HackMD vs StackEdit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StackEdit grades higher than HackMD: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
HackMD grades higher on features. StackEdit grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HackMD
Real-time collaborative Markdown editor and knowledge base
Which one is for you
Pick HackMD if
- Fits if your team already writes its documentation in Markdown
- Works for teams whose scripts and AI agents read and write notes through an API
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free: 3 teammates, no full-text search or PDF export, 10 versions and 1 MB images
- Not for you if you need SSO, roles, a custom domain, GitLab or self-hosting, which are Enterprise only
- Skip it if your writers would rather not touch Markdown, because that's what every note is written in
- Watch out: the free plan caps GitHub pushes at 20 and API calls at 400 a month
- Skip it if you want native apps; it's the browser plus browser and VS Code extensions
Pick StackEdit if
- Fits if you write Markdown notes or posts and want them saved to Drive or GitHub
- Works for one person who needs a quick preview-as-you-type editor
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a wiki, as there is no page tree or team permission system
- Watch out: the site footer carries a 2013-2019 copyright, so check its activity before depending on it
- Skip it if you need real-time team editing and structure, which are not what it is built for
- Watch out: sync and publishing each need an account with the third-party service
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHackMDFair | 3.0GPAStackEditVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPrime is $4 a month billed yearly for a personal workspace and $5 a seat billed annually for a team, which is inside the lowest-priced quarter for this category, where plans start from about $6. Paying monthly is dearer, at $6 and $8. | AFree to use, with no paid plans listed anywhere on the site, which is under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree forever with unlimited notes, but the caps bite: a team stops at 3 members, there's no full-text search and no PDF export, only the 10 most recent versions are kept, and images top out at 1 MB each. | AThe whole editor, with sync and publishing, is free with no tier above it. Sync and publishing do need an account with the service involved. |
| Features | CLive editing with multiple cursors, in-line comments and suggested edits, version history, GitHub sync, slide and book modes, and a REST API and CLI. Everything is written in Markdown, though, and role-based access control, custom domains, GitLab and self-hosting are all Enterprise. | DOne narrow function: a Markdown editor with preview, math and diagrams, sync and publishing. For a docs or wiki category it has no page tree, no team permission system and no search across pages. |
| Ease of use | CNo app rating on record. Nothing to install, and the editor shows the Markdown, the result or both side by side, but Markdown itself is the learning curve: a writer who won't type hashes and asterisks is stuck. | BNothing to install or configure: open the page and write. No store rating on record, so this rests on the listing alone. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app that works in the browser on desktop, tablet and phone, with browser and VS Code extensions, GitHub, GitLab, Dropbox and Google Drive connections, and a REST API. No native apps at all. | BWeb only, with Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk connections, and offline writing. |
| Best for | teams that write together in Markdown | writing Markdown in the browser and syncing to cloud drives |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HackMD and StackEdit. How we grade
Price against what you get
HackMD starts at $4 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. StackEdit has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and StackEdit starts $4 a month lower. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 3 score higher than HackMD for less, and none scores higher than StackEdit for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- StackEdit is open source, according to its own site.
- HackMD also covers notes, templates and presentations.
- StackEdit also covers documents and diagrams.
At a glance
| HackMD | StackEdit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $4 per month, billed yearly (Prime for a personal workspace) | Free |
| Free plan | Free forever: unlimited notes, up to 3 teammates, 3 custom templates, the 10 most recent versions, 20 GitHub pushes and 400 API calls a month, and images up to 1 MB each. | Free to use; no paid plans are listed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | HackMD | Benoit Schweblin |
| Price read from | hackmd.io | stackedit.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
StackEdit
- It is an editor, not a wiki: there is no page tree or team permission system.
- The site footer carries a 2013-2019 copyright notice, so check the project's activity before depending on it.
- Sync and publishing need an account with the third-party service involved.
Key features
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.
StackEdit
- Markdown with live preview
- Syntax highlighting, formatting buttons and a scroll-synced preview panel.
- Markdown flavors
- Supports Markdown Extra, GitHub Flavored Markdown and CommonMark, each switchable.
- Math, diagrams and scores
- Renders LaTeX math, UML sequence diagrams and flow charts, and ABC musical notation.
- Sync and publishing
- Files sync with Google Drive, Dropbox and GitHub, and can be published to Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk.
- Collaboration and comments
- Shared workspaces merge simultaneous edits, and inline comments can be added to files.
- Offline writing
- The editor keeps working without a connection.
Plans
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.
StackEdit
Free$0
The whole editor, with sync and publishing, with no paid tier on the site.
Ways to pay less
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.
StackEdit
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HackMD or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StackEdit is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4 a month for HackMD. HackMD starts at $4 per month, billed yearly (Prime for a personal workspace), and StackEdit is free.
Which has a free plan, HackMD or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both HackMD and StackEdit have a free plan.
Which platforms do HackMD and StackEdit run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only HackMD lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.