mdBook vs Sphinx (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, mdBook and Sphinx share a 2.6 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and 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.
Which one is for you
Pick mdBook if
- Fits if you write manuals or project guides in Markdown
- Works for Rust projects, as it's installed with Cargo
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you avoid a command line, as that's the only way to use it
- Skip it if you want a hosted editor, as there are no accounts or comments
- Watch out: building from source needs a recent Rust version
- Watch out: you host the output yourself
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
| 2.6GPAmdBookGood | 2.6GPASphinxGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the Mozilla Public License v2.0; you pay only for the hosting. A program anyone can download and run is graded as free and substantial. | 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 | AFree outright, with no plan or cap. The only cost is wherever you host the output. | ANo plan and no caps. The only cost is wherever you publish the built docs. |
| Features | CMarkdown books, search, code highlighting and testing, themes and preprocessors. It builds books fully, and that is a small job. | 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 | DIt's a developer tool run from the command line with files you write yourself. No store rating on record. | DA command-line build tool with config files and its own markup, so it needs a developer. |
| Platforms and integrations | CPrograms for Windows, macOS and Linux, which count as one device type. Output is a static site. | 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 | books and manuals built from Markdown | 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: mdBook and Sphinx. How we grade
Price against what you get
mdBook 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 mdBook 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
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxOpen sourceMarkdownDocuments
At a glance
| mdBook | Sphinx | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the Mozilla Public License v2.0; you pay only for wherever you host the output. | Free: released under a BSD-2-Clause license. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | The Rust Project (mdBook contributors) | The Sphinx developers |
| Price read from | rust-lang.github.io | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
mdBook
- It is a command-line tool with no hosted editor, accounts or comments.
- The installation page lists binaries for Windows, macOS and Linux, or building from source with a recent Rust version.
- You host the output yourself.
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
mdBook
- Markdown books
- Content is written in Markdown and rendered as a book with a navigable table of contents.
- Integrated search
- Search is built in; the keyboard shortcut S or / opens it in the output.
- Code highlighting and testing
- Code blocks get syntax highlighting, and Rust code samples can be tested automatically.
- Themes
- Light, Rust, Coal, Navy and Ayu themes are included, and theme files allow custom formatting.
- Preprocessors and backends
- Preprocessors extend the syntax or change content, and built-in backends render HTML or Markdown.
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
mdBook
Open source$0
Free under the Mozilla Public License v2.0. You build books with the mdbook command and host the output yourself.
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, mdBook or Sphinx?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both mdBook and Sphinx are free to use.
Which has a free plan, mdBook or Sphinx?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both mdBook and Sphinx 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.