Fern vs SwaggerHub
Fern and SwaggerHub are both API & developer docs tools. Fern is aimed at developers, while SwaggerHub is aimed at developers and enterprise. Only Fern has a free plan.
Fern
SDKs and docs generated from your API spec
SwaggerHub
SmartBear's hosted OpenAPI design, governance and docs platform
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | Not published | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers | Developers, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2022 | US |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Fern if
API-first companies.
- Saves SDK engineering
- Idiomatic code
- Docs included
Look elsewhere if: Small internal APIs.
Choose SwaggerHub if
API-first engineering organizations that need a governed, shared OpenAPI catalog with docs, reuse and contract testing.
- Built by the team that maintains the Swagger tooling
- Strong governance and reuse for organizations with many APIs
- Git sync and API gateway deployment integrations
Look elsewhere if: Small teams that only need nice-looking docs from an existing spec (Redocly, ReadMe) or a visual design editor (Stoplight).
Fern vs SwaggerHub pricing
Fern
- Free$010 team members, 1,000 pages, custom domain
- EnterpriseCustomSSO, SCIM, RBAC, self-hosting, SLA
SwaggerHub
- Individual$25/mo$19/mo billed annually; 1 user, 5 domains, 1 portal product
- Team$35/user/mo$29/user/mo billed annually; 10 domains, 2 portal products
- Enterprise$59/user/mo$49/user/mo billed annually; standardization, unlimited domains
- Enterprise PlusCustomUnlimited portals, contracts and test runs; custom templates
Fern · Key features
- SDK generation (TS, Python, Java, Go)
- Docs generation
- API definition
- CI publishing
- Versioning
- Examples
Cons
- Enterprise pricing is custom
- Spec quality required
- Vendor dependence
SwaggerHub · Key features
- Collaborative OpenAPI and AsyncAPI editor with form-based editing
- Reusable domains (component libraries) shared across APIs
- Style-guide standardization and governance rules on Enterprise
- Auto-generated interactive docs and hosted API portal
- Server stub and client SDK generation with Swagger Codegen
- Contract testing built on the Pact ecosystem
Cons
- No permanent free plan for the hosted product
- Add-ons for portal branding, SSO and testing raise costs
- Repeated renames (SwaggerHub, API Hub, Swagger) cause confusion
Fern vs SwaggerHub: FAQ
Do Fern and SwaggerHub have a free plan?
Fern has a free plan. SwaggerHub has no free plan.