Side by side
DocFX vs mdBook
Both stand on documentation generators. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+2
DocFX covers documentation generation from .NET, REST API and Markdown inputs, with static output and template customization. Check its .NET requirement and the additional PDF prerequisite, and plan for a custom converter if documenting other languages.
Visit DocFX Free plan LinuxMacWindows
mdBook offers a Markdown-to-book workflow with search, code highlighting, themes, and extension points. Check the Rust and Cargo requirements if you plan to build it from source.
Visit mdBookThe facts
| DocFX | mdBook | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | dotnet.github.io | rust-lang.github.io |
| On documentation generators | #4 of 37 | #8 of 37 |
DocFX: what it does well
- Free and open-source static site generator.
- Produces HTML, JSON models and PDF files.
- Supports customizable templates and dark mode.
- Can generate git links for several CI systems.
- Can be used as a NuGet library.
What to know first
- Requires .NET SDK 8.0 or higher.
- PDF creation requires Node.js v20 or higher.
- Other language references require a custom API docs converter.
- PlantUML rendering uses a remote server by default.
mdBook: what it does well
- Free and open source under MPL-2.0.
- Builds static files that can be transferred to a web service.
- Includes integrated search and code syntax highlighting.
- Theme files and plugins support customization and added tooling.
- Documentation describes GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD workflows.
What to know first
- Building from source requires Rust and Cargo.
- The stated minimum Rust version is 1.88.
- Issues and feature requests go through the GitHub issue tracker.