Side by side
Doxygen vs Fern
Both stand on api documentation tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
Doxygen offers broad language and output-format coverage for code documentation, with a GUI and diagram support. Users should account for its warranty terms and limited commercial support capacity.
Visit Doxygen Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3
Fern combines API documentation publishing with client library generation and offers a defined Free plan. Teams considering it should check the free-tier limits and note that self-hosting is reserved for Enterprise.
Visit FernThe facts
| Doxygen | Fern | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | doxygen.nl | buildwithfern.com |
| On api documentation tools | #5 of 27 | #1 of 27 |
Doxygen: what it does well
- Generates HTML, PDF, Word, and XML documentation.
- Supports many programming and description languages.
- Doxywizard provides a graphical interface.
- Can generate diagrams with Graphviz dot.
- Does not require registration or collect usage data.
What to know first
- Graphviz dot is needed for diagrams.
- Provided without express or implied warranty.
- Commercial support has limited capacity.
Fern: what it does well
- Generates API references from several specification formats.
- Includes interactive API Explorer.
- Free plan includes one site.
- Supports SSO, JWT, and OAuth access controls.
- Supports custom domains and version history.
What to know first
- Free plan is limited to one site.
- Free plan has 10 team members.
- Free plan includes 250 AI credits monthly.
- Self-hosting is an Enterprise capability.