Bump.sh vs Fern (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fern grades higher than Bump.sh: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fern grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bump.sh
API documentation portals built from OpenAPI and AsyncAPI files
Fern
API documentation sites and SDKs generated from an API spec
Which one is for you
Pick Bump.sh if
- Fits if you keep OpenAPI or AsyncAPI files and want a published portal with a changelog
- Works for API teams that also want to turn their APIs into MCP servers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, because there isn't one and the trial is on Pro
- Tight if you're on Basic: 10 API docs, 3 internal users and 20 guests
- Pricey if you need API Explorer, branches or release rollback, which are all Pro at $120
- Watch out: SSO and embed mode need the sales-only plan, and the pricing page shows monthly prices only
Pick Fern if
- Fits if you maintain an OpenAPI spec and want a hosted docs site at no cost to start
- Works for small API teams that want an API explorer and a custom domain on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need SSO or SCIM, which are Enterprise only
- Tight if you outgrow 1 site, 1,000 pages or 10 members, as the next step is a sales quote
- Not for you if you want to remove Fern branding or add custom CSS and JavaScript without Enterprise
- Watch out: SDK pricing sits on a separate tab that this listing did not read
How we grade them
| 1.8GPABump.shWeak | 2.6GPAFernGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$50 a month for Basic and $120 for Pro against a category that starts at $7 and has a middle of $19; the features most people want sit on Pro. | BThe Free plan costs $0 and the only other plan is a sales quote. Free is in the cheapest group, but there is no published price in between. |
| Free plan and trial | D14-day free trial on Pro. The pages read don't say whether a card is needed, and there is no free plan. | BFree plan with 10 members, 1 site, 1,000 pages and 2,000 page generations a month, which one small team could live on. |
| Features | CDoc portals, changelogs, diffs and a CLI. The listing shows gaps on Basic: API Explorer, branches and automatic changelog are Pro only. | CDocs from several API spec types, an explorer, a web editor and SDK generation. The listing shows gaps: SDK pricing was not read, and custom CSS, SSO and branding removal are Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect your API files through the CLI or GitHub, so there is setup work. | CNo store rating on record. You point it at your API definitions or a repository, which takes some setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb product with GitHub and Slack integrations and a public API. No desktop or phone app is named. | BWeb product that reads OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL and gRPC, plus Postman. No desktop or phone app is named. |
| Best for | API documentation from OpenAPI files | API docs and SDKs from one spec |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bump.sh and Fern. How we grade
Where they differ
- Bump.sh also covers reports.
- Fern also covers AI search and Markdown.
At a glance
| Bump.sh | Fern | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $50 per month | Not published |
| Free plan | None | 10 team members, 1 site with up to 1,000 pages, 250 AI credits and 2,000 page generations per month, custom domain, API explorer and web editor. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on the Pro plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bump.sh | Fern |
| Price read from | bump.sh | buildwithfern.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bump.sh
- The cheapest plan has no free tier and caps at 10 API docs, 3 internal users and 20 guests.
- API Explorer, branches management, automatic changelog and release rollback are Pro only.
- Removing the 'Powered by Bump.sh' mark, custom CSS and JS, SSO and embed mode are not on Basic or Pro; SSO and embed need the sales-only plan.
- The pricing page shows monthly prices only.
Fern
- Only two documentation plans are listed, Free and a sales-only Enterprise, so there is no published mid-tier price.
- SSO, SCIM, custom CSS and JavaScript, removing Fern branding and self-hosting are Enterprise only.
- The Free plan is limited to 1 site, 1,000 pages and 10 members.
- SDK pricing was not read for this listing; the pricing page has a separate SDKs tab.
Key features
Bump.sh
- Specification support
- Reads OpenAPI, AsyncAPI and Arazzo documents, and OpenAPI Overlays.
- Doc portals and hubs
- Publishes API reference pages and a hub that groups several APIs, with unified search.
- Changelog and diffs
- Detects breaking changes between versions, shows previews, and on Pro writes an automatic changelog.
- CI and CLI
- A CLI, an API and a GitHub Action deploy docs and comment on pull requests.
- Managed MCP servers
- Turns APIs into MCP servers with a debugger and secrets vault; private servers need Pro.
Fern
- Docs from API specs
- Supports OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, gRPC, GraphQL, OpenRPC and Arazzo, plus Markdown guides and changelogs.
- API explorer
- A try-it-out explorer with an option to fill in the visitor's API key.
- Web editor and docs-as-code
- Pages can be edited in a web editor or kept as files in a repository.
- AI features
- Ask Fern search, an AI writing agent, AI translations, an llms.txt file and an MCP server are on the pricing page.
- SDK generation
- Client libraries are generated from the same API definition; the SDK pricing is a separate tab.
Plans
Bump.sh
Basic$50
per month for up to 10 API docs and 5 MCP tools
3 internal users and 20 external guests, custom domain and logo, CLI and GitHub integration.
Pro$120
per month for up to 30 API docs and 50 MCP tools
5 internal users and 40 guests, adds branches management, API Explorer, automatic changelog, private MCP servers and release rollback.
CustomCustom
Unlimited users, SSO, embed mode, on-premise MCP dataplane, custom reports and a stated 99.99% SLA. Sold through sales.
Fern
Free$0
10 members, 1,000 pages, 250 AI credits and 2,000 page generations per month, custom domain and subpath, API explorer, Ask Fern and MCP server.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds SSO, SCIM and advanced RBAC, multiple repos and docs sites, custom CSS, JavaScript and React, advanced analytics, self-hosting and an uptime SLA. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Bump.sh
- Other savings
Free Pro plan for open-source projects
Open-source projects that submit their project get free access to the Pro plan.
Fern
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bump.sh or Fern?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bump.sh starts at $50 per month, and Fern publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Bump.sh or Fern?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Fern has a free plan. Bump.sh does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.