Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

DevDocs VS HackMD

Compare DevDocs VS HackMD and see what are their differences

DevDocs logo DevDocs

Open source API documentation browser with instant fuzzy search, offline mode, keyboard shortcuts, and more

HackMD logo HackMD

Fast and flexible, real-time collaborative markdown, inspired by Hackpad.
  • DevDocs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-12
  • HackMD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-04

DevDocs features and specs

  • Comprehensive Documentation
    DevDocs offers a wide array of documentation for various programming languages, libraries, and frameworks, making it a one-stop resource for developers.
  • Offline Access
    Users can download documentation for offline use, which is beneficial for work in environments without consistent internet connectivity.
  • Fast Search
    DevDocs features a lightning-fast search functionality, allowing developers to quickly find the information they need.
  • Integrations
    DevDocs can integrate with various editors and tools, enhancing the workflow for developers.
  • Free and Open Source
    DevDocs is free to use and open source, allowing developers to contribute and improve the platform.

Possible disadvantages of DevDocs

  • Limited Customization
    The platform offers limited customization options for user interface preferences compared to some other documentation tools.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may face a learning curve to get accustomed to the interface and find the documentation they need.
  • Dependency on Contributions
    As an open-source project, DevDocs relies heavily on community contributions to keep documentation up to date, which might lead to inconsistencies.
  • No User Accounts
    DevDocs does not support user accounts, meaning there is no way to save personalized settings or bookmarks across different devices.
  • Limited Mobile Optimization
    While it is accessible on mobile devices, DevDocs is not specifically optimized for mobile use, which might affect the user experience on smaller screens.

HackMD features and specs

  • Collaboration
    HackMD offers real-time collaborative editing, which allows multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously. This feature enhances teamwork and productivity, especially for remote teams.
  • Markdown Support
    HackMD is built around Markdown, providing a simple yet powerful syntax for formatting documents. Markdown compatibility makes it easy to create well-structured content with minimal effort.
  • Version Control
    The platform includes version history, allowing users to track changes, revert to previous versions, and compare different iterations. This feature ensures that work is not lost and can be systematically reviewed.
  • Integration
    HackMD integrates with popular platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Dropbox, allowing for seamless workflow integration. This makes it easy to incorporate HackMD into existing development and project management processes.
  • Accessibility
    HackMD is a web-based tool, meaning it can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. This ensures that users can collaborate and edit documents from different locations and devices.

Possible disadvantages of HackMD

  • Limited Offline Support
    Since HackMD is primarily a web-based tool, it offers limited functionalities when offline. Users may face challenges accessing and editing documents without an internet connection.
  • Subscription Model
    While HackMD offers a free tier, advanced features and greater collaboration capacities are locked behind a subscription model. This could be a disadvantage for users and small teams with limited budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with Markdown or collaborative editing tools may have a learning curve to overcome. This could affect initial productivity and user experience.
  • Data Privacy
    As a cloud-based service, users may have concerns about data privacy and security. Sensitive information stored on the platform could potentially be accessed by third parties or become vulnerable to data breaches.
  • Performance Issues
    Under heavy usage or with large documents, some users might experience occasional performance issues such as lag or slow syncing. This can disrupt the workflow and collaborative efforts.

Analysis of DevDocs

Overall verdict

  • Yes, DevDocs is generally considered a valuable tool for developers who need quick and easy access to documentation across various programming languages and technologies.

Why this product is good

  • DevDocs is widely regarded as a great resource for developers because it offers an extensive collection of API documentation in a single, searchable interface. It consolidates various languages and frameworks, allowing for quick access and offline availability, which can significantly speed up development workflows.

Recommended for

  • Software developers
  • Web developers
  • Programmers who frequently switch between languages
  • Developers working with multiple frameworks
  • Students learning programming
  • Anyone needing quick access to tech documentation

Analysis of HackMD

Overall verdict

  • Overall, HackMD is a strong choice for those looking for an effective and flexible markdown editor with robust collaboration features. Its convenience, ease of use, and extensive features make it a good option for both personal and professional use.

