What is HedgeDoc used for?

HedgeDoc is an open-source platform for writing real-time collaborative markdown notes that teams can host themselves. It is a good fit for shared meeting notes and collaborative documentation drafting.

Is HedgeDoc open source?

Yes. HedgeDoc is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at hedgedoc/hedgedoc and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. HedgeDoc is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host HedgeDoc?

Yes. HedgeDoc can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is HedgeDoc an alternative to?

HedgeDoc is an open-source alternative to Google Docs, Notion, Dropbox Paper and Bit.ai. Other open-source alternatives to Google Docs include La Suite Docs and Etherpad.

Is HedgeDoc actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to HedgeDoc was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 1.12.0, published on 21 August 2026. The project has 7.5k stars on GitHub.

HedgeDoc: open-source alternative to Google Docs, Notion

About HedgeDoc

With HedgeDoc you write markdown notes together in real time. Several people can edit a document together in the browser, which makes it useful for meeting notes, drafts, documentation and brainstorming, and its tagline is that ideas grow better together.

Repository topics mention markdown, diagrams, collaboration and real-time editing, and the project grew out of the CodiMD and HackMD lineage. The README explains where the project stands: HedgeDoc 1.x is stable and widely used but in maintenance mode, while HedgeDoc 2 is a complete rewrite, split into backend and frontend, that is still in alpha and does not yet implement every feature. A demo instance and features page let you try it first.

HedgeDoc is written in TypeScript and licensed under AGPL-3.0. You install it yourself by following the install guide, and support is available through a Matrix chat and community forums. Translations are handled through POEditor.

Key features

Real-time collaborative markdown editing
Diagram support in notes
Browser-based editor
Demo instance to try before installing
HedgeDoc 2 rewrite in progress

Good fit for

→Shared meeting notes
→Collaborative documentation drafting

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: markdown; collaboration; notes; real-time; self-hosted; codimd; hackmd; typescript

HedgeDoc: questions and answers

What is HedgeDoc used for?: HedgeDoc is an open-source platform for writing real-time collaborative markdown notes that teams can host themselves. It is a good fit for shared meeting notes and collaborative documentation drafting.
Is HedgeDoc open source?: Yes. HedgeDoc is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at hedgedoc/hedgedoc and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is HedgeDoc free?: Yes. HedgeDoc is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host HedgeDoc?: Yes. HedgeDoc can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is HedgeDoc an alternative to?: HedgeDoc is an open-source alternative to Google Docs, Notion, Dropbox Paper and Bit.ai. Other open-source alternatives to Google Docs include La Suite Docs and Etherpad.
Is HedgeDoc actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to HedgeDoc was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 1.12.0, published on 21 August 2026. The project has 7.5k stars on GitHub.