When comparing hackmd.io vs LibreOffice Writer, the Slant community recommends hackmd.io for most people. In the question“What are the best cross-platform writing apps?” hackmd.io is ranked 10th while LibreOffice Writer is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose hackmd.io is:
Allows multiple people to edit the same note in realtime.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Collaborative
Allows multiple people to edit the same note in realtime.
Pro Automatic "table of content"
Automatically generates a "table of content" of your headlines.
Pro Supports revisions
Allows you to go back in time to a previous version of your document.
Pro Edit and view-only permission settings
Note: Enterprise Edition has even more refined permissions, but the permissions in the non-enterprise edition are pretty powerful.
Pro Shortcuts from Sublime Text, Emacs, and Vim
Pro Tag support
This is truly helpful for organizing your documents.
Pro Can create slide-shows
Supports creating slide-shows in markdown.
Pro Online
It's multi-platform (works well on smartphones) and there is no need to install anything.
Pro Math support
Use LaTeX seamlessly within the editor.
Pro Dark and white theme
Perfect for working at night.
Pro Lightweight
Pro Book mode view
This is really helpful for longer documents. Or even "books." This is also super helpful for journaling activities and the like.
Pro Available as a web service
HackMD service can be downloaded and installed in custom servers.
Pro Cross platform
Is available as desktop app.
Pro Dropbox import and export
Pro Extended markdown syntax
Adds supports for embeddings from Youtube, Vimeo, Speakerdeck, GitHub gist etc; and even creating UML diagrams, Graphviz graphs, Timing charts, and even Music notes! and alerts and comments boxes and emojis.
Pro Open source
HackMD Core's source is available on GitHub.
Pro Free
You can subscribe to it for more features.
Pro Github Gist import and export
People who subscribe can push and pull unlimited.
Pro Google Drive import and export
Pro Familiar interface
The GUI is reminiscent of Microsoft Word and just as easy, if not easier, to use.
Pro WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get when you hit print!
Pro Mouse-friendly interface
Unlike command line editors, Writer doesn't require learning special keybindings or memorizing specific commands. Every option and setting is available at the click of a button!
Pro Really fast
Pro Easy to use
Pro Open source
Cons
Con Custom grammar and spell checker
It does not work well in French (and probably other languages).
Con Not as beautiful as StackEdit
Con Cannot organize notes
Doesn't have the ability to organize notes or create notebooks.
Con Slow servers / problem with online / offline switching
Servers can be slow / down for a few seconds preventing from working on the documents currently being edited.
Con No PDF export support
Con Tries to be smart
It guesses what you want to do and tries to help, often in a wrong and annoying way, for example it when working with list items. Ironically Markdown was built to solve those problems (you format yourself with simple codes and it just works).
Con Not as powerful as command line editors
This is true of any GUI WYSIWYG editor as it simply isn't possible to match the efficiency and utility of a CLI editor with an interface intended for mouse control.
Con Terrible image handling
Arranging images is nigh impossible.
Con Obtuse UI / UX / menus
Con Limited extensibility
Not many cool or interesting plugins are available.
Con Not as Good as the Windows Version
Glitchy, adds more spaces when indenting but you can't fix it as it just keeps doing it. Can't wrap text around tables but Windows version can. Both versions won't place page count outside margins where it belongs.
