Docsify vs Starlight (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Docsify and Starlight share a 2.6 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Docsify
Documentation site generator that loads Markdown in the browser
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Docsify if
- Fits if you want docs from a folder of Markdown files with no build
- Works for a small project hosted on GitHub Pages
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if readers may have JavaScript off, since pages render in the browser
- Skip it if you want a hosted editor, as there are no accounts or comments
- Watch out: the docsify URLs in index.html must be updated by hand for a new major version
- Watch out: you host the files yourself
Pick Starlight if
- Fits if you already use Astro and want docs in the same project
- Works for multilingual docs written as Markdown files
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want to use a command line, as projects start from it
- Skip it if you're not on Astro, since the site is tied to that framework
- Watch out: there's no hosted editor, accounts or comments
- Watch out: you build and host the static site yourself
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADocsifyGood | 2.6GPAStarlightGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the MIT License; you pay only for the hosting. A program anyone can download and run is graded as free and substantial. | AFree and open source under the MIT License; you pay only for the hosting. A program anyone can download and run is graded as free and substantial. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no plan or cap. The only cost is wherever you host the output. | AFree outright, with no plan or cap. The only cost is wherever you host the output. |
| Features | CMarkdown rendered in the browser, a search plugin, themes and plugins. It does that fully, and no more: no editor, accounts or comments. | CSite search, Markdown, Markdoc and MDX, translations and components. It stops at building a static site, with no editor or comments. |
| Ease of use | DIt's a developer tool run from the command line with files you write yourself. No store rating on record. | DIt's a developer tool run from the command line with files you write yourself. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb output only, with GitHub Pages and a CLI. No app or hosted service. | CWeb output only, with Astro, Pagefind, Algolia DocSearch and React, Vue, Svelte and Solid links. No app or hosted service. |
| Best for | a docs site with no build step | docs sites built on Astro |
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: Docsify and Starlight. How we grade
Price against what you get
Docsify has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Starlight has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than Docsify for less, and none scores higher than Starlight for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Starlight also covers templates.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceMarkdownDocuments
At a glance
| Docsify | Starlight | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT License; you pay only for wherever you host the output. | Free and open source under the MIT License; you pay only for wherever you host the output. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Docsify Contributors | Astro contributors |
| Price read from | github.com | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Docsify
- Pages are rendered in the browser, so the site depends on JavaScript at view time.
- It is a developer tool: you edit files and a command-line preview, with no hosted editor, accounts or comments.
- The quick start warns that the docsify URLs in index.html must be updated by hand when a new major version is released.
Starlight
- It is a developer tool: you create a project from the command line and write pages as files.
- There is no hosted editor, user accounts or comments; you build and host the static site yourself.
- It requires an Astro project, so the site is tied to that framework.
Key features
Docsify
- No static build step
- Pages are loaded and rendered from Markdown in the browser, so there are no generated HTML files to publish.
- Quick start with a CLI
- The docsify-cli package initializes a docs folder and runs a local preview server on port 3000.
- Full-text search plugin
- A search plugin provides full-text search across the pages.
- Themes and plugin API
- Several themes are available, and a plugin API extends the site; emoji are supported.
- Simple deployment
- The docs describe deploying the site on GitHub Pages, with a .nojekyll file so underscore files are served.
Starlight
- Built-in site search
- Sites include full-text search powered by Pagefind by default; Algolia DocSearch is documented as an alternative.
- Markdown, Markdoc and MDX
- Pages can be written in any of the three formats, with frontmatter validated with TypeScript types.
- Internationalization
- Multilingual docs are supported, and the interface itself is translated into a list of languages shown on the site.
- Built-in components
- Cards, asides, tabs, steps, file trees, badges and icons can be used in pages, and components can be overridden.
- Astro integrations and UI frameworks
- Extend the site with Astro integrations, or add components from React, Vue, Svelte, Solid and others.
Plans
Docsify
Open source$0
Free under the MIT License. You host the Markdown files and an index.html yourself.
Starlight
Open source$0
Free under the MIT License. You build the site with Astro and host the output yourself.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Docsify or Starlight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Docsify and Starlight are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Docsify or Starlight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Docsify and Starlight have a free plan.
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.