Gramax vs MkDocs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Gramax grades higher than MkDocs: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gramax grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gramax
Open-source knowledge base that stores Markdown in Git
Which one is for you
Pick Gramax if
- Fits if you want documentation kept as Markdown files in your own Git repository
- Works for teams with many readers and few writers, since readers and reviewers need no paid seat
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your team has never touched Git, because the open-source version keeps catalogs in your own GitHub or GitLab
- Pricey if you need SSO for a small team, as only Enterprise has it: 10 licenses at $700, $7,000 once, then 40% a year for updates
- Not for you if you edit on your phone, since the docs list no mobile apps
- Watch out: a sixth Cloud editor makes every seat paid, $120 a month for six, and Cloud readers must be workspace members
- Tight if you want AI for free, as Open Source needs your own model and Cloud's agent is billed per request from a prepaid balance
Pick MkDocs if
- Fits if you are comfortable with Python and a terminal and want docs from Markdown files
- Works for a project that already hosts static files on GitHub Pages or S3
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a web editor, as it only builds a site
- Skip it if no one on the team can use a command line
- Watch out: many themes and extra features come from third-party plugins
- Too light for a team wiki, since there are no accounts, comments or hosting
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAGramaxVery good | 2.6GPAMkDocsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AOpen Source costs nothing and runs in the browser or a desktop app, and Cloud is free for up to 5 editors. Past five, Cloud Business is $17 per editor a month billed yearly, $20 monthly, for every seat, so six editors are $120 a month. Enterprise is $700 a license once, 10 minimum. | AFree and open source under a BSD license, a program anyone can download and run, with only the hosting of the output to pay for. That is under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | AOpen Source is free for any team, with the visual editor, diagrams, templates, versions and the browser and desktop apps. Cloud is free for up to 5 editors with unlimited readers. AI on Open Source needs your own model, and Cloud's agent is paid as used after $1.20 of sign-up credit. | ANo plan, no caps. You pay only for wherever you host the built site, which can be free. |
| Features | CA visual editor that saves Markdown into GitHub, GitLab or Gitea, diagrams, versions with changes reviewed line by line, and AI search that answers with links to its sources. The basics, with gaps the listing names: in Cloud a reader must be a workspace member, and SSO, analytics and training tests are Enterprise only. | CMarkdown source, a live preview server, themes, plugins and hosting anywhere. It does that one job fully, but it is a smaller job: it only builds, and features beyond the basics come from third-party plugins. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Authors get a visual editor rather than raw Markdown, but on the open-source version a team has to wire up a Git storage such as GitHub or GitLab and supply its own AI model. Cloud skips the model setup and bills AI per request instead. | DA command-line tool that needs a recent Python and its package manager, plus a config file to edit. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA browser version plus desktop apps for Mac, Windows and Linux, syncing with GitHub, GitLab or Gitea and drawing with diagrams.net, Mermaid and PlantUML. The docs list no mobile apps at all. | CBuilds a web site from files. GitHub Pages and Amazon S3 are the hosting routes named, and there is no hosted service or app. |
| Best for | docs kept as Markdown files in your own Git | a Markdown docs site built with Python |
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: Gramax and MkDocs. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gramax starts at $17 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MkDocs has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Gramax scores higher, and starts $17 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 19 score higher than Gramax for less, and none scores higher than MkDocs 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
- Gramax is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Gramax also covers AI search, wiki and diagrams.
- MkDocs also covers documents.
At a glance
| Gramax | MkDocs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $17 per editor / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly) (Cloud Business) | Free |
| Free plan | Open Source is free for any team, with content in your own Git storage and AI on a model you supply. Gramax Cloud is free for up to 5 editors with unlimited readers; its AI agent is paid as used, with $1.20 of credit on sign-up. | Free and open source under a BSD license; you pay only for wherever you host the output. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Gramax | MkDocs Team |
| Price read from | gram.ax | mkdocs.org |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Gramax
- Corporate SSO, Active Directory sync, analytics, training tests and a public reader portal are limited to Enterprise, which has a 10-license minimum ($7,000 one-time).
- In Cloud a sixth editor makes every seat paid: $20 a month each, or $120 a month for six.
- Cloud's AI agent is billed per model request from a prepaid balance (top-ups from $6); Open Source has no built-in agent.
- The docs list browser and desktop versions but no mobile apps.
MkDocs
- It is a command-line tool that needs a recent Python and the Python package manager to install.
- It only builds a site: there is no web editor, accounts or hosting.
- Features beyond the basics, including many themes, come from third-party plugins.
Key features
Gramax
- Visual editor over Markdown and Git
- Articles are edited visually and saved as Markdown files. Syncing and publishing run on Git commands built into the interface, against GitHub, GitLab, Gitea or another Git storage.
- Documentation portal
- Catalogs are published as a site for readers. A public portal for readers outside the team is available in Open Source and Enterprise; in Cloud a reader must be a member of the workspace.
- Diagrams, templates and fragments
- Articles can include Diagrams.net, Mermaid and PlantUML diagrams, start from article templates and reuse fragments of content across articles.
- Versions and change approval
- Catalogs keep versions and a change history, and an edit proposed by an author or the AI agent is reviewed line by line before it is accepted.
- AI search and AI agent
- Readers ask a question and get an answer with links to the source articles, and the agent flags duplicates and conflicts. Cloud has a built-in agent paid as used; Enterprise runs it on your own model.
- Training and metrics
- Enterprise adds questions inside articles with test results per employee, plus visit history, search queries and click-through rates for finding gaps.
MkDocs
- Markdown source
- Documentation is written in Markdown files and configured with a single YAML file.
- Live preview server
- A built-in development server auto-reloads the browser whenever a file changes.
- Themes
- Two themes, mkdocs and readthedocs, are built in; third-party themes are listed on the MkDocs wiki and catalog.
- Plugins and extensions
- Plugins and Markdown extensions change how pages are built and rendered.
- Host anywhere
- The output is static HTML, which can go on GitHub Pages, Amazon S3 or any web host.
Plans
Gramax
Open Source$0
Free to run in the browser or desktop app, with catalogs in your own GitHub or GitLab. No built-in AI agent; you bring your own.
Free$0
Gramax Cloud for up to 5 editors, with free and unlimited readers and reviewers. AI is paid as used; $1.20 of AI credit on sign-up.
Business$17
per editor / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly)
Gramax Cloud for more than 5 editors; every editor seat is paid, including the first five. Readers stay free and AI is paid as used.
Enterprise$700
one-time per editor license; minimum 10 licenses
Runs on your own servers with SSO and Active Directory, a reader portal, AI on your own model, analytics and training. Updates free for 12 months, then 40% a year.
MkDocs
Open source$0
Free and open source under a BSD license. You build the site with Python and host the output yourself.
Ways to pay less
Gramax
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Gramax's pricing page says paying yearly for Cloud Business gives two months free: $17 per editor a month instead of $20.
- Lifetime license
Perpetual Enterprise license at $700 per editor
Enterprise is bought once at $700 per editor license, minimum 10. Usage rights never expire; updates are free for 12 months, then cost 40% of the license price a year.
MkDocs
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Gramax or MkDocs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MkDocs is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $17 a month for each person for Gramax. Gramax starts at $17 per editor / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly) (Cloud Business), and MkDocs is free.
Which has a free plan, Gramax or MkDocs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Gramax and MkDocs have a free plan.
Which platforms do Gramax and MkDocs run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Gramax lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.