GitBook vs HackMD

GitBook

• Public product and API documentation for software companies
• Teams that want docs reviewed and merged in a Git workflow
• Open source projects, which can apply for the free Community plan

HackMD

• Developer teams that write documentation in Markdown
• Open communities publishing notes that anyone can read
• Feeding documentation to scripts and AI agents as Markdown

GitBook

• Paid plans combine a per-site fee with $12 per user / month, and guests and read-only members cost the same as other members.
• The pricing page shows annual-billing prices and advertises 2 months free; month-to-month rates are not shown in its default view.
• The Free plan covers a single user and leaves out custom domains, AI search and AI writing.
• SAML SSO is limited to Enterprise; the AI Assistant, adaptive content and authenticated access need Ultimate at $249 per site / month.

HackMD

• Free team workspaces stop at 3 members; a larger private team pays per seat for Prime.
• Full-text search and PDF export are not on the Free plan, which also limits images to 1 MB each.
• SSO, role-based access control, custom domains, GitLab integration and self-hosting are Enterprise only.
• HackMD is used in the browser on desktop, tablet and phone; the site mentions browser and VS Code extensions rather than native apps.

GitBook

Block-based editor

A visual editor built from blocks, including custom ones. Added users collaborate through change requests and content reviews before edits are published.

Git Sync

Two-way sync with GitHub or GitLab lets a team branch, review and merge documentation like a pull request. It is included on every plan, the Free one too.

Published docs sites

Sites get unlimited traffic and preview deployments on every plan. Custom domains, branding and redirects start on Premium; sections and site groups need Ultimate.

AI search and Assistant

On Premium, readers get short answers straight from the search box. Ultimate adds the Assistant, a chat sidebar that can also draw on connected sources such as GitHub and Slack.

GitBook Agent

Writes, edits and updates documentation and flags content that no longer matches the product. Free accounts are limited to 10 messages a week.

API docs and LLM-ready output

OpenAPI specifications become interactive API playgrounds. Every site also gets llms.txt files, Markdown versions of pages and its own MCP server.

HackMD

Real-time Markdown editing

Several people edit a note at once with multiple cursors, in an editor that can show the Markdown source, the rendered result or both side by side.

Comments and suggested edits

Notes take in-line and page comments, mentions and suggested edits. Read, write and comment permissions can each be set to owners, signed-in users or everyone.

Version history

Every edit is tracked so an earlier version can be recovered. The Free plan keeps the 10 most recent versions and Prime keeps them all.

GitHub sync

Notes can be pushed to GitHub: 20 pushes a month on the Free plan and unlimited on Prime. GitLab integration is an Enterprise feature.

Slide and book modes

A note can be organized into slides with a special syntax and presented in slide mode, and book mode turns an ordered list of note links into a collection.

API and CLI

Any note can be pulled as Markdown, or written back, through the REST API or CLI. Free workspaces get 400 API calls a month and a Prime team gets 20,000.

GitBook

• Free$0

  For individuals: 1 user, block-based editor, GitHub or GitLab sync, interactive API playgrounds, preview deployments and LLM optimizations.

• Premium$65

  per site / month, billed annually, plus $12 per user / month

  Team collaboration, AI search, AI writing, a custom domain, advanced branding, analytics and user feedback, and site redirects.

• Ultimate$249

  per site / month, billed annually, plus $12 per user / month

  AI Assistant with 500 successful answers included, AI insights, adaptive content, authenticated access, site sections and channels for Slack, Linear and GitHub.

• EnterpriseCustom

  SAML SSO, migration service, custom integrations, dedicated support, custom contracts and invoicing, and Git Sync IP allowlisting.

HackMD

• Free$0

  Unlimited notes, up to 3 teammates, 3 invitees, 3 custom templates, GitHub integration with 20 pushes a month, and images up to 1 MB each.

• Prime (personal)$4

  per month, billed yearly ($6 billed monthly)

  For a personal workspace: full-text search, PDF export, unlimited versions, invites, templates and GitHub pushes, and 10K API calls a month.

• Prime (team)$5

  per seat / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)

  For a team workspace: seats beyond the 3 free members, the same Prime features, 20 MB image uploads and 20,000 API calls a month.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Adds SSO through SAML or LDAP, role-based access control, a custom domain and homepage, GitLab integration, self-hosting and priority support.

GitBook

• Annual discount

  2 months free with annual billing

  GitBook's pricing page advertises 2 months free on annual plans, which are paid for 12 months up front and are not refunded if canceled mid-term.

• Nonprofit

  Free Community plan for non-profits

  Eligible non-profit organizations can apply for the free Community plan, which includes all Ultimate plan features except SAML SSO.

• Education

  Free Community plan for education groups

  Education-related groups such as student, lab or course groups can apply for the Community plan. Schools, colleges and universities themselves are excluded.

• Other savings

  Free Community plan for open source

  Open source organizations that need to collaborate beyond the Free plan can apply for the Community plan at no cost, with all Ultimate features except SAML SSO.

HackMD

• Annual discount

  Lower Prime prices with yearly billing

  A Prime team seat is $5 a month billed annually against $8 billed monthly, shown as a 37.5% saving. Personal Prime is $4 a month billed yearly against $6.

• Nonprofit

  Non-profit sponsorship program

  Non-profits and educational organizations can apply by email for sponsorship. On approval, a free private team can be expanded from 3 to 20 members.