Quarto vs R Markdown (2026): key differences, what still works, and when to switch

Quarto vs R Markdown compared side by side: chunk options, cross-references, websites and books, multi-language support, whether your .Rmd files still render, and a simple rule for when switching is worth it.

• Quick answer: Quarto is R Markdown’s successor from the same Posit team. Your .Rmd files keep rendering; nothing breaks if you wait.
• What is genuinely new: chunk options on #| lines, built-in cross-references (@fig-, @tbl-), websites and books without blogdown/bookdown, and first-class Python, Julia and Observable support.
• Switch now if you start a new report, website or book, or you mix R with Python. Stay on R Markdown if you only maintain existing .Rmd files or depend on a package that still targets rmarkdown.
• Migration cost: rename .Rmd to .qmd, move chunk options onto #| lines, run quarto render. Most documents convert in minutes.

If you’ve written reports in R Markdown, Quarto will feel like coming home — it’s the next-generation successor from the same team at Posit. But it’s not just a rename. Here’s what actually changed, and how to decide whether to move.

What’s the same

Almost everything you know transfers directly:

• You still write Markdown prose with code chunks.
• You still render with a button (or a command) to HTML, PDF and Word.
• knitr, ggplot2, dplyr — your whole R toolchain is unchanged.

Your existing .Rmd files keep working. Quarto isn’t a break; it’s an evolution.

What’s genuinely new

Area	R Markdown	Quarto
Scope	R-centric, via the rmarkdown package	Standalone CLI; R, Python, Julia, Observable
Chunk options	in the header: {r echo=FALSE}	on #\| lines inside the chunk
Cross-references	add-on packages	built in (@fig-, @tbl-)
Websites & books	blogdown / bookdown	built in (project: type: website)
Layout, callouts, tabs	manual HTML/CSS	first-class Markdown features

The chunk-option change you’ll notice first

In R Markdown, options lived in the chunk header:

{r echo=FALSE, warning=FALSE} summary(cars)

In Quarto, they move onto their own #| (“hash-pipe”) lines inside the chunk:

```{r}
#| echo: false
#| warning: false
summary(cars)
```

It reads more cleanly, plays nicely with version control (one option per line), and works identically across languages. Quarto still accepts the old header style, so there’s no rush.

Should you switch?

• New project? Start in Quarto. You get cross-references, websites and multi-language support with zero add-ons.
• Existing .Rmd that works? Leave it — or rename it .qmd and adjust chunk options when you next touch it. There’s no forced migration.
• Building a site, book or dashboard? Quarto replaces blogdown/bookdown/flexdashboard with one consistent system.

The concepts you already have are the concepts Quarto uses. To try the new workflow hands-on, start the free Learn Quarto course — the key lessons run R live in your browser.

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Migrating a reporting workflow to Quarto, or standing one up from scratch? We do that.