or rewritten.
Reusable content	The format has no standard include or import mechanism. Reuse depends on copy and paste or features supplied by a renderer, template system, or plugin.	ESM imports and components can keep shared content in one source file. The reuse mechanism depends on the compiler, component library, and project structure.
Common use cases	READMEs, changelogs, contributing guides, architecture decision records, and internal documentation read across repositories and editors.	Hosted developer documentation, SDK guides, API references, tutorials, and product documentation that use reusable or interactive components.

Teams that expect to change documentation tools should inventory nonstandard components and map each one to a replacement before migrating.

How to choose between Markdown and MDX

Choose Markdown when files must render across tools. READMEs, contributing guides, changelogs, architecture decision records, and internal notes often need to render in repository hosts while remaining readable in text editors. Because Markdown renders in repository hosts and text editors without an MDX compiler or component library, it works well when pages consist mainly of prose, links, images, and code examples.

Choose MDX when documentation needs components. Public developer documentation, SDK guides, and API references lean on tabs for language and package-manager variants, consistent callouts, reusable setup blocks, and custom interactive elements. MDX places all of these in the same file as the surrounding prose. MDX imports also allow API teams to maintain shared authentication instructions, error guidance, and request examples across endpoint and guide pages.

MDX implementations can differ in supported extensions, component APIs, import rules, and framework configuration, so teams should confirm how existing files and components will compile before migration.

Bring existing Markdown to Mintlify and add MDX components page by page →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MDX harder to learn than Markdown?

MDX adds little complexity when authors use a limited set of predefined components and follow existing examples. The learning requirement increases with JavaScript expressions, imports, and custom components because syntax errors can prevent the page from compiling.

Can you mix Markdown and MDX in the same docs site?

Yes, if the site's builder recognizes both extensions. In Mintlify, .md and .mdx pages sit in the same project and navigation, but a page has to be renamed to .mdx before React components will compile on it.

Do you need to know React to write MDX?

Authors can use predefined MDX components by following their documented tag and prop syntax. The framework knowledge required for custom components depends on the site. Mintlify custom components use React, so React becomes relevant when creating or debugging those components, managing state, or handling events.

Is MDX portable across platforms?

MDX files can move between tools that compile MDX, but component compatibility is not automatic. A <Note> in one system might need to become <Callout> in another, while differences in props, imports, and framework-specific logic may require additional changes. The Markdown prose, links, and code blocks usually transfer with little or no editing.