Open-source collaborative notes, honestly reviewed. No marketing fluff, just what you get when you self-host it.

TL;DR

What it is: Open-source (AGPL-3.0) real-time collaborative markdown editor — think Google Docs meets a markdown notebook, running on your own server [2][3].
Who it’s for: Small teams, families, developers, and researchers who want a shared, self-hosted knowledge base without paying per-user SaaS fees. Not designed for solo note-taking [2][3].
Cost savings: Notion charges $10–15/user/month at team tiers; HackMD (the hosted upstream) charges from $5/user/month. HedgeDoc self-hosted runs on a $6–10/mo VPS with unlimited users and notes.
Key strength: Real-time collaborative editing that genuinely works — split-screen live preview, simultaneous multi-user editing, no accounts required for guests if you configure it that way [2][3].
Key weakness: HedgeDoc 1.x is in maintenance-only mode. The full rewrite (HedgeDoc 2) is in alpha and doesn’t yet implement all v1 features. You’re either using stable-but-frozen software or running an alpha [README].

What is HedgeDoc

HedgeDoc is a web-based, self-hosted collaborative markdown editor. You open a browser, get a document with a split-screen editor (raw markdown on the left, live preview on the right), share the URL with anyone, and multiple people can type simultaneously. No client software to install, no account required for guests unless you restrict it [2][3].

The project started as HackMD, an open-source release from the Taiwanese company of the same name. A community fork called CodiMD emerged when the original developers shifted focus to their commercial product. That fork was later renamed HedgeDoc in 2020 to avoid confusion [website]. HackMD still exists as a commercial hosted service; HedgeDoc is the fully open-source, self-hosted descendant that the community controls.

The license is AGPL-3.0, which is meaningfully different from MIT. AGPL requires that any networked service running modified code must also release those modifications under AGPL. For self-hosting your own team’s notes, this is irrelevant. For embedding HedgeDoc into a commercial SaaS product or a client-facing application, it creates obligations most legal teams will want to review [1][README].

As of this review the GitHub repository sits at 7,020 stars with 551 forks. The AlternativeTo listing rates it 4.8/5 across community reviews [1].

One critical fact to surface early: HedgeDoc 1.x is in maintenance-only mode. The team is rebuilding from scratch as HedgeDoc 2, a full rewrite with a separate backend and frontend. HedgeDoc 2 alpha is accessible at hedgedoc.dev, but it doesn’t yet replicate all 1.x features. If you deploy today, you’re running the stable-but-no-longer-actively-developed 1.x branch. Feature requests and most bug reports for 1.x are being closed [README].

Why People Choose It

The reviews converge on a simple use case: teams or households that want the real-time editing feel of Google Docs, but without handing their content to Google [2][3].

The XDA Developers review from September 2025 [2] describes the clearest real-world example: a family using HedgeDoc to plan trips and manage shared information. The reviewer ran it on their own server via Docker, shared a link, and family members edited simultaneously without creating accounts. The version history feature let them revert if someone accidentally overwrote something. The review explicitly calls out that the self-hosted advantage — keeping family data off third-party servers — is the primary motivation, not any specific feature edge over commercial alternatives [2].

The December 2025 XDA roundup [3] positions HedgeDoc as “collaborative markdown with a Google Docs feel” and specifically calls out the combination of real-time editing plus Mermaid/PlantUML diagram support as what makes it valuable to technical writers. It’s the only tool in that roundup that pairs collaboration with rich diagram rendering out of the box [3].

The AlternativeTo reviews [1] cluster around similar themes:

“Most complete and awesome Markdown tool” — compared explicitly to HackMD, its commercial upstream
“Really love the interface making Etherpad useless (for a markdown lover)” — the collaboration model is closer to a real document editor than Etherpad’s line-by-line approach
“Best HackMD-alternative” — framed as the free, self-hosted version of an otherwise-paid product

The tech.interfluidity.com installation write-up [4] takes a different angle — it’s a personal account of someone building a self-hosted collaboration stack alongside Jitsi, wanting a real-time notes environment to accompany video calls. The author found HedgeDoc and describes it as “pretty amazing” for this use case. Worth reading for its candor about the Node.js installation experience being intimidating for non-Node developers [4].

What you don’t find in these reviews: enterprise teams migrating from Confluence, or marketing teams rebuilding SaaS workflows. HedgeDoc is used by developers, researchers, educators, families, and small technical teams — not at the corporate ops-tool tier [1][2][3].

