Markitdown vs skillcheck-free
Markitdown is an MCP server published by microsoft. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). skillcheck-free is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by olgasafonova. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-19. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Markitdown |  skillcheck-free |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:9cb5f26d30b6 Forks (GitHub): 14 193 Pulls (Docker Hub): 160 372 Stars (Docker Hub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 190 833 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 3.20.1 Forks (GitHub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 41 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Markitdown | skillcheck-free |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 190 833 (better) | 41 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 160 372 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 14 193 (better) | 2 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/markitdown) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 1 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 1 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/microsoft/markitdown | github.com/olgasafonova/skillcheck-free |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-12 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Markitdown
A lightweight MCP server for calling MarkItDown.
skillcheck-free
SkillCheck Free validates Claude Code SKILL.md files against ~25 contract rules covering structure, naming, semantic consistency, and quality patterns. It catches missing frontmatter, weak or ambiguous descriptions, trigger collisions, anti-pattern formatting (prose where tables belong), naming smells, and contradictions before users encounter them. Runs locally — it's itself a SKILL.md the agent reads, with no API calls, binaries, or external services. MIT-licensed. Works in Claude Code, Claude Desktop/Web (Projects), and Cursor. The Free tier covers structural, semantic, and naming checks plus quality-pattern recognition. SkillCheck Pro (separate product at getskillcheck.com) adds anti-slop detection, security scanning, token budget analysis, WCAG accessibility, and enterprise readiness checks.
How to run each
Markitdown As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio markitdown -- docker run -i --rm mcp/markitdownskillcheck-free As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install skillcheck-free@claude-communityCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of skillcheck-free publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Markitdown · What it can do: skillcheck-free · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.