HackMD Alternative: Why ForgeMD Gives You What HackMD Can't

HackMD pioneered collaborative Markdown notes. If you landed here from HackMD looking for an upgrade path, you already know both its strengths and its gaps.

The gaps: no real offline work, no desktop app, a sparse feature set that stops at “shared Markdown notes.” Teams grow out of it.

ForgeMD is the path that picks up where HackMD leaves off: same Markdown workflow, with desktop offline, real-time collaboration, AI assistance, and richer export.

Here is why teams migrate from HackMD to ForgeMD, and how to do it without losing anything.

The short version

If your team is outgrowing HackMD because you need real offline editing, a desktop app, or richer collaboration beyond shared Markdown, ForgeMD is the direct upgrade path. Your existing Markdown imports cleanly, your workflow does not change, and you gain real-time sync, AI assistance, and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, LaTeX, Epub, and ODT (plus Pandoc for extended formats).

If you just need shared Markdown notes and nothing more, HackMD is still fine. But if you have hit its ceiling, ForgeMD is the next step.

Where HackMD stops being enough

Pain point	HackMD	ForgeMD
Offline editing	Web-only	Desktop app (Tauri, Win/macOS/Linux) + PWA local storage
Desktop app	None	Native, with filesystem access
Export formats	Markdown, HTML, PDF	Markdown, PDF, HTML, DOCX, LaTeX, Epub, ODT (+ Pandoc)
Real-time collaboration	Yes (basic)	Yjs CRDT, conflict-free
AI assistance	None	Multi-provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini), toggle per user
Mindmapping	None	React Flow-based, with AI enhancement
Permissions	Basic	RBAC per document (owner/editor/viewer)
Enterprise features	None	RBAC now; SSO and audit logs on the roadmap

The most common migration trigger: teams start with HackMD’s shared Markdown notes, then need a document that one designer can work on offline while three engineers review it on desktop and one stakeholder adds comments from mobile. HackMD does not bridge those environments. ForgeMD was built to.

Real-time collaboration that scales

Both use Markdown. That is where the comparison starts, not ends.

HackMD’s collaboration is functional but basic: cursors appear, edits sync, conflicts resolve “last writer wins.” Fine for small teams. For teams of 5+, the lack of granular control and offline merge becomes a daily friction.

ForgeMD uses Yjs CRDT, conflict-free replicated data types. Multiple editors on the same document merge changes cleanly, even across offline sessions. Someone on a plane writes for three hours, reconnects, and their changes fold into the document without losing anyone else’s.

This matters when your “shared workspace” is actually distributed across time zones, devices, and connectivity.

Offline: the feature HackMD never shipped

HackMD is a web app with caching. The moment you lose network, you are viewing snapshots, not editing live content. New notes cannot be created offline. The mobile web experience degrades further.

ForgeMD’s Tauri desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) runs fully offline. Your documents sync to local disk via IndexedDB. You can create, edit, and export without a connection. When you reconnect, Yjs merges changes.

For teams where “offline” is not an edge case, field work, travel, spotty conference Wi-Fi, customer sites, this is the ceiling-breaker.

Export formats that match how you work

HackMD exports to Markdown, HTML, and PDF. That covers the basics but not the workflows where you need to hand a document to a stakeholder in Word or a publisher in LaTeX.

ForgeMD exports to Markdown, PDF, HTML, DOCX, LaTeX, Epub, and ODT, with extended formats available via Pandoc integration. The export uses TipTap’s rendering engine, so what you see in the editor is what the file looks like, including Mermaid diagrams, tables, code blocks, and inline charts.

AI that does not get in the way

Neither HackMD nor its open-source fork HedgeDoc ships AI. ForgeMD built AI into the editing experience from day one, with two guardrails:

1. Multi-provider: switch between OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini. Pick per document or per session.
2. Toggle off: AI is off by default per user. Flip it on when you need help drafting or reviewing; turn it off when you want to write without suggestions.

This matters for teams with content-security policies, or writers who find AI suggestions distracting. You control it, including per-organization policies on the Team and Enterprise plans.

A 4-step migration that keeps everything

HackMD to ForgeMD is not an export/import project, it is a workflow upgrade. Here is how teams do it without losing a single note.

Step 1: Export your HackMD workspace

In HackMD:

1. Go to your profile → Export → Download all.
2. Choose Markdown format (preserves structure and comments).
3. Download the .zip and unpack.

You now have every note as a .md file, plus a comments.json and meta.json with metadata.

Step 2: Organize into folders

ForgeMD’s desktop app mirrors local folders. Map your HackMD export to a working directory:

forgemd-vault/
  team-notes/
  meeting-notes/
  project-docs/
  knowledge-base/

The desktop app picks this up immediately.

Step 3: Import into ForgeMD

In ForgeMD:

1. Desktop app: File → Import Folder, point at your unpacked export.
2. Web app: Workspace → Import, upload the .zip directly.

ForgeMD imports Markdown with comments, headings, and links preserved. Internal links between HackMD notes convert to ForgeMD’s link format automatically.

Who migrates, and why

Engineering teams, outgrowing HackMD’s basic collaboration. They need real offline, desktop apps, and Git-compatible Markdown. ForgeMD checks all three.

Content teams, writers who need AI drafting and review, but want to keep working in Markdown. The toggle-on/toggle-off AI respects both “AI-assisted” and “AI-free” writing days.

Consulting teams, client docs that go offline, come back online, and merge cleanly. Yjs CRDT handles the conflict resolution; the team just keeps writing.

Education teams, students and instructors who lose internet in lecture halls, on campus Wi-Fi, or during travel. The desktop app is full offline; reconnect and sync.

FAQ

Will my HackMD notes keep their formatting?

Yes. Markdown import preserves headings, lists, tables, code blocks, and inline comments. Links between notes convert automatically.

Do I lose anything by switching?

You trade HackMD’s minimalist interface for a richer editor (WYSIWYG + Markdown views, mindmaps, AI). The core Markdown workflow stays identical.

How long does the migration take?

For a single user with under 100 notes: under an hour. For teams, the import happens in minutes; the workflow adjustment takes a day or two.

Can I still write in pure Markdown?

Absolutely. ForgeMD’s editor supports Markdown and WYSIWYG as two views of the same document, switch freely. Or keep it Markdown-only if that is your preference.

Does ForgeMD work offline?

Yes, the Tauri desktop app (Windows/macOS/Linux) and PWA both work fully offline with local storage. Reconnect and Yjs merges changes.

Is the free plan enough to test?

The Creator plan is free with 3 documents, 1 workspace, and basic AI. No credit card. Import a test doc, invite a teammate, and decide.

Does ForgeMD export to PPT or PowerPoint?

No, export formats are Markdown, PDF, HTML, DOCX, LaTeX, Epub, and ODT, with extended formats via Pandoc integration.