CommonMark vs GFM (2026): Tables Extension & 6 Renderers Tested
Tables are a GFM extension, not CommonMark core. We ran 6 parsers on tables, strikethrough, task lists, bare URLs and footnotes, and recorded the HTML each emits.
GFM Tables: Pipe Syntax, Empty Cells & Line Breaks That Render
Copy-paste GFM table examples: alignment, empty cells, <br> line breaks, escaped pipes, and why merged cells need HTML — plus GitHub, GitLab, Obsidian & Notion.
GitHub Markdown Table Syntax: Copy-Paste Examples & Fixes
Do Markdown tables need three dashes? Tested on GitHub, marked, and remark-gfm: one dash renders fine. What actually breaks tables — and why CommonMark shows none.