HedgeDoc vs StackEdit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StackEdit grades higher than HedgeDoc: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
HedgeDoc grades higher on features. StackEdit grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick HedgeDoc if
- Fits if your team writes in Markdown and wants its notes on its own server
- Works for people who would rather write slide decks in Markdown
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if nobody can run a server, because there's no hosted version to sign up for
- Not for you if you export to PDF a lot, since that feature was removed and the FAQ points to print-to-PDF
- Too light for big deployments, as only one server process can run against a database
- Watch out: the public demo carries a reliability warning and isn't for keeping notes
- Skip it if you want phone or desktop apps or an API, as none are on record
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
| 2.6GPAHedgeDocGood | 3.0GPAStackEditVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the AGPL 3.0 licence, and the project's site lists no hosted or paid edition, so there is nothing to buy at any point. You pay for a server and nothing else. | 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 | AFree outright. The full editor installs from the release bundle or the Docker image, with help from the community forum and Matrix chat. The public demo is only for trying it out, not for keeping notes. | 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 | CReal-time Markdown editing, reveal.js slides, graphs and diagrams in the note, per-note permissions and revisions you can revert to. It does that job fully and it's a smaller job than a wiki: PDF export was removed over security problems, and the FAQ points you at the browser's print dialog. | 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 | DThere's no hosted service at all. You install it yourself with Node.js 20 or later and a PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB or SQLite database, and put a reverse proxy in front. Once that's done, you share a note by its link. | 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 | CBrowser only, served from your own machine, with no phone or desktop app and no API on record. What's listed as integrations is really sign-in and storage: GitHub, GitLab, Nextcloud, Keycloak, Entra ID and MinIO. | BWeb only, with Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk connections, and offline writing. |
| Best for | Markdown notes and slides on your own server | 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: HedgeDoc and StackEdit. How we grade
Price against what you get
HedgeDoc has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. StackEdit has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
StackEdit scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than HedgeDoc 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
- HedgeDoc is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- HedgeDoc also covers notes and presentations.
- StackEdit also covers documents.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceMarkdownDiagrams
At a glance
| HedgeDoc | StackEdit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | HedgeDoc is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0 license. You install it on your own server; a public demo instance exists only for trying it out. | Free to use; no paid plans are listed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | HedgeDoc Project | Benoit Schweblin |
| Price read from | hedgedoc.org | stackedit.io |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HedgeDoc
- There is no hosted service: you install it on your own server, from the release bundle or the Docker image, and put a reverse proxy in front of it.
- PDF export was removed because of security vulnerabilities; the FAQ suggests the browser's print-to-PDF function in the meantime.
- Only one server process can run against a database, so the FAQ rules out running several instances side by side.
- The public demo comes with a warning about its reliability and is meant for trying the editor, not for keeping notes.
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
HedgeDoc
- Collaborative Markdown editing
- Notes are written in Markdown and edited by several people in real time. Sharing a note's link is all it takes to bring co-workers in.
- Presentation mode
- Slides are written in Markdown and presented straight from the browser, powered by reveal.js.
- Graphs and diagrams
- Notes can include many types of graphs and diagrams as well as embedded content, all written inside the Markdown.
- Permissions and revisions
- Each note's permissions are set from a dropdown, and revisions keep track of changes so a note can be reverted to any older version.
- Sign-in options
- The documentation has setup guides for LDAP, OAuth and SAML, and for signing in with GitHub, GitLab, Keycloak, Mattermost, Nextcloud, Authelia and Microsoft Entra ID.
- Light server requirements
- It needs Node.js 20 or later and a PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB or SQLite database, and the project says it runs smoothly on a Raspberry Pi.
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
HedgeDoc
HedgeDoc$0
The full editor, installed on your own server from the release bundle or the Docker image, with help from the community forum and Matrix chat.
StackEdit
Free$0
The whole editor, with sync and publishing, with no paid tier on the site.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HedgeDoc or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both HedgeDoc and StackEdit are free to use.
Which has a free plan, HedgeDoc or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both HedgeDoc and StackEdit have a free plan.
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.