MkDocs vs Read the Docs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MkDocs grades higher than Read the Docs: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MkDocs grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Read the Docs grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Read the Docs
Hosts documentation built from a Git repository
Which one is for you
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
Pick Read the Docs if
- Fits if you maintain an open-source project and want free hosted docs
- Works for companies already building docs with Sphinx or MkDocs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an editor, as it hosts and builds docs written elsewhere
- Watch out: the free Community site is for open source only and shows ads
- Tight if you are on Basic, with 2 concurrent builds, a shared domain and 50 redirects
- Watch out: SAML SSO needs Enterprise from $10,000 a year, and annual prices are not shown
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMkDocsGood | 2.0GPARead the DocsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CBasic is $50 a month, above the category's middle at $18 and below its dearer quarter at $82.50. Advanced is $150 and Pro $250, and SAML SSO needs Enterprise from $10,000 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | ANo plan, no caps. You pay only for wherever you host the built site, which can be free. | CCommunity is free for open-source projects, with public repos and docs and ads. Business plans have a 30-day trial with nothing charged automatically, but there is no free plan for private docs. |
| Features | 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. | CBuilds from Git, works with Sphinx, MkDocs and Docusaurus, pull-request previews, private docs and access control. It is a host and not an editor or a wiki, and plans cap concurrent builds, domains and redirects. |
| Ease of use | DA command-line tool that needs a recent Python and its package manager, plus a config file to edit. | DYou point it at a repository and add a config file, with a docs tool such as Sphinx or MkDocs behind it. It assumes a developer. |
| Platforms and integrations | CBuilds a web site from files. GitHub Pages and Amazon S3 are the hosting routes named, and there is no hosted service or app. | BWeb, with GitHub and GitLab sign-in and builds, and the common docs tools. No desktop or phone apps. |
| Best for | a Markdown docs site built with Python | hosting docs built from a Git repository |
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: MkDocs and Read the Docs. How we grade
Price against what you get
MkDocs has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Read the Docs starts at $50 a month and scores 2.0.
Read the Docs scores higher, and starts $50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than MkDocs for less, and 32 score higher than Read the Docs 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
- MkDocs is open source, according to its own site.
- MkDocs also covers Markdown.
At a glance
| MkDocs | Read the Docs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $50 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free and open source under a BSD license; you pay only for wherever you host the output. | Read the Docs Community is free for open source projects: public repositories and public documentation, with ad-supported hosting. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial on the Business plans; nothing is charged automatically when it ends |
| Web | ||
| Made by | MkDocs Team | Read the Docs, Inc |
| Price read from | mkdocs.org | about.readthedocs.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Read the Docs
- It hosts and builds docs written with another tool; it is not an editor or a wiki.
- Community and Business are two separate sites (readthedocs.org and readthedocs.com), and the free one is for open source only and shows ads.
- Business plans are capped by concurrent builds, custom domains and redirects; SAML SSO needs Enterprise, from $10,000 per year.
- Annual plans are offered on every paid tier, invoice or purchase order included, but the page does not show their prices.
Key features
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.
Read the Docs
- Builds from Git
- Connect a Git repository and the service builds the docs automatically, with versioning, search and CDN hosting on every plan.
- Works with common doc tools
- The site names Sphinx, MkDocs and Docusaurus as supported documentation tools.
- Pull request previews
- Each pull request gets a live preview build with a visual diff against production.
- Private docs and access control
- Business plans clone private repositories and can restrict who views the documentation, with SSO through GitHub, GitLab and, on Pro, Google.
- AI-ready output
- The site lists support for llms.txt, Markdown content negotiation and agent skills.
Plans
MkDocs
Open source$0
Free and open source under a BSD license. You build the site with Python and host the output yourself.
Read the Docs
Community$0
Free for open source projects. Clones public repositories only, publishes public documentation and shows ads.
Basic$50
per month, billed monthly
Private repositories, 2 concurrent builds, a shared domain, SSO with GitHub and GitLab, 50 redirects and support within 3 business days.
Advanced$150
per month, billed monthly
4 concurrent builds, 5 custom domains, 250 redirects and 90 days of page and search analytics. Support within 2 business days.
Pro$250
per month, billed monthly
6 concurrent builds, 15 custom domains, 500 redirects, SSO with Google as well, and 90 days of authentication auditing. Support within 1 business day.
Enterprise$10,000
per year and up
SAML SSO, dedicated builders, advanced audit tracking and a support SLA.
Ways to pay less
MkDocs
No public discounts listed.
Read the Docs
- Other savings
Free hosting for open source documentation
Open source documentation is always free on Read the Docs Community, supported by ads.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MkDocs or Read the Docs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MkDocs is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $50 a month for Read the Docs. MkDocs is free, and Read the Docs starts at $50 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, MkDocs or Read the Docs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MkDocs and Read the Docs 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.