Why this product is good

  • HackMD is popular because it offers a collaborative markdown editing environment that's particularly useful for teams and individuals who need to work on documentation, notes, or any kind of markdown-based content. It allows real-time collaboration, version control, and easy sharing, making it ideal for productivity. Its interface is user-friendly, and it supports a variety of integrations with tools like GitHub, Google Drive, and Dropbox. This flexibility and the ability to seamlessly work across different platforms make HackMD a valuable tool for many users.

Recommended for

  • Teams needing real-time collaboration on documents
  • Developers working on project documentation
  • Educators and students for note-taking and sharing
  • Writers preferring markdown for content creation
  • Anyone looking for a cloud-based markdown editor with integrations

DevDocs videos

DevDocs - An API Documentation Browser

HackMD videos

hackmd.io opensource application review

More videos:

  • Demo - Techstars Paris 2018 Demo Day - HackMD pitch
  • Review - Screencast-Tutorial zu HackMD

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DevDocs and HackMD)
Cryptocurrencies
100 100%
0% 0
Task Management
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
53 53%
47% 47
Blockchain
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, DevDocs should be more popular than HackMD. It has been mentiond 130 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

DevDocs mentions (130)

  • Dev world, unplugged: 65,000+ developersโ€™ survey results on code, AI, and burnout in 2024 (and why you should speak up in 2025)
    DevDocs the minimalist doc reader for when Stack Overflow doesnโ€™t have the answer. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • 10 more Exciting Resources for Devs
    ID: i26 Tags: Programming, API, Documentation Description: Fast, offline, and free documentation browser for developers. GitHub Link | Website Link. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • 11 Must-Know Websites Every Developer Should Bookmark
    Search API documentation effortlessly with DevDocs. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Review: Boost Your Django DX by Adam Johnson
    The book has twelve chapters. It starts with documentation, the source of truth, and explores how to access documentation offline (DevDocs) or online. It then progresses towards creating your own System Checks. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • intro to web development in the era of genAI
    I use devdocs.io for a one place for many libraries and languages. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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HackMD mentions (71)

  • Writing a Good Design Document
    Https://hackmd.io might fit the bill. I use it for some open source projects I work on, but don't really touch the advanced features. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Show HN: Improving RAG with Chess Elo Scores? (YC W25)
    - https://hackmd.io/@-Gjw1zWMSH6lMPRlziQFEw/B15B4Rsleg tldr; wikipedia iterates on , but that can go to zero or infinity. Iterating on stays between -4 and 4 in all of our observed pairwise matrices, so it's very well-bounded. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Show HN: Improving RAG with Chess Elo Scores? (YC W25)
    We tried a bradley-terry loss function, as calculated with https://hackmd.io/@-Gjw1zWMSH6lMPRlziQFEw/SJ8sRl1Zge We found that MSE after elo-adjustment worked equally well. And, MSE lets you shuffle (q, d) across the dataset which has good statistical properties (Versus contrastive, which makes you sample the same query many times within a single minibatch) In this case "InfoNCE" isn't applicable because the... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • # [derive(Clone)] Is Broken
    It's got a subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/rustjerk/ There's an "internal" community document entitled "The Core Team Is Toxic": https://hackmd.io/@XAMPPRocky/r1HT-Z6_t There's an entry on the tropes page about it: https://enet4.github.io/rust-tropes/rewrite-in-rust/ You're trying to make the case that this is a fever dream hallucinated by me in isolation? Like I took a bunch of fucking mescaline and imagined... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • MinIO Removes Web UI Features from Community Version, Pushes Users to Paid Plans
    The most established option is Ceph, which has a (optional) web ui too. Before investigating it for eventual production use, I heard quite a bit about how complicated it was to use, but for my use case (storage for enterprise and academic k8s clusters) it's actually been quite simple to deploy and use. Cephadm (one of many ceph management tools) can handle nearly all our bootstrapping and management needs. Little... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing DevDocs and HackMD, you can also consider the following products

Zeal - Zeal is an API Documentation Browser.

Documize - Enterprise-grade wiki and knowledge management platform

Dash for macOS - Dash is an API Documentation Browser and Code Snippet Manager. Dash searches offline documentation of 200+ APIs and stores snippets of code. You can also generate your own documentation sets.

Boardist - Personal workspace for all the data

DASH - DASH is a secure, blockchain-based global financial network which offers private transactions.

ReadTheDocs - Spend your time on writing high quality documentation, not on the tools to make your documentation work.