Documentation Platforms Comparison
Research on documentation platforms for developer and project documentation.
Date
2025-12-11
Objective
Evaluate documentation platforms for personal projects that are free, feature-rich, and suitable for a one-person development workflow.
Summary
After evaluating 10+ platforms, Docusaurus remains the best choice for our use case due to its zero cost, rich feature set, and consistency with our existing tech stack. Starlight (Astro) is the top alternative if faster builds or a more modern aesthetic are needed.
Platform Categories
1. Free & Open Source (Self-Hosted)
These platforms are completely free, open source, and can be deployed anywhere (Vercel, Netlify, GitHub Pages, etc.).
| Platform | Ecosystem | Setup | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Docusaurus | React | Medium | Feature-rich docs with versioning, i18n |
| VitePress | Vue/Vite | Easy | Fast, clean docs for Vue projects |
| Starlight | Astro | Easy | Modern, framework-agnostic, fast builds |
| Nextra | Next.js | Easy | Next.js projects, MDX-heavy content |
| MkDocs | Python | Very Easy | Simple docs, Material Design theme |
2. Hosted/Freemium Platforms
These platforms offer hosting but have limited free tiers and expensive paid plans.
| Platform | Free Tier | Paid Plans | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitBook | Public docs only | ~$145/mo | Non-technical teams, collaboration |
| Mintlify | 80 articles | $150/mo | API-first SaaS, polished design |
| ReadMe | Limited | $99/mo+ | API docs with interactive explorer |
| Notion | Personal use | $8/mo+ | Internal wikis, non-public docs |
Detailed Comparison
Full Feature Matrix
| Feature | Docusaurus | VitePress | Starlight | Nextra | MkDocs | GitBook | Mintlify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Self-Hosted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Search Built-in | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Plugin | Yes | Yes |
| Dark Mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Theme | Yes | Yes |
| i18n Support | Excellent | Good | Good | Good | Plugin | Yes | Limited |
| Versioning | Excellent | Manual | Manual | Manual | Plugin | Yes | Yes |
| MDX Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Build Speed | Medium | Fast | Fast | Medium | Fast | N/A | N/A |
| Learning Curve | Medium | Low | Low | Low | Very Low | Very Low | Low |
| Customization | High | High | High | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Blog Support | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Plugin | No | No |
Platform Deep Dives
Docusaurus (Meta)
Pros:
- Mature, battle-tested (used by Meta, many OSS projects)
- Excellent versioning for API docs
- Built-in i18n support
- Blog functionality included
- Large plugin ecosystem
- Active community and maintenance
Cons:
- Slower builds compared to Vite-based tools
- React knowledge helpful for customization
- Can feel heavy for simple docs
Best for: Engineering teams wanting full control and rich features.
VitePress (Vue Team)
Pros:
- Lightning-fast builds (Vite-powered)
- Beautiful default theme
- Simple configuration
- Excellent developer experience
- Dark mode out of the box
Cons:
- No built-in versioning
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than Docusaurus
- Vue knowledge needed for customization
Best for: Vue.js projects or anyone wanting simplicity with speed.
Starlight (Astro)
Pros:
- Framework-agnostic (use React, Vue, Svelte, etc.)
- Very fast builds
- Modern, accessible design
- Growing rapidly in popularity
- Eco-friendly (ships minimal JS)
Cons:
- Newer, smaller ecosystem
- Less documentation/tutorials available
- Manual versioning
Best for: Teams wanting modern tooling without framework lock-in.
Nextra (Vercel)
Pros:
- Seamless Next.js integration
- MDX 2 support
- SSR/SSG/ISR options
- Clean default theme
Cons:
- Tied to Next.js ecosystem
- Less feature-rich than Docusaurus
- Smaller community
Best for: Next.js projects wanting integrated docs.
MkDocs
Pros:
- Simplest setup of all options
- Material for MkDocs theme is excellent
- Python ecosystem integration
- YAML-only configuration
Cons:
- No MDX support
- Limited interactivity
- Python dependency
Best for: Python projects or teams wanting minimal complexity.
Recommendation
For Our Use Case (Personal Projects)
Primary Choice: Docusaurus
Reasons:
- Zero cost - Fully open source, free hosting on Vercel
- Feature-complete - Versioning, i18n, blog, search included
- Consistency - Already using for Mo Docs
- React alignment - Matches our app tech stack
- Maturity - Well-documented, stable, large community
Alternative to Consider: Starlight
If we find Docusaurus builds too slow or want a fresher aesthetic, Starlight is the modern alternative. It offers:
- Faster builds
- Framework flexibility
- Modern design defaults
Not Recommended for Personal Projects
GitBook & Mintlify - While polished, the free tiers are too limited and paid plans ($145-150/mo) are expensive for personal use.
Decision
Continue with Docusaurus for all documentation needs:
docs.tumati.me- Framework & knowledge basemodocs.tumati.me- Mo product docs
Re-evaluate in 6-12 months if:
- Build times become problematic
- Starlight ecosystem matures significantly