In this paper, we construct the addition formulae for several integrable hierarchies, including the discrete KP, the q-deformed KP, the two-component BKP and the D type Drinfeld–Sokolov hierarchies. With the help of the Hirota bilinear equations and τ functions of different kinds of KP hierarchies, we prove that these addition formulae are equivalent to these hierarchies. These studies show that the addition formula in the research of the integrable systems has good universality.