Comparison
Dillinger vs HackMD
HackMD is built for teams and real-time collaboration. Dillinger is built for individuals who want zero-friction markdown editing with cloud sync and no account required.
| Feature | Dillinger | HackMD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free (paid tiers) |
| Signup required | No | Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | No | Yes |
| Editor engine | Monaco (VS Code) | CodeMirror |
| Live preview | Side-by-side | Split or unified |
| GitHub sync | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Dropbox sync | Yes | No |
| Google Drive sync | Yes | No |
| OneDrive sync | Yes | No |
| PDF export | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Vim keybindings | Yes | Yes |
| Zen / focus mode | Yes | No |
| Data storage | Browser (private) | Server (cloud) |
| Dark mode | Yes | Yes |
| Slide presentations | No | Yes |
| AI-ready workflow | Yes | No |
When to choose Dillinger
- You write alone and want zero setup — no account, no login
- You need to sync with Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive
- Privacy matters — your documents stay in your browser, not on a server
- You want the VS Code editing experience with Monaco
- You are building AI/LLM workflows and need markdown-native tools
When to choose HackMD
- You need real-time collaboration with team members
- You want to create slide presentations from markdown
- You need server-side storage with team workspaces