shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use HackMD?

Collaborative Markdown editor with free, Prime, Team, and Enterprise plans - hackmd.io

Depends. Buy HackMD if your team works in Markdown and wants cheap real-time collaboration — the free tier and $5 Prime suit small groups. Skip it if you want Notion-style rich docs or have a bigger team: Team+ hits $16.67/seat monthly and reviewers call that overpriced.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 12+ public sources; team-tier pricing differs between monthly ($16.67) and annual (~$8) billing across sources.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0 forever

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Prime$5/user/mo
Team+$16.67/user/mo monthly (~$8 annual)
EnterpriseCustom quote

Best for

  • Markdown-first dev teams
  • Live collaborative meeting notes
  • Open-source and Web3 communities
  • Solo writers needing cheap PDF export

Not for

  • Notion-style rich docs with databases and CMS features
  • Non-technical teams allergic to Markdown syntax
  • Large teams on a budget — Team+ adds up fast at $16.67/seat
  • Free-tier users uploading big screenshots — 1MB cap

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Team+ runs $16.67/seat monthly (~$8 annual); a 10-person team pays ~$167/mo

medium

Free plan caps image uploads at 1MB — painful for docs with screenshots

medium

Free collaboration stops at 3 people; anything bigger requires paid plans

medium

Capterra reviewer found pricing high relative to features — trial Team+ before committing

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Real-time collaborative Markdown editor
  • GitHub sync plus agent-friendly API
  • Free forever tier for up to 3 teammates
  • Prime is cheap at $5 per seat monthly
  • Users praise cozy editor and quick sharing

Cons

  • Free tier caps image uploads at 1MB
  • Free plan limited to 3 collaborators
  • Reviewer says pricing 'too high for what it offers'
  • SaaSworthy rating sits at 3.9/5

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/27/2026 - 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x4news x4

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $0 forever

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Cheap solo; Team+ called overpriced by reviewers
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Called cozy, quick, easy to use
  • Feature depth: 3/5. GitHub sync and API; no docs databases
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 3/5. Vendor mentions Type II audit; independent detail thin
  • 3.9/5 SaaSworthy rating 530 ratings
  • $5/user/mo Starting price Prime plan
  • Yes Free tier Up to 3 teammates
  • $16.67/user/mo Team+ price ~$8/user billed annually

Pricing

Free

$0 forever

  • Up to 3 teammates
  • Basic collaboration
  • 1MB image upload cap

Prime

$5/user/mo

  • Search and PDF export
  • 20,000 API calls
  • Personal upgrade

Team+

$16.67/user/mo monthly (~$8 annual)

  • Team workspaces
  • Member management
  • Annual billing discount

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • Pricing based on needs

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Reviews praise the fast, cozy Markdown editor but several say pricing outpaces the features, especially at Team level.

“Cozy text editor, convenient and quick sharing”
G2 review
“A really nice Markdown documentation tool. The pricing is also just too high for what it offers”
Capterra review
“With a free HackMD account, you cannot upload image files larger than 1MB.”
note.com developer blog

Alternatives

Compare HackMD with each alternative.

  • Notion

    Richer docs with databases; the common HackMD comparison.

  • Obsidian

    Local-first Markdown notes; free for personal use.

    HackMD vs Obsidian

  • CodiMD

    Self-hosted open-source HackMD sibling; run it free.

  • Google Docs

    Free, simpler collaboration for non-Markdown teams.

Companies that use it

Full analysis

Based on 12+ public sources; team-tier pricing differs between monthly ($16.67) and annual (~$8) billing across sources.

Solid cheap collaborative Markdown tool for dev teams; Team pricing climbs to $16.67/seat and reviewers question the value.

Methodology

Based on 12+ public sources; team-tier pricing differs between monthly ($16.67) and annual (~$8) billing across sources.

Sources

  1. HackMD Pricing & Plans (official)homepage.hackmd.io
    official
  2. HackMD homepage (official)homepage.hackmd.io
    official
  3. Yearly payment FAQ (official)hackmd.io
    official
  4. HackMD Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  5. HackMD on Capterracapterra.com
    review
  6. HackMD on SaaSworthysaasworthy.com
    review
  7. HackMD on f6sf6s.com
    review
  8. HackMD vs Unmarkdown comparisonunmarkdown.com
    news
  9. AI tooling blog mentioning HackMD free limitsnote.com
    news
  10. HackMD overview on Gappsygappsy.com
    news
  11. hackmd-cli GitHub (mentions CodiMD)github.com
    official
  12. OpenVPN documentation post referencing HackMDlinkedin.com
    news

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