Just the Docs vs Sphinx (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sphinx grades higher than Just the Docs: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Sphinx 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.
Just the Docs
Free Jekyll theme for documentation sites with built-in search
Which one is for you
Pick Just the Docs if
- Fits if you're comfortable with Markdown files and Git and want a docs site with no monthly bill
- Works for open source projects that already publish on GitHub Pages
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a web editor, because content is edited as files in a repository
- Not for you if you need comments or feedback on pages, as there is no comment system
- Too light for non-technical writers, who would need someone to run Jekyll
- Watch out: changes published through GitHub Pages can take up to 10 minutes to appear
Pick Sphinx if
- Fits if you document a Python project and want API docs pulled from code
- Works for teams that want PDF and web output from one source
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your writers are non-technical, as there is no hosted editor
- Skip it if you want hosting, since it builds static files and you publish them
- Watch out: reStructuredText is its own markup, with Markdown through MyST
- Too light for a team wiki, as it has no accounts, comments or page editing in a browser
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAJust the DocsFair | 2.6GPASphinxGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$0 under the MIT license, but you build and publish the site yourself with Jekyll, so it counts as ordinary value rather than a free app. | AFree under a BSD-2-Clause license, a program anyone can download and run, installed from PyPI, Conda, an OS package manager or Docker. That is well under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no paid plans, and one person could build and host a site on it using GitHub Pages. | ANo plan and no caps. The only cost is wherever you publish the built docs. |
| Features | CNavigation, search and layout components for a docs site. It does that job fully but it's a smaller job: no web editor and no comment system. | CreStructuredText and MyST Markdown, cross-references, several output formats, API docs from code, themes and translations. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller one: no hosted editor, and publishing is left to you. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You work in files in a repository and run Jekyll, so it needs a command line. | DA command-line build tool with config files and its own markup, so it needs a developer. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only: it produces a static site. Four integrations are named, all of them build and hosting tools. | CA program for Mac, Windows and Linux. Windows install is documented through Chocolatey and macOS through Homebrew or MacPorts, and no web service or apps are listed. |
| Best for | a documentation site on GitHub Pages | Python-style documentation built from source files |
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: Just the Docs and Sphinx. How we grade
Price against what you get
Just the Docs has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sphinx 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 Just the Docs for less, and none scores higher than Sphinx 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
- Just the Docs also covers wiki.
At a glance
| Just the Docs | Sphinx | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free to use under the MIT license; there are no paid plans. | Free: released under a BSD-2-Clause license. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Patrick Marsceill and the Just the Docs contributors | The Sphinx developers |
| Price read from | just-the-docs.com | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Just the Docs
- It is a theme, not a hosted service: you build and publish the site yourself with Jekyll.
- There is no web editor or comment system; content is edited as files in a repository.
- Changes published through GitHub Pages can take up to 10 minutes to appear, according to its docs.
Sphinx
- It is a command-line build tool with no hosted editor, so non-technical writers need another workflow.
- It builds static files; publishing them somewhere is left to the user.
- Windows installation is documented through Chocolatey, and macOS through Homebrew or MacPorts.
Key features
Just the Docs
- Jekyll theme
- Adds a documentation layout to Jekyll sites, with pages written in Markdown, Liquid templates or HTML.
- Navigation and search
- Main navigation, child pages, breadcrumbs and in-page navigation, plus built-in search across the site.
- Components
- The docs list ready-made UI components such as buttons, labels, tables, callouts and code blocks with line numbers.
- Customization
- Colors, layout and other parts of the theme can be changed through configuration and utilities.
- Site template
- A template repository creates a starter site that can be published through GitHub Pages and Actions.
Sphinx
- reStructuredText and MyST Markdown
- Source files can be written in either syntax, with tables, code blocks and mathematical notation.
- Cross-referencing
- Links work between sections, figures, tables, citations, glossary terms and code objects, including across projects.
- Several output formats
- HTML, LaTeX for PDF, ePub and Texinfo are built from the same source.
- API docs from code
- Autodoc builds reference pages for Python, C++ and other domains from docstrings.
- Themes and extensions
- Built-in and third-party HTML themes, plus extension points for diagrams, doctests and custom builders.
- Translations
- Supports documentation in multiple languages.
Plans
Just the Docs
Open source$0
The full theme under an MIT license, installed as a Jekyll gem or from the project's site template.
Sphinx
Open source$0
Install it yourself from PyPI, Conda, an OS package manager or Docker. Hosting the built docs is up to you.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Just the Docs or Sphinx?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Just the Docs and Sphinx are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Just the Docs or Sphinx?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Just the Docs and Sphinx have a free plan.
Which platforms do Just the Docs and Sphinx run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Just the Docs lists a web app and only Sphinx lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. 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.