See what HedgeDoc offers in 2026: open-source collaborative markdown editing, self-hosting, key features, pros and cons, and the best alternatives compared.
Category
Knowledge Base
Pricing
Open Source (free, self-hosted), from Free (self-hosted)
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2016
Free PlanWeb AppOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
HedgeDoc is a free, open-source, self-hosted platform for real-time collaborative markdown editing. Its lineage traces back to the HackMD open-source codebase around 2016, which was renamed CodiMD in 2018 to separate the community project from the commercial HackMD product, and then renamed again to HedgeDoc in 2020.
There is no company behind HedgeDoc; it is a volunteer-maintained, community-driven open-source project distributed under the AGPL 3.0 license, with no hosted commercial SaaS version operated by the project itself.
Key Features
Multiple users can edit the same note simultaneously with live-syncing changes and full revision history. Notes support embedded diagrams and graphs, and a built-in presentation mode powered by reveal.js turns any markdown note into a slide deck.
A flexible permission system controls who can view or edit each note, from fully private to freely link-editable, and the whole platform is deliberately lightweight, running comfortably even on a Raspberry Pi via Docker.
Pricing
HedgeDoc has no commercial pricing tiers, subscriptions or paid feature gates. The software is entirely free and open source; the only cost is whatever hosting infrastructure a user chooses to run it on.
Because there is no official hosted SaaS product, using HedgeDoc requires either self-hosting it or finding a third-party-operated instance.
Key Features
Real-time collaborative editing — Multiple users can edit the same markdown note simultaneously, with changes syncing live across all connected sessions.
Revision history — Every note keeps a history of past versions so changes can be reviewed or restored.
Presentation mode via reveal.js — Any markdown note can be instantly turned into a live slide presentation using the built-in reveal.js-powered presentation mode.
Diagrams and graphs from markdown — Supports rendering diagrams and graphs directly from markdown syntax without needing separate diagramming software.
Flexible permission system — Note owners control access on a spectrum from fully private to shared-with-specific-collaborators to freely editable by anyone with the link.
Lightweight self-hosted deployment — Runs comfortably on minimal hardware, including a Raspberry Pi, and deploys easily via Docker or a pre-configured server bundle.
AGPL 3.0 open-source license — The complete source code is public on GitHub under the AGPL 3.0 license, ensuring transparency and community extensibility.
Browser-based interface — No client installation is required for end users; the entire editing experience runs in a standard web browser.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open source with no commercial tiers or paywalls
Genuinely lightweight and can run on minimal hardware like a Raspberry Pi
Real-time collaboration and revision history rival commercial collaborative editors
Built-in presentation mode turns notes into slides without a separate tool
Full data control for teams with self-hosting or compliance requirements
Cons
No officially operated hosted SaaS version, so self-hosting or finding a third-party host is required
No dedicated commercial support team or SLA, since it is a volunteer-maintained project
Interface and feature set are more minimal than fully featured commercial note-taking tools like Notion
Setup and maintenance require some server administration knowledge
History of multiple renamings (HackMD to CodiMD to HedgeDoc) can create confusion when searching for documentation or older resources
Pricing
Self-hosted Free N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HedgeDoc free?
Yes, HedgeDoc is completely free and open source under the AGPL 3.0 license. There are no paid tiers; the only cost is whatever server infrastructure you use to host it.
What was HedgeDoc called before?
HedgeDoc was previously known as CodiMD, which itself was a community fork of the original HackMD open-source codebase. It was renamed CodiMD in 2018 and then HedgeDoc in 2020.
Can I self-host HedgeDoc?
Yes, HedgeDoc is designed to be self-hosted, commonly via Docker, and is lightweight enough to run on hardware as small as a Raspberry Pi.
Does HedgeDoc support real-time collaboration?
Yes, multiple users can edit the same markdown note at the same time, with changes syncing live and full revision history available.
Can HedgeDoc create presentations?
Yes, HedgeDoc includes a built-in presentation mode powered by reveal.js that turns a markdown note directly into a slide deck.
Who maintains HedgeDoc?
HedgeDoc is maintained by a community of volunteer open-source contributors rather than a commercial company, coordinated through its GitHub organization.