Just the Docs review (2026): is it any good?
Free Jekyll theme for documentation sites with built-in search
Just the Docs report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for a documentation site on GitHub Pages
Just the Docs is a free Jekyll theme that turns Markdown files into a documentation site with a sidebar and search. But it's a theme, not a service: there's no editor, no comments, and someone has to run Jekyll and publish the site.
Who Just the Docs is for
- Fits if you're comfortable with Markdown files and Git and want a docs site with no monthly bill
- Works for open source projects that already publish on GitHub Pages
Who Just the Docs is not for
- Skip it if you want a web editor, because content is edited as files in a repository
- Not for you if you need comments or feedback on pages, as there is no comment system
- Too light for non-technical writers, who would need someone to run Jekyll
- Watch out: changes published through GitHub Pages can take up to 10 minutes to appear
Why Just the Docs gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$0 under the MIT license, but you build and publish the site yourself with Jekyll, so it counts as ordinary value rather than a free app.
- BFree plan and trialFree with no paid plans, and one person could build and host a site on it using GitHub Pages.
- CFeaturesNavigation, search and layout components for a docs site. It does that job fully but it's a smaller job: no web editor and no comment system.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. You work in files in a repository and run Jekyll, so it needs a command line.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only: it produces a static site. Four integrations are named, all of them build and hosting tools.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Just the Docs's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/just-the-docs#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/just-the-docs.svg" alt="Just the Docs: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Just the Docs stands among docs and wiki tools
Just the Docs's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 6 of the 86 other docs and wiki tools we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 41 of 86) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Just the Docs has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 87 docs and wiki tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Just the Docs’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 19 of 86, level with 30
- BFree plan and trialAbove 41 of 86, level with 19
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 86, level with 51
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 86, level with 24
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 86, level with 27
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 79 docs and wiki tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Just the Docs, or make your own?
Keep it
Just the Docs is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 70 of the 86 other docs and wiki tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Markdown, documents and wiki: an app builder makes these well.
What this rests on. Just the Docs’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Just the Docs?
Just the Docs is a theme for Jekyll, the static site generator, aimed at documentation websites. You write pages in Markdown, and the theme supplies a sidebar navigation, search and layout components. It is distributed under the MIT license and is usually published through GitHub Pages.
Worth knowing
- It is a theme, not a hosted service: you build and publish the site yourself with Jekyll.
- There is no web editor or comment system; content is edited as files in a repository.
- Changes published through GitHub Pages can take up to 10 minutes to appear, according to its docs.
Key features
- Jekyll theme
- Adds a documentation layout to Jekyll sites, with pages written in Markdown, Liquid templates or HTML.
- Navigation and search
- Main navigation, child pages, breadcrumbs and in-page navigation, plus built-in search across the site.
- Components
- The docs list ready-made UI components such as buttons, labels, tables, callouts and code blocks with line numbers.
- Customization
- Colors, layout and other parts of the theme can be changed through configuration and utilities.
- Site template
- A template repository creates a starter site that can be published through GitHub Pages and Actions.
Just the Docs pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Just the Docs is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to use under the MIT license; there are no paid plans.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | The full theme under an MIT license, installed as a Jekyll gem or from the project's site template. |
Read from just-the-docs.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Just the Docs before you buy.
Works with
- Jekyll
- GitHub Pages
- GitHub Actions
- Netlify
Just the Docs alternatives
Common questions
Does Just the Docs have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Just the Docs is listed for Web.
Does Just the Docs have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Just the Docs is listed for Web.
Is Just the Docs open source?
Yes. Just the Docs is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.