Docusaurus vs Starlight (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Docusaurus grades higher than Starlight: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Docusaurus grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Docusaurus if
- Fits if your team is comfortable in a repo and wants docs next to the code
- Works for open-source projects that want a versioned, translated docs site
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a web editor, as there is none
- Skip it if nobody on the team uses a command line, since it needs Node.js 20 or newer
- Watch out: you host and deploy the static site yourself
- Watch out: search beyond Algolia DocSearch relies on community-maintained options
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
| 2.8GPADocusaurusGood | 2.6GPAStarlightGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, a program anyone can download and run, with hosting of the built files the only cost. That is far under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. | 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 | ANothing to pay and no plan limits, but you provide your own hosting, which can itself be free. | AFree outright, with no plan or cap. The only cost is wherever you host the output. |
| Features | CMDX content, React customisation, document versioning, translations and search. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job: no hosted editor, accounts or staff comments, and search past Algolia DocSearch is community-made. | 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 needs Node.js 20 or newer, a command line and files to edit. That is not for someone who wants to type into a page. | DIt's a developer tool run from the command line with files you write yourself. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb output, with Algolia DocSearch, Crowdin for translations and React plugins. There is no hosted service or app. | CWeb output only, with Astro, Pagefind, Algolia DocSearch and React, Vue, Svelte and Solid links. No app or hosted service. |
| Best for | a documentation site built from files in a repo | 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: Docusaurus and Starlight. How we grade
Price against what you get
Docusaurus has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Starlight has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Docusaurus scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than Docusaurus 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
| Docusaurus | Starlight | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source; you run the build and pay only for your own hosting. | 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 | Meta Platforms, Inc. | Astro contributors |
| Price read from | docusaurus.io | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Docusaurus
- It is a developer tool: writing and customizing docs means working in files and the command line, with Node.js 20 or newer installed.
- There is no hosted editor, user accounts or comments for staff; you host and deploy the static site yourself.
- Search beyond Algolia DocSearch relies on community-maintained options.
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
Docusaurus
- MDX content
- Docs and blog posts are written in MDX, which lets React components sit inside Markdown, and are built into static HTML.
- React customization
- The layout can be extended with React components, and a plugin architecture shares data between plugins.
- Document versioning
- Keeps documentation for each released version of a project, so users on older versions still have matching docs.
- Translations
- Localization is built in; translations can be managed with Git, Crowdin or another translation manager.
- Search
- Algolia DocSearch is the officially supported search, and community-maintained local search options exist.
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
Docusaurus
Open source$0
Free and open source. You build the site with Node.js and host the output 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, Docusaurus or Starlight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Docusaurus and Starlight are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Docusaurus or Starlight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Docusaurus 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.