MkDocs vs Starlight (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MkDocs and Starlight 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 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 Starlight if
- Fits if you already use Astro and want docs in the same project
- Works for multilingual docs written as Markdown files
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want to use a command line, as projects start from it
- Skip it if you're not on Astro, since the site is tied to that framework
- Watch out: there's no hosted editor, accounts or comments
- Watch out: you build and host the static site yourself
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMkDocsGood | 2.6GPAStarlightGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | ANo plan, no caps. You pay only for wherever you host the built site, which can be free. | AFree outright, with no plan or cap. The only cost is wherever you host the output. |
| 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. | CSite search, Markdown, Markdoc and MDX, translations and components. It stops at building a static site, with no editor or comments. |
| Ease of use | DA command-line tool that needs a recent Python and its package manager, plus a config file to edit. | DIt's a developer tool run from the command line with files you write yourself. No store rating on record. |
| 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. | CWeb output only, with Astro, Pagefind, Algolia DocSearch and React, Vue, Svelte and Solid links. No app or hosted service. |
| Best for | a Markdown docs site built with Python | docs sites built on Astro |
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 Starlight. 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. Starlight 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 MkDocs for less, and none scores higher than Starlight 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
- Starlight also covers templates.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceMarkdownDocuments
At a glance
| MkDocs | Starlight | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source under a BSD license; 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 | ||
| Made by | MkDocs Team | Astro contributors |
| Price read from | mkdocs.org | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Starlight
- It is a developer tool: you create a project from the command line and write pages as files.
- There is no hosted editor, user accounts or comments; you build and host the static site yourself.
- It requires an Astro project, so the site is tied to that framework.
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.
Starlight
- Built-in site search
- Sites include full-text search powered by Pagefind by default; Algolia DocSearch is documented as an alternative.
- Markdown, Markdoc and MDX
- Pages can be written in any of the three formats, with frontmatter validated with TypeScript types.
- Internationalization
- Multilingual docs are supported, and the interface itself is translated into a list of languages shown on the site.
- Built-in components
- Cards, asides, tabs, steps, file trees, badges and icons can be used in pages, and components can be overridden.
- Astro integrations and UI frameworks
- Extend the site with Astro integrations, or add components from React, Vue, Svelte, Solid and others.
Plans
MkDocs
Open source$0
Free and open source under a BSD license. You build the site with Python and host the output yourself.
Starlight
Open source$0
Free under the MIT License. You build the site with Astro and host the output yourself.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MkDocs or Starlight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MkDocs and Starlight are free to use.
Which has a free plan, MkDocs or Starlight?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MkDocs and Starlight 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.