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    Show HN: I'm building an app to replace Overleaf and Notion

    82 points WolfOliver | 11 comments | 19 Jun 25 10:33 UTC | HN request time: 1.16s | source | bottom

    Hi HN,

    Since 2019, I’ve been working on a writing platform designed for creating complex documents (e.g., theses). I personally use it for everything as it also allows to classify documents in categories so you can organize them efficiently. As of a few months ago, the app is also available in the browser, and you can now invite coworkers to collaborate on a document in real time.

    The app is somewhat inspired by LyX. It offers an intuitive, modern editor, but users don’t need to know any LaTeX. When it’s time to export, they can choose from a range of templates (IEEE paper, thesis, etc.).

    A few highlights:

    - It uses a custom-built block editor that performs well with large documents. Each block is its own contenteditable element (instead of having one massive contenteditable for the whole document)

    - If you prefer plain text - you can insert a Markdown block and write using Markdown instead

    - Built-in citation management

    - Support for cross-references and footnotes

    - Mermaid diagrams, inline LaTeX equations, and display math are all supported

    - "To-do" sections help you stay organized while writing

    You can try it out here: https://www.monsterwriter.com/

    1. MDWolinski ◴[22 Jun 25 15:06 UTC] No.44347500[source]▶
    The application looks nice but…

    Why do all these Notion “replacements” seem to think Notion is just an MD editor and note taker. It seems the unique position of notion is the ability to integrate databases into documents much less within each other. That’s the feature most of these replacements are missing.

    Honestly if Notion would offer a self hosted version for companies, that would be a killer feature. Until then, I’m waiting until a feature for feature open source replacement appears.

    replies(5): >>44347619 #>>44347633 #>>44347943 #>>44349390 #>>44360030 #
    2. WolfOliver ◴[22 Jun 25 15:18 UTC] No.44347619[source]▶
    It is not a full notion replacement yet. But having team workspaces is around the corner as well as other knowledge management features.
    3. paxys ◴[22 Jun 25 15:20 UTC] No.44347633[source]▶
    > Honestly if Notion would offer a self hosted version for companies, that would be a killer feature

    Cloud hosting is the killer feature. No one wants to be in the hosting business. There are enough other things for a company to worry about.

    Managing servers, deployments, zero downtime upgrades, security patches, monitoring CVEs, auth, 2FA, lost passwords, DDoS attacks, database maintenance, sharding, migration, load balancing, caching, DNS, reliability, latency, uptime, load testing, a million different dashboards, 24x7 on call... Paying $10/mo to offload all of this is a steal.

    replies(3): >>44347886 #>>44348093 #>>44381920 #
    4. input_sh ◴[22 Jun 25 15:50 UTC] No.44347886[source]▶
    As if all self-hosted software don't also have a cloud hosting option as a way of generating income.
    5. bryanhogan ◴[22 Jun 25 15:57 UTC] No.44347943[source]▶
    I think the project mentioned here is very cool and something I am looking for, will definitely try it out. But highly agree that calling it a Notion replacement/alternative is mislabling it. But I've seen this often on HN nowadays, any note-taking application = Notion.
    6. razemio ◴[22 Jun 25 16:16 UTC] No.44348093[source]▶
    That is so not true. At least here in germany cloud for any reputable company is at least difficult. Even with compliances in place. Self hosted is the prefered option for every company I worked for.
    replies(1): >>44348176 #
    7. kristianc ◴[22 Jun 25 16:25 UTC] No.44348176{3}[source]▶
    Most markets are not Germany.
    replies(1): >>44348610 #
    8. mus1cfl0w ◴[22 Jun 25 17:27 UTC] No.44348610{4}[source]▶
    Self hosting is a must for many companies working with strict regulatory compliance and security requirements. This is not exclusive to Germany and something I’m dealing with daily in the US..
    9. geniium ◴[22 Jun 25 18:59 UTC] No.44349390[source]▶
    Thanks for saying that. Just came here wanting to write the same.

    The db feature and the reminders are the most missed features in notion alternative.

    10. whalesalad ◴[23 Jun 25 21:00 UTC] No.44360030[source]▶
    The actual "word processor" or editor of notion is hot garbage, especially for software/keyboard people. Try out something like https://ckeditor.com/ and it is infinitely better.
    11. sky2224 ◴[25 Jun 25 21:18 UTC] No.44381920[source]▶
    Not true in my experience. A lot of companies make self-hosting a requirement since they're working with sensitive data that they want to keep on premises.