Features

Based on the README, website, and third-party reviews:

Core editing:

Split-screen editor: raw markdown left, live preview right [2][3]
Real-time multi-user collaborative editing — multiple cursors, simultaneous edits [2][3]
No client install required — runs entirely in the browser [website]

Markdown extensions:

Tables, checklists, image embedding [2]
Code blocks with syntax highlighting [3]
Mermaid diagram support (flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt) [3]
PlantUML support [3]
LaTeX math rendering [3]
Embedded content (YouTube, GitHub snippets) [3]

Document management:

Version history / revisions with rollback [2][3]
Tags and note organization [3]
Sharing via URL — no account required for guests (configurable) [2]
Export to PDF, HTML, and other formats [3]

Presentation mode:

Slides built from markdown, rendered by reveal.js [website]
Present directly from the browser

Access control:

Per-note permission system: owner, signed-in users, guests — configurable via dropdown [website][2]
Authentication: LDAP, OAuth (GitHub, GitLab, Google, and others), email/password [3]
Site-level control over who can create notes, edit, or only view [3]

Infrastructure:

Docker and manual install paths [README]
PostgreSQL or MySQL for storage [4]
Low resource requirements — runs on a Raspberry Pi [website]

What’s missing or limited in v1.x:

No built-in search across all notes (per-note search only)
No nested folder structure for organizing notes beyond tags
PDF export was removed at some point and is listed in the FAQ as intentionally absent — the team removed it due to maintenance burden [website FAQ]
No real-time audio/video — it’s a text editor, not a meeting tool

Pricing: SaaS vs Self-Hosted Math

HedgeDoc has no SaaS tier. The software is free; you pay only for the infrastructure to run it.

HedgeDoc self-hosted:

Software: $0 (AGPL-3.0)
VPS: $6–10/month on Hetzner, Contabo, or DigitalOcean for a 2GB RAM instance
Unlimited users, unlimited notes, no per-seat fees

HackMD (the commercial hosted upstream):

Free: limited to 10 published notes, 2 workspaces
Starter: ~$5/user/month
Team: ~$9/user/month

Notion for comparison:

Free: single workspace, limited blocks
Plus: $10/user/month (billed annually)
Business: $15/user/month

Confluence for comparison:

Free: up to 10 users
Standard: ~$5.75/user/month
Premium: ~$11/user/month

Concrete math for a 5-person team:

On Notion Plus: 5 users × $10 = $50/month ($600/year). On HackMD Starter: 5 × $5 = $25/month ($300/year). On HedgeDoc self-hosted: $6–8/month for a shared VPS regardless of user count ($72–96/year). The per-user model inverts completely — HedgeDoc gets cheaper per user as your team grows, where SaaS gets more expensive.

If your team writes heavily in markdown and you have someone who can run a Docker container, the math strongly favors self-hosting. The savings compound once you have more than three or four users.

Deployment Reality Check

The tech.interfluidity.com write-up [4] is the most honest first-hand installation account available, and it’s worth reading in full. The author chose manual installation (not Docker) on a DigitalOcean Ubuntu server and describes the experience as “intimidating” for someone unfamiliar with Node.js. The surprise that bit them: the PostgreSQL user still needed a password for the Node app to connect via localhost, even though passwordless psql worked under the postgres system user. A small thing, but the kind of thing that costs an hour [4].

The Docker path is significantly easier. The official install guide provides a docker-compose setup that bundles PostgreSQL and the app together. Most deployments reported online follow this path.

What you actually need:

A Linux VPS with at least 1–2GB RAM (runs on Raspberry Pi, per the website)
Docker and docker-compose for the recommended path
A domain name and reverse proxy (Nginx or Caddy) for HTTPS
PostgreSQL (bundled in docker-compose or external)
An SMTP provider if you want email-based authentication

What can go sideways:

The manual install path assumes Node.js familiarity. Use Docker unless you have a reason not to [4].
HedgeDoc 1.x and HedgeDoc 2 use different configuration formats and different docker-compose setups. Make sure you’re following docs for the version you intend to run — mixing them up is a common source of confusion.
LDAP and OAuth setup requires reading the documentation carefully; the config file is JSON, which allows no comments [4].
PDF export is gone in v1.x and won’t come back. If your team needs PDF output, plan around this (the workaround is printing from the browser).

Realistic time estimates:

Technical user, Docker path: 30–60 minutes to a working instance with HTTPS
Non-technical user following a step-by-step guide: 2–4 hours including DNS propagation and debugging
No server experience at all: find someone to deploy it once, or use HackMD’s hosted tier

Pros and Cons

Pros

Real-time collaboration that actually works. Multiple users editing simultaneously with live preview — not “collaboration” that’s really just file locking [2][3].
No per-user pricing. Unlimited collaborators for the cost of a VPS [2].
No software to install for collaborators. Share a URL, they open a browser, they’re in [2][3].
Strong diagram support out of the box. Mermaid, PlantUML, and LaTeX rendering without plugins [3].
Presentation mode. Build and present slides from markdown via reveal.js — genuinely useful for technical talks [website][3].
Low resource requirements. Runs on a Raspberry Pi, so a $6 VPS is genuinely adequate [website].
Flexible auth options. LDAP, GitHub OAuth, GitLab OAuth, email/password — workable for most team configurations [3].
Version history. Every change tracked, rollback available [2][3].
Community-rated 4.8/5. The AlternativeTo reviews are consistently positive [1].

