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Excalidraw VS HackMD

Compare Excalidraw VS HackMD and see what are their differences

Excalidraw

Excalidraw is a whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source Freemium $7 / Monthly
Alternatives Is it good?
HackMD

Fast and flexible, real-time collaborative markdown, inspired by Hackpad.

Rating
0 reviews
Alternatives Is it good?
Schedule Forge
Forge your schedule, not spreadsheets. Drag-and-drop work orders, capacity-aware line scheduling, shop floor kiosk clocking, AI what-if scenarios, and a daily dashboard that tells you what needs attention. sponsored
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Excalidraw should be more popular than HackMD. It has been mentioned 268 times since March 2021.

social mentions
268 vs 76
Digital Whiteboard popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 181

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Excalidraw
HackMD
Website excalidraw.com hackmd.io
Pricing
Open source Freemium $7 / Monthly Official pricing
Official pricing
Company Startup from the Czech Republic · 10 - 19 employees —
Listed in
Digital Whiteboard Sketching Drawing Wireframing Mockups, Wireframing And Prototyping Diagrams Flow Charts And Diagrams Flowcharts UML Diagrams Online Education Game Development Storytelling +9
Task Management Project Management Productivity Markdown Editor +1

About Excalidraw and HackMD

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Excalidraw
HackMD

Excalidraw is an open-source virtual whiteboard focused on simplicity and collaboration. It provides a hand-drawn, sketch-style interface for brainstorming and visualizing ideas. Ideal for remote teams, educators, and developers, Excalidraw supports real-time collaboration and integrates with...

Read more about Excalidraw

No description of HackMD yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Excalidraw 5 features
HackMD 5 features
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Excalidraw features a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create diagrams and sketches without a steep learning curve.
  • Real-Time Collaboration
    Allows multiple users to collaborate on the same canvas in real-time, making it a great tool for team projects and discussions.
  • Free to Use
    Excalidraw is completely free to use, and offers all of its features without a subscription or one-time payment.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, it allows developers to contribute to its codebase, customize it for their needs, and potentially add new features.
  • Offline Capability
    Offers offline support, enabling users to continue working on their diagrams without an internet connection.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While perfect for basic sketches and diagrams, Excalidraw lacks some advanced features found in other professional-grade diagramming tools.
  • Basic Styling Options
    The tool offers limited styling options, which may not be sufficient for users looking for more sophisticated design and customization capabilities.
  • No Integration with Other Tools
    Currently, Excalidraw does not offer integration with other popular productivity or design tools, which might be a limitation for some users.
  • Scalability Issues
    As the number of elements on the canvas increases, performance can degrade, potentially making the tool less responsive.
  • Limited Export Options
    Supports limited export formats, which can be inconvenient for users needing to integrate their visuals into other applications or media.
  • 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

  • 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

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Excalidraw
HackMD

Overall verdict

  • Excalidraw is an excellent tool, especially for those looking for a straightforward and efficient online whiteboard solution. Its user-friendly design, combined with robust collaboration features, makes it a strong choice for both individuals and teams.

Why this product is good

  • Excalidraw is highly regarded due to its simplicity and effectiveness as a digital whiteboard tool. It offers a clean, intuitive interface that's easy to use for quick sketches and brainstorming sessions. The collaboration features, which allow multiple users to work together in real-time, make it ideal for teams. Its open-source nature also adds a level of flexibility and customization for users with specific needs.

Recommended for

  • Designers needing a quick sketch tool.
  • Teams requiring real-time collaboration on visual ideas.
  • Individuals who appreciate open-source software.
  • Educators and students for simple diagrams or brainstorming.
  • Remote teams looking for a lightweight yet powerful whiteboarding tool.

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

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Excalidraw 1 video + Add
HackMD 3 videos + Add

Rapid Mockup Creation Using Excalidraw

hackmd.io opensource application review

More videos

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

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Excalidraw
HackMD
100% 100%
Digital Whiteboard
0% 0%
0% 0%
Task Management
100% 100%
100% 100%
Diagrams
0% 0%
66% 66%
Productivity
34% 34%

User comments

Share your experience with using Excalidraw and HackMD. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Excalidraw no reviews yet
HackMD no reviews yet

We have no reviews of HackMD yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Excalidraw 268 mentions
HackMD 76 mentions
  • I Vibed a Proof of Conway's Conjecture
    I made a picture, hope this helps: https://excalidraw.com/#json=zfKWWn1h7GzdFca6RDdXl,plr_WeaCtvFxbjULFjq6zw Sorry it was confusing. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Your Architecture Diagram Is a Screenshot. Your AI Agent Can't Read It.
    The format idea costs you nothing to adopt today: export from excalidraw.com with "Embed scene" on, commit the .excalidraw.png, reference it as a normal image. It renders everywhere and stays editable. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • The Interview Prep Stack I Used as a Senior Software Engineer Targeting Big Tech
    Category Tool URL How I used it General AI assistant ChatGPT Https://chatgpt.com Breaking down concepts, simulating interviewers, reviewing answers AI writing / reasoning Claude Https://claude.ai Refining behavioral stories and... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago

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  • Which Markdown editor to choose
    Live preview. StackEdit, Dillinger, Markdown Live Preview, HackMD, and VS Code with its preview pane open. Toast UI Editor ships both modes and lets you switch. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Axios Compromised on NPM – Malicious Versions Drop Remote Access Trojan
    Many of the suggestions in this thread (min-release, ignore script) are defenses for the consumers. I've been working on Proof of Resilience, a set of 4 metrics for OSS, and using that as a scoring oracle for what to fund. Popularity... - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • A decentralized peer-to-peer messaging application that operates over Bluetooth
    Bluetooth works most reliably across all devices (within its limited range), but all these p2p apps are indeed moving towards multi-transport support to diversify and widen the connectivity grid: https://hackmd.io/@grjte/bitchat-wifi-aware. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago

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Alternatives to Excalidraw and HackMD

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

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