Read the Docs vs Sphinx (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sphinx 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
Read the Docs grades higher on platforms. Sphinx grades higher on value for money and the free plan. 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 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
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
| 2.0GPARead the DocsFair | 2.6GPASphinxGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | 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. | ANo plan and no caps. The only cost is wherever you publish the built docs. |
| Features | 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. | 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 | 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. | DA command-line build tool with config files and its own markup, so it needs a developer. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with GitHub and GitLab sign-in and builds, and the common docs tools. 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 | hosting docs built from a Git repository | 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: Read the Docs and Sphinx. How we grade
Price against what you get
Read the Docs starts at $50 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sphinx has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
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, 32 score higher than Read the Docs 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.
- Sphinx also covers Markdown.
At a glance
| Read the Docs | Sphinx | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $50 per month, billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | Read the Docs Community is free for open source projects: public repositories and public documentation, with ad-supported hosting. | Free: released under a BSD-2-Clause license. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on the Business plans; nothing is charged automatically when it ends | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Read the Docs, Inc | The Sphinx developers |
| Price read from | about.readthedocs.com | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Sphinx
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Read the Docs or Sphinx?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sphinx is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $50 a month for Read the Docs. Read the Docs starts at $50 per month, billed monthly, and Sphinx is free.
Which has a free plan, Read the Docs or Sphinx?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Read the Docs and Sphinx have a free plan.
Which platforms do Read the Docs and Sphinx run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Read the Docs 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.