Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

HackMD VS Slab

Compare HackMD VS Slab and see what are their differences

HackMD logo HackMD

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

Slab logo Slab

Slab is a knowledge hub for the modern workplace. We help teams unlock their full potential through shared learning and documentation. Slab features a beautiful editor, blazing fast search, and dozens of integrations like Slack, GitHub, and G Suite.
  • HackMD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-04
  • Slab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-22

Why Use Slab?

Most internal tools are frustrating to use — not to mention an eyesore — and quickly grow stale. Not Slab. In Slab, your content looks good by default and we make it easy for anyone to contribute. Unified search allows your team to find what they need, exactly when they need it, across all your integrated tools — in one dedicated place on Slab.

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.

Slab features and specs

  • Easy-to-Use Interface
    Slab provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for teams to organize, write, and share internal documentation. Its simplicity reduces the learning curve and promotes user adoption.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Slab offers robust integration with numerous popular tools such as Slack, GitHub, Google Drive, and many others, allowing seamless incorporation into existing workflows and processes.
  • Search Functionality
    Slab boasts powerful search capabilities that enable users to quickly find the information they need. The search function is efficient, covering both document content and metadata.
  • Collaboration Tools
    Slab facilitates real-time collaboration by allowing multiple team members to work on documents simultaneously. Features like commenting, mentions, and edit history enhance collective knowledge sharing.
  • Knowledge Organization
    Slab helps in categorizing and organizing content effectively. Teams can create structured knowledge bases with hierarchies, tags, and nested documents, making information easy to find and manage.

Possible disadvantages of Slab

  • Price Point
    While Slab offers a range of features, it comes at a relatively higher cost compared to some other knowledge management solutions, which may be a barrier for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Limited Offline Access
    Slab's functionality is primarily online, which can be a drawback for users who need to access documentation in environments without internet connectivity.
  • Feature Set Specificity
    Slab is very focused on being a knowledge management system, but lacks broader project management or extensive customization features that some competing platforms offer.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic functions are easy to use, some advanced features and integrations may require a bit of a learning curve, particularly for users who are not tech-savvy.
  • Dependency on Integrations
    Slab’s effectiveness can be heavily dependent on its integrations with other tools. If a team doesn’t use those tools, they may not derive as much value from Slab's ecosystem.

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

Analysis of Slab

Overall verdict

  • Slab is a good choice for organizations that need a robust and streamlined platform to manage their internal knowledge and documentation efficiently. Its focus on simplicity and collaboration makes it particularly effective for enhancing team productivity.

Why this product is good

  • Slab is designed to be a knowledge management tool that helps teams organize information efficiently. It offers features like easy content creation, seamless integrations with other tools, a user-friendly interface, and powerful search functionality. These attributes make it ideal for teams looking to centralize their documentation and improve collaboration across team members.

Recommended for

    Slab is recommended for teams in startups, SMBs, and growing enterprises that prioritize knowledge sharing and effective documentation practices. It's also beneficial for remote teams requiring a centralized repository to maintain alignment and smooth information flow across various locations.

HackMD videos

hackmd.io opensource application review

More videos:

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

Slab videos

Slab Team Wiki Review: Features, Pricing & Thoughts

More videos:

  • Review - Concrete Slab - Post-Tension Foundation Review
  • Review - Disc Review - Infinite Discs - Slab

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HackMD and Slab)
Task Management
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
36 36%
64% 64
Knowledge Base
0 0%
100% 100
Project Management
49 49%
51% 51

User comments

Share your experience with using HackMD and Slab. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare HackMD and Slab

HackMD Reviews

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

Slab Reviews

The Best 20 Wiki Software For Your Business& Internal Knowledge for 2022
Slab is a feature-rich and integration-packed wiki tool that prevents knowledge silos and builds a collaborative, knowledge-sharing work environment. Trusted by over 3000 companies, Slab helps you create an online wiki and make it searchable for your teams. The tool integrates beautifully with popular tools like GitHub, Google Drive, Slack, Figma, G-Suite, Trello, and...
The 11 Best Slite Alternatives in 2022- Free Tools Included!
Slab is so easy to use and has just the right amount of features to be everything you need, but not a lot of extra features that get in the way. From setting it up, getting the team onboard, adding new articles, and searching articles, everything works as you would expect without having to figure anything out. It’s simple and easy to use, and we enjoy using it more and...
Source: remoteverse.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, HackMD should be more popular than Slab. It has been mentiond 67 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.

HackMD mentions (67)

  • 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 / 11 days ago
  • If it is worth keeping, save it in Markdown
    HackMD already does this. It has a dual-pane view for raw markdown and formatted output, supports WYSIWYG editing, and allows real-time collaboration. Surprised no one mentioned it. - [HackMD: Your Collaborative Markdown Workspace for Knowledge Sharing](https://hackmd.io/). - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • TL;DR of Deep Dive into LLMs Like ChatGPT by Andrej Karpathy
    [2]: https://hackmd.io/@opensourceinitiative/osaid-faq#What-is-the-role-of-training-data-in-the-Open-Source-AI-Definition. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Web scraping with GPT-4o: powerful but expensive
    About this document ===== [0] https://hackmd.io/@sparna/semantic-markdown-draft. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy
    It seems, at the beginning of the 90s there were a lot of expectations in regard to DC-nets, considered to be a way better alternative to remailers of the time [1]. At least that's my impression after reading Tim May's FAQ (The Cyphernomicon) [2]. Any progress on this front? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_remailer [2]: https://hackmd.io/@jmsjsph/TheCyphernomicon. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
View more

Slab mentions (19)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2024)
    Slab | Engineering | Remote (Worldwide) | Full-time At Slab (https://slab.com), we believe that knowledge is the foundation of any organization's success. When a team's collective knowledge is more accessible, that team's potential is limitless. Our product helps teams easily create, organize, and discover knowledge across the entire company, from non-technical to tech-savvy. Each day, thousands of customers rely... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (September 2024)
    At Slab (https://slab.com), we believe that knowledge is the foundation of any organization's success. When a team's collective knowledge is more accessible, that team's potential is limitless. Our product helps teams easily create, organize, and discover knowledge across the entire company, from non-technical to tech-savvy. Each day, thousands of customers rely on Slab across their entire workforces, including... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Show HN: We built a FOSS documentation CMS with a pretty GUI
    Slab is another one (we use it, but have no connection to it) https://slab.com/ Would be happy to switch to a self-hosted FOSS alternative though. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • I Fucking Hate Jira
    I’ve been pretty happy with Slab. Straightforward shared wiki with a good editor, governance, and integrations. https://slab.com/ I tried using README files in the repo but there’s far too much friction to get most folks to bother. Google Docs tend to disappear content due to a lack of structure. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • free-for.dev
    Slab — A modern knowledge management service for teams. Free for up to 10 users. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Boardist - Personal workspace for all the data

Notion - All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.

Documize - Enterprise-grade wiki and knowledge management platform

Nuclino - Nuclino works like a collective brain, helping teams bring all their knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. It's a modern, simple, and blazingly fast way to collaborate.

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

Confluence - Confluence is content collaboration software that changes how modern teams work