MarkGrab vs MarkDownload vs Obsidian Web Clipper
If you want web pages as Markdown, three browser extensions come up again and again: MarkDownload, the Obsidian Web Clipper and MarkGrab. They overlap, but each is built around a different job. I made MarkGrab, so take my view with that in mind. I've tried to describe all three fairly, including where the others are the better choice.
The short version
| MarkDownload | Obsidian Web Clipper | MarkGrab | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Saving pages as .md files |
Saving pages into an Obsidian vault | Pasting pages into AI chats |
| Main output | Markdown file download | Note in your vault | Markdown on your clipboard |
| Price | Free | Free | Free (5 copies/day); Pro $5 once |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browsers | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and others | Chrome (and Chromium browsers) |
MarkDownload
MarkDownload is a long-standing, open-source extension that clips a page or selection to a Markdown file. It uses Mozilla's Readability to find the main article and Turndown to convert it, and it has plenty of options for front-matter, image handling and file naming.
Pick MarkDownload if: you want to archive web pages as .md files on disk, you prefer open-source tools, or you need it on Firefox or Safari.
Obsidian Web Clipper
The official clipper from the Obsidian team saves pages straight into your vault as notes. It supports templates with variables, highlighting on the page, and saving to different folders based on rules.
Pick Obsidian Web Clipper if: Obsidian is where your notes live. It's free, well integrated and actively developed. For building a knowledge base in Obsidian, it's the natural choice.
MarkGrab
MarkGrab is built for one workflow: getting a page into ChatGPT, Claude or another AI chat as quickly and cleanly as possible. Press Alt+Shift+M and the cleaned page is on your clipboard, ready to paste.
What it focuses on:
- Clipboard first. No file to save or find; just paste.
- Token estimate. It tells you roughly how many tokens you're about to paste, so you know whether a page will fit.
- Clutter removal tuned for AI. It strips menus, cookie banners, citation markers like
[12]and "edit" links, and drops headings left empty after cleanup. - Tables that stay readable. Infoboxes and data tables become proper Markdown tables. Tables full of multi-line code become labelled code blocks instead of one squashed line.
- All tabs at once (Pro). Copy every open tab into one Markdown document to hand an AI several sources in one go.
- Runs locally. Conversion happens in your browser; page content isn't sent anywhere.
Pick MarkGrab if: you mostly want web pages in an AI conversation rather than saved as files, you value a one-keystroke workflow, or you often feed several pages to an AI at once.
Limitations to know: it isn't open source, the free plan is capped at 5 copies a day, and it currently runs on Chrome and Chromium-based browsers only.
Which one should you use?
- Building notes in Obsidian? Obsidian Web Clipper.
- Archiving pages as Markdown files, or want open source? MarkDownload.
- Pasting pages into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini every day? MarkGrab.
Nothing stops you from using two of them: a clipper for your notes and MarkGrab for quick AI questions.
Get MarkGrab on the Chrome Web Store
Copy any page, selection or all open tabs as clean Markdown with Alt+Shift+M. 5 free copies a day; Pro is $5 once.
Add to Chrome — free