mdBook vs VitePress (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, mdBook and VitePress share a 2.6 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which platforms 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.
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 VitePress if
- Fits if your team writes docs in Markdown next to its code
- Works for Vue projects that want a docs site on the same tooling
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if nobody on the team uses a command line or Node.js
- Skip it if you want a hosted editor, as there are no accounts or comments
- Watch out: you host and deploy the static site yourself
- Watch out: the site lists a 2.0 alpha alongside the 1.6.4 release
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAmdBookGood | 2.6GPAVitePressGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 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 books, search, code highlighting and testing, themes and preprocessors. It builds books fully, and that is a small job. | CMarkdown with extensions, Vue in pages, a default theme and local search. It builds a static site and does nothing past that: no editor, accounts 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 | CPrograms for Windows, macOS and Linux, which count as one device type. Output is a static site. | CWeb output only, with Vite, Vue, Algolia DocSearch and MiniSearch. No app or hosted service. |
| Best for | books and manuals built from Markdown | a Markdown docs site built on Vite and Vue |
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 VitePress. 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. VitePress 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 VitePress 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
- VitePress also covers templates.
At a glance
| mdBook | VitePress | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 and open source under the MIT License; you pay only for wherever you host the output. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | The Rust Project (mdBook contributors) | VitePress (Evan You and contributors) |
| Price read from | rust-lang.github.io | vitepress.dev |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
VitePress
- It is a developer tool: you write files, run a command-line build and need Node.js 22 or higher.
- There is no hosted editor, user accounts or comments for staff; you host and deploy the static site yourself.
- The site lists a 2.0 alpha alongside the 1.6.4 release.
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.
VitePress
- Markdown with extensions
- Frontmatter, tables, syntax highlighting and several code-block features are built in, aimed at technical documentation.
- Vue inside Markdown
- Each Markdown page can use Vue syntax and components, and custom themes are built as Vue applications.
- Default documentation theme
- A ready theme with nav, sidebar, edit links, last-updated timestamps and a team page.
- Built-in local search
- A fuzzy full-text search index runs in the browser once enabled with one config option; Algolia DocSearch and community plugins are alternatives.
- Static output and Vite tooling
- Pages are built as static HTML with client-side navigation, and Vite plugins can be used. Deploy guides and i18n support are documented.
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.
VitePress
Open source$0
Free under the MIT License. You build the site with Node.js and host the static output yourself.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, mdBook or VitePress?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both mdBook and VitePress are free to use.
Which has a free plan, mdBook or VitePress?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both mdBook and VitePress have a free plan.
Which platforms do mdBook and VitePress run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only mdBook lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps and only VitePress lists 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.