Cons

AGPL-3.0, not MIT. Copyleft license creates obligations if you modify and network-serve the code. Fine for internal team use, problematic for commercial embedding [README].
v1.x is maintenance-only. No new features, most bug reports being closed. You’re running software that’s being replaced, not improved [README].
v2.x alpha is incomplete. HedgeDoc 2 doesn’t yet replicate all v1 features. The rewrite has been in progress for years — there’s no published timeline for stable release [README].
PDF export removed. The FAQ addresses this directly — it was removed due to maintenance burden. Browser print is the workaround [website FAQ].
No folder structure. Notes are organized by tags and lists, not nested directories. Works at small scale, becomes unwieldy for large knowledge bases.
Node.js install complexity. Manual installation requires Node familiarity. Not a problem with Docker, but adds friction for non-Docker paths [4].
Not a wiki or knowledge base manager. There’s no hierarchical navigation, cross-linking, or sidebar structure like you’d get from Outline or BookStack. It’s a collection of notes, not a structured knowledge base.
Smaller community than Notion/Confluence alternatives. 7,020 GitHub stars vs. Outline’s 30K+ or Obsidian’s ecosystem — fewer ready-made guides and integrations.

Who Should Use This / Who Shouldn’t

Use HedgeDoc if:

You need real-time collaborative markdown editing and the only options you’re considering are Google Docs (which doesn’t do markdown) or a per-user SaaS.
Your team is comfortable writing in markdown and you want live preview without switching apps.
You need diagram support (Mermaid, PlantUML) built in without plugins.
You have one technical person who can deploy a Docker container once, and then the rest of the team can use it without touching a terminal.
Privacy is non-negotiable — notes contain sensitive client, legal, or family information you won’t route through a third-party cloud.
You want to present markdown-based slides without buying presentation software.

Use Outline instead if:

You need a structured knowledge base with nested collections, sidebar navigation, and a polished team wiki experience. Outline is closer to Notion’s organizational model.

Use Obsidian + Syncthing instead if:

You’re a solo user or small team that needs a local-first, deeply linked personal knowledge base. HedgeDoc is designed for real-time web collaboration, not personal vaults.

Stay on Notion or Confluence if:

Your team is non-technical and a shared document editor that also handles project management, databases, and task tracking justifies the per-user cost.
Your compliance team requires SOC 2 or specific data residency certifications that you can’t achieve with self-hosted infrastructure.

Wait for HedgeDoc 2 if:

You’re evaluating for a long-term deployment and want stable, actively developed software. v1.x works but isn’t going anywhere feature-wise.

Alternatives Worth Considering

HackMD — the commercial hosted version of HedgeDoc’s upstream. If you want HedgeDoc’s feature set without managing infrastructure, HackMD is the direct equivalent. Pricing starts around $5/user/month [3].
Outline — a more structured knowledge base and wiki. Better for teams that need hierarchical organization; supports markdown, has a polished UI, can self-host. Much more active development than HedgeDoc.
Etherpad — the older, simpler real-time collaborative editor. Text-only, no markdown, but extremely lightweight and stable. Still used in situations where simplicity matters more than features [1].
Notion — the obvious commercial comparison. Handles notes, databases, project tracking, wikis. $10–15/user/month but significantly more capable as an all-in-one tool.
Joplin — open-source markdown notes with sync. Designed for personal/solo use with optional self-hosted sync server, not real-time collaboration.
Nextcloud Notes / Nextcloud Collectives — if you’re already running Nextcloud, the Collectives app provides structured collaborative documentation. Less polished than HedgeDoc for real-time editing but integrates with your existing file storage.
BookStack — structured wiki with chapters, books, pages. Better for formal documentation than collaborative notes. Self-hosted, actively developed.

Bottom Line

HedgeDoc solves one problem exceptionally well: multiple people editing the same markdown document simultaneously, in a browser, with live preview, on a server you control. If that’s your problem, it’s the right tool. The real-time collaboration is genuinely smooth, the diagram support is better than you’d get from bolting Mermaid onto a different editor, and the per-user pricing of $0 beats every hosted alternative at team scale.

The honest caveats are real though. You’re deploying software that’s in maintenance mode, whose replacement is years into a rewrite with no firm release date. For a team that needs a shared note-taking and meeting-notes tool, that’s probably fine — HedgeDoc 1.x is stable and doesn’t need new features to do its job. For a team building a long-term knowledge base that needs to evolve with the product, the trajectory of the project is a real risk factor worth weighing.

For a non-technical founder tired of paying Notion or Confluence per-seat fees for a team that mostly uses it as a shared notepad with markdown: the math is obvious. One Docker deployment, one afternoon, and you’ve eliminated a recurring bill that grows every time you hire someone. If that afternoon is the blocker, that’s what upready.dev deploys for clients.