Mintlify vs Scalar
Mintlify and Scalar are both API & developer docs tools aimed at developers. Scalar costs less, from $150/mo versus $540/mo for Mintlify. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Freemium · $540 | Open source · $150 |
| Starting price | $540/mo | $150/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days |
| Built for | Developers | Developers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2021 | DE · 2023 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Mintlify if
Developer-tool and API companies who want polished docs quickly.
- Best-looking docs out of the box
- Fast setup from repo
- AI assistant improves self-service
Look elsewhere if: Teams wanting full control and zero cost (Docusaurus) or heavy API analytics (ReadMe).
Choose Scalar if
Developers wanting modern free API docs.
- Beautiful UI
- Open source
- Free
Look elsewhere if: Enterprise portals.
Mintlify vs Scalar pricing
Mintlify
- Starter$05 editor seats, custom domain, web editor, MCP server
- Pro$540/mo$450 billed annually; unlimited editors, 10,000 credits/mo
- EnterpriseCustomSSO, SCIM, RBAC, performance 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
Mintlify · Key features
- MDX-based docs with components and theming
- OpenAPI references with interactive playground
- Git sync with automatic deploys
- AI assistant for readers and AI-written docs
- Analytics, feedback and search
- Web editor for non-technical contributors
Cons
- Pro price is steep for small teams
- Hosted only
- Customization limits versus self-built sites
Scalar · Key features
- Modern API reference
- API client
- Framework integrations
- Hosted docs
- Open source
- Themes
Cons
- Younger
- Fewer enterprise features
- Smaller community
Mintlify vs Scalar: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Mintlify or Scalar?
Scalar starts at $150/mo and Mintlify at $540/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Mintlify and Scalar have a free plan?
Yes, both Mintlify and Scalar have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.