Side by side
JSDoc vs Sphinx
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 APISelf-hosted
JSDoc provides a configurable, self-hosted route from JavaScript comments to HTML documentation. Its templates, plugins, Markdown handling, and command-line options support varied documentation workflows.
Visit JSDoc
Free plan APILinuxMac+3
Sphinx offers a broad documentation toolset, from multiple output formats and cross-project links to themes and extensions. It is free, but Markdown authors must install MyST-Parser separately.
Visit SphinxThe facts
| JSDoc | Sphinx | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Sphinx |
| Website | jsdoc.app | sphinx-doc.org |
| On documentation generators | #18 of 37 | #14 of 37 |
JSDoc: what it does well
- Generates HTML API documentation
- Documents modules, classes, methods, and parameters
- Customizable templates and extensible plugins
- Markdown and README support
- Free Apache License 2.0 software
What to know first
- Processes only listed file extensions by default
- Ignores underscore-prefixed files and directories
- Requires stable Node.js 8.15.0 or later
Sphinx: what it does well
- Builds HTML, LaTeX for PDF, ePub and other formats
- Links references across projects
- Autodoc includes module docstrings
- Supports themes and extensions
- Full-text search is available
What to know first
- MyST Markdown requires a separate parser
- Web Support has limited adoption and development