Websites using Hackmd

Okay, let s break down HackMD, covering its overview, revenue (which is tricky to pinpoint), alternatives, pricing, and customer care.

HackMD Overview

HackMD is a collaborative, real-time markdown editor designed for teams and individuals to write, share, and organize notes, documentation, and other content. Think of it as a Google Docs but with Markdown syntax at its core.

Key Features:

• Real-time Collaboration: Multiple users can edit the same document simultaneously, with changes appearing instantly.
• Markdown Support: It uses Markdown, a lightweight markup language, making it easy to format text using simple syntax.
• Organization: You can create notebooks to group related notes and use tags for better filtering.
• Publishing and Sharing: You can publish notes publicly (with the option to make them private) and share them via links.
• Embeddable: HackMD documents can be embedded into other websites or applications.
• Version History: Tracks all changes made to a note, allowing you to revert to previous versions.
• LaTeX and MathJax Support: Enables the display of mathematical formulas.
• Presentations: You can create simple presentations from your Markdown documents.
• API: A well-documented API to integrate HackMD with other tools.

Use Cases:

• Team Collaboration: Project documentation, meeting notes, brainstorming sessions.
• Personal Note-Taking: Technical notes, personal knowledge bases, research.
• Technical Writing: Documentation, tutorials, blog posts.
• Presentations: Quick presentations based on your Markdown content.
• Education: Student projects, collaborative assignments.

Revenue

This is where it gets a bit hazy. HackMD is an open-source project (hosted on GitHub), with a self-hosted version free to use. They offer a hosted, paid service called CodiMD (formerly known as HackMD Team Edition), which is where their revenue primarily comes from.

• Open Source Model: The core HackMD software is open-source and free to use. It relies on community contributions and support.
• CodiMD (Hosted Service): This is where they make their money. The paid service offers additional features like increased storage, user management, and priority support compared to the free self-hosted version.
• Funding: It s likely they have some funding/investment to support development on top of revenue generated by CodiMD.

It s difficult to provide exact revenue figures as they are not publicly shared. They operate with a different funding model than a traditional SaaS company, focusing on the open-source community.

Alternatives

Here are some popular alternatives to HackMD, categorized by their strengths:

Collaborative Markdown Editors:

• Notion: A versatile workspace that includes document collaboration, databases, project management, and more. Great for teams that need an all-in-one tool.
• Google Docs: While not Markdown-based, it s a widely used collaborative document editor.
• StackEdit: A browser-based Markdown editor that integrates with Google Drive and other platforms.
• Quip (Salesforce): Collaborative documents, spreadsheets, and project tools, focused on business use.
• Typora: A very popular Markdown editor for local use (desktop), with a focus on beautiful and clean editing. It does not have the real-time collaboration focus of HackMD.

Knowledge Bases & Documentation Tools:

• Confluence (Atlassian): A team workspace focused on knowledge management, collaboration, and documentation.
• GitBook: Designed for creating technical documentation and knowledge bases.
• Read the Docs: A platform for hosting open-source documentation.
• Joplin: Open source note taking application which focuses on personal knowledge bases.

Code-Focused Collaboration:

• GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket: These are primarily code repository platforms but include features for documentation, wikis and collaborative editing.
• Overleaf: Specifically tailored for LaTeX documents, often used for academic and scientific writing.

Pricing

The pricing of HackMD / CodiMD depends on whether you are using the open source or hosted version.

Open Source (HackMD):

• Free: Self-hosted, and free to use. Requires setting up on a server.

Hosted (CodiMD):

• Subscription Based: Different plans are available with various features and limits. Pricing is often based on the number of users or storage needed.
• Trial Options: A free trial is usually offered.
• Paid Tiers:
  • Team/Business plans: This will have more features than the free open source edition, such as more storage, more active users, etc.
  • Enterprise Plans: Designed for larger organizations with complex requirements, this often involves custom support and custom pricing.

It s important to visit the CodiMD website for the most up-to-date and detailed pricing information, as it can change.

Customer Care Details

Customer care varies significantly between the free and paid options:

Open Source (HackMD):

• Community Support: Support comes from the community via the GitHub repository, forums, and discussions.
• No Official Support: There is no dedicated or guaranteed official support channels. It is best effort from volunteers and the community.

Hosted (CodiMD):

• Priority Support: Paid plans typically include dedicated support channels (e.g., email, ticketing system).
• Documentation: There is documentation for users of CodiMD, which can help in troubleshooting problems.
• Support Levels: The level of support often depends on your subscription plan. Enterprise plans usually include the highest level of support.
• SLA: Higher level plans may also have guarantees with an SLA to ensure that the service is available with low downtime.

Key Differences Summarized:

| Feature | HackMD (Open Source) | CodiMD (Hosted) | |-----------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------| | Cost | Free | Subscription-based | | Setup | Self-hosted, requires server | Hosted, managed service | | Support | Community-based | Dedicated support | | Features | Basic, core functionality | Additional features, more limits | | Target audience | Tech-savvy, self-hosting users | Teams, organizations |

In Conclusion

HackMD is a powerful and flexible collaborative Markdown editor. While the core software is free to use, their revenue model revolves around CodiMD s hosted service with a focus on teamwork and additional capabilities. If you re a tech-savvy individual comfortable with self-hosting, the open-source option might be enough. For teams needing reliable service, user management, and support, CodiMD is a strong option, but research alternatives to find the perfect match for your specific needs.