Mintlify vs Sphinx (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sphinx grades higher than Mintlify: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mintlify grades higher on ease of use and platforms. Sphinx grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mintlify
Documentation platform with built-in AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Mintlify if
- Fits if you publish product or API docs to customers and want them in Git
- Works for a team of up to 5 editors that can live without the AI agents
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want the AI agents, since Pro is $450 a month with 10,000 credits and overages at $0.01 a credit
- Tight if you stay free, as there are no AI credits at all
- Watch out: SSO, SCIM, role-based permissions and audit logs are Enterprise only, with no published price
- Not for you if you want an internal wiki, as it publishes docs to readers
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
| 2.2GPAMintlifyFair | 2.6GPASphinxGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPro is $450 a month billed annually ($540 monthly), above the category's dearest tenth at $249 and far above its $18 middle. There is no paid plan between free and that. | 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 | BStarter is free with 5 editor seats, a web editor, Git sync, a custom domain, authentication, an MCP server and an API playground, though no AI credits. The Pro trial is 14 days with no card. | ANo plan and no caps. The only cost is wherever you publish the built docs. |
| Features | CWeb editor, Git sync, an assistant, Autopilot, an API playground, MCP and access control. Gaps: the AI agents run on credits Starter lacks, and SSO, SCIM and role permissions are Enterprise only. | 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 | CNo store rating on record. You set up a repo or the web editor, a domain and authentication. | DA command-line build tool with config files and its own markup, so it needs a developer. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Git sync, an MCP server and API playground, and admin APIs on Pro. No desktop or phone apps. | 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 | developer documentation with built-in AI agents | 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: Mintlify and Sphinx. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mintlify starts at $450 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sphinx has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Mintlify scores higher, and starts $450 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 33 score higher than Mintlify 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
- Sphinx is open source, according to its own site.
- Mintlify also covers AI search and AI agents.
- Sphinx also covers Markdown.
At a glance
| Mintlify | Sphinx | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $450 per month, billed annually ($540 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Starter plan: 5 editor seats, web editor, custom domain, authentication, MCP server and API playground. No AI credits. | Free: released under a BSD-2-Clause license. |
| Free trial | 14-day Pro trial with 5,000 credits, no card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Mintlify | The Sphinx developers |
| Price read from | mintlify.com | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mintlify
- The AI agents run on credits that Starter does not include. Pro has 10,000 a month, and overages are $0.01 per credit.
- The step from free to paid is $450 a month, with no smaller paid plan.
- SSO, SCIM, role-based permissions and audit logs are Enterprise only, and that plan has no published price.
- It is a product for publishing documentation to readers, not an internal wiki for general team notes.
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
Mintlify
- Web editor and Git sync
- Docs can be written in a web editor, and the pricing table lists Git sync. Both are on the free Starter plan.
- Assistant
- An AI assistant answers questions from the docs on Pro and above. It costs 25 credits per answer and is free when it cannot answer.
- Autopilot
- Proposes updates to keep docs current, at 250 credits per update, and nothing is charged when nothing needs updating. Pro and above.
- API playground and MCP server
- Sites include an interactive API playground and an MCP server, both available on the free plan.
- Access control
- Starter has Mintlify-managed authentication and Pro adds password authentication. OAuth, JWT and SSO sit in Enterprise.
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
Mintlify
Starter$0
5 editor seats, web editor, Git sync, search, custom domain, API playground and MCP server. No credits for the AI agents.
Pro$450
per month, billed annually ($540 billed monthly)
Unlimited editor seats, 10,000 credits a month for the assistant, writing agent and Autopilot, preview deployments and admin APIs.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Pro plus automations, SSO, SCIM and role-based permissions, a performance SLA, advanced insights and migration support.
Sphinx
Open source$0
Install it yourself from PyPI, Conda, an OS package manager or Docker. Hosting the built docs is up to you.
Ways to pay less
Mintlify
- Startups
50% off Pro for 12 months for early startups
Venture-backed startups founded in the past 2 years that raised under $2M and never paid for Mintlify, as well as YC alumni, get 50% off Pro for 12 months.
- Other savings
Free Pro for non-commercial open source
Non-commercial open source projects with a recognized license get Pro free through the OSS Program, if not venture-backed, revenue-funded or primarily owned by a for-profit company.
Sphinx
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mintlify or Sphinx?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sphinx is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $450 a month for Mintlify. Mintlify starts at $450 per month, billed annually ($540 billed monthly), and Sphinx is free.
Which has a free plan, Mintlify or Sphinx?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Mintlify and Sphinx have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mintlify and Sphinx run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Mintlify 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.