Docusaurus vs ReadMe
Docusaurus and ReadMe are both API & developer docs tools. Docusaurus is aimed at developers, while ReadMe is aimed at developers and enterprise. Both have a free plan.
Docusaurus
Static docs sites built with React
ReadMe
Interactive API documentation hubs
| Pricing | Open source | Freemium · $250 |
| Starting price | Not published | $250/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers | Developers, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2017 | US · 2014 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Docusaurus if
Developer teams wanting free, customizable docs.
- Free and open source
- Highly customizable
- Great for open source
Look elsewhere if: Non-technical editors (GitBook, Mintlify).
Choose ReadMe if
API-first companies wanting docs plus usage analytics.
- API usage metrics connected to docs
- Personalized developer experience
- Mature platform
Look elsewhere if: Small projects (Docusaurus, Scalar).
Docusaurus vs ReadMe pricing
Docusaurus
- Open source$0MIT license, self-hosted static site generator
ReadMe
- Starter$01 project, 1 published version, 1 admin
- Pro$250/moBilled annually; 5 admins, unlimited versions
- EnterpriseCustomAnnual billing only
Docusaurus · Key features
- Markdown and MDX docs
- Versioning and i18n
- Blog and custom pages
- Algolia DocSearch integration
- React theming and plugins
- Deploy anywhere
Cons
- Developer setup and maintenance
- No hosted analytics or AI
- Design needs work to stand out
ReadMe · Key features
- Interactive API reference with try-it
- Guides, recipes and changelogs
- API metrics per developer and endpoint
- Personalized docs with user keys
- AI search (Owlbot)
- Versioning and staging
Cons
- Pro plan is expensive
- Design flexibility limited
- Docs-as-code workflow less native than Mintlify
Docusaurus vs ReadMe: FAQ
Do Docusaurus and ReadMe have a free plan?
Yes, both Docusaurus and ReadMe have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.