Download
Start reading on your computer.
Choose the installer for your computer. MD Duck is free and open source; AI services are optional and use your own account.
MD Duck
A local Markdown reader for close reading and review. Read English alongside Chinese, look up words and leave comments beside the passages.
New in beta.7: find articles your AI or editor has changed, compare passages before and after, then mark them as viewed when you have finished checking. Opening an article keeps its update marker. The sidebar also adds name, title and manual sorting. How to review changes
The first check creates a starting snapshot; earlier revisions cannot be recovered. Only your latest confirmed version is kept locally. Your existing folder library and reading workflow stay the same.
Mac · Apple Silicon
macOS 13 or later · M-series chips · DMG
Download for Mac141.5 MiBInstallation steps
SHA-256 checksum
dad340f2a2e56f30d7749543d6d656cab4c781afe01ae2109cd7b0c3420b1f87Windows · x64
Windows 10 or later · 64-bit Intel / AMD · EXE installer
Download for Windows125.6 MiBInstallation steps
SHA-256 checksum
86cbf3ee3f93b9fc56a42356bf82402371679068a9e05f7a9d1e9c38a03fc8d0
This is an early beta. Back up your whole article library, including hidden .review and .mdduck folders, before updating. Intel Macs, Windows ARM and Linux builds are not provided.
Before you install
A few things to know.
Free to use
Reading, annotations, existing translations and local speech are free. AI explanations and translation use your own provider account and credit. Speech downloads its model on first use.
First launch on Mac
The beta has an ad-hoc signature, without Apple Developer ID signing or notarization. macOS may block its first launch. Follow the installation guide to allow this app after checking the download source. Mac installation
Windows installation and speech
The unsigned installer runs per user. Windows may show a publisher warning. Local speech also needs the Microsoft Visual C++ v14 x64 runtime; reading and annotations do not require it. Windows installation
What has been checked
Mac builds have been checked on one Mac. Windows builds passed automated tests, installation, startup restoration, change review in the installed app and offline synthesis with all five voices. Hands-on Windows desktop use and speaker playback have not been validated. The first model download depends on your network.
Source code
Read the code. Share your feedback.
MD Duck uses GPL-3.0-or-later. The public repository includes the project license and third-party notices. Report an issue with your app version, system version and the steps that reproduce it.
View source code Corresponding source & speech build materials Checksums for all release files