Bump.sh vs Scalar
Bump.sh and Scalar are both API & developer docs tools. Bump.sh is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Scalar is aimed at developers. Bump.sh costs less, from $50/mo versus $150/mo for Scalar. Only Scalar has a free plan.
Hosted API docs, changelogs and MCP servers from OpenAPI and AsyncAPI
Open-source API docs and client
| Pricing | Paid · $50 | Open source · $150 |
| Starting price | $50/mo | $150/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise | Developers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | FR | DE · 2023 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Bump.sh if
API and platform teams that keep OpenAPI or AsyncAPI specs in Git and want docs, breaking-change alerts and changelogs generated on every deploy.
- Breaking-change detection and changelogs need no manual writing
- First-class AsyncAPI support for event-driven and Kafka-style APIs
- Fits cleanly into CI so docs never drift from the spec
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need a marketing-style developer portal with long tutorials and guides (ReadMe, Mintlify).
Choose Scalar if
Developers wanting modern free API docs.
- Beautiful UI
- Open source
- Free
Look elsewhere if: Enterprise portals.
Bump.sh vs Scalar pricing
Bump.sh
- Basic$50/mo10 API docs, 3 internal users, 20 guests, 5 MCP tools
- Pro$120/mo30 docs, 5 users, branches, API Explorer, changelog
- CustomCustomSSO, embed mode, on-prem MCP dataplane, 99.99% SLA
Scalar
- Free$0Up to 3 APIs, 1 editor seat, 1 SDK up to 25 endpoints
- Pro$150/mo$125/mo billed yearly; 5 seats, 15 APIs
- Business$600/mo$500/mo billed yearly; SSO, 10 seats, 25 APIs
- EnterpriseCustomSLAs and migration services
Bump.sh · Key features
- Reference docs generated from OpenAPI, AsyncAPI and Arazzo definitions
- Automatic diff that flags breaking changes before they go live
- Auto-generated API changelog with notifications for subscribers
- Doc previews on every pull request through CLI or GitHub Action
- API hubs that group many APIs under one custom-domain portal
- API Explorer for sending test requests on the Pro plan
Cons
- No free plan for commercial teams, entry price is $50 per month
- Doc counts are capped per plan, 10 on Basic and 30 on Pro
- Limited support for long-form guides compared with ReadMe or Mintlify
Scalar · Key features
- Modern API reference
- API client
- Framework integrations
- Hosted docs
- Open source
- Themes
Cons
- Younger
- Fewer enterprise features
- Smaller community
Bump.sh vs Scalar: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Bump.sh or Scalar?
Bump.sh starts at $50/mo and Scalar at $150/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Bump.sh and Scalar have a free plan?
Bump.sh has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Scalar has a free plan.
Which is better for small businesses, Bump.sh or Scalar?
Bump.sh lists small businesses as a core audience, while Scalar is aimed more at developers.