Compare Read the Docs vs. ReadMe

Focus your efforts on creating exceptional documentation instead of getting bogged down with the tools needed to manage it. Read the Docs streamlines the documentation process by taking care of building, versioning, and hosting your documentation automatically. We offer free and permanent hosting for your documentation with no hidden fees. Our platform supports over 100,000 open source projects in sharing their documentation, complete with options for custom domains and themes. Each time you update your code in popular version control systems like GitHub, BitBucket, or GitLab, we automatically build your documentation, ensuring that it remains synchronized with your code. While we prepare your documentation for the web, you can also access it as PDFs, single-page HTML, and formats suitable for eReaders. There’s no need for complex configurations, making the process seamless. Additionally, we can manage and host various versions of your documentation effortlessly, allowing you to maintain both 1.0 and 2.0 versions simply by using separate branches or tags in your version control setup. With Read the Docs, you can concentrate on content while we handle the technical aspects of documentation management.

Provide developers with a comprehensive platform that consolidates everything they need, including your API reference, tutorial guides, sample code, and much more. They can experiment with your API directly from the documentation and monitor real-time logs to identify what functions correctly or needs improvement. Eager to explore and test, developers have access to a Try It playground that fosters hands-on experimentation. Additionally, auto-generated code snippets facilitate quick integration, while shareable links for every API request simplify the process of debugging or seeking help. ReadMe hubs can be configured as either public or private, giving you the flexibility to manage access as you see fit. When developers log into your hub, you gain valuable insights into their activity, such as which guides they've accessed or when they made their inaugural API call. Furthermore, you can provide personalized content like API keys tailored specifically for them. Maintaining up-to-date documentation is crucial, and with ReadMe, any team member can easily implement changes. This streamlines the update process, alleviates pressure on engineering resources, and guarantees that developers always have access to the most current information available. Ultimately, this creates an efficient environment where developers can thrive and innovate without unnecessary roadblocks.