# GitBook vs ReadMe

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** GitBook

| Attribute | GitBook | ReadMe |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64.7 (72% (medium)) | 58.5 (75% (high)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A cloud-hosted documentation platform for technical teams that combines collaborative editing, Git workflow synchronization, and AI-powered content assistance. Supports API documentation from OpenAPI specifications and includes built-in analytics, customer support features, and authentication controls. It is indexed under Documentation Tools.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/blog/pricing-update-september-2022","question":"What is GitBook?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitBook offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $12 per user per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/blog/pricing-update-september-2022","question":"Is GitBook free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to GitBook. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/blog/pricing-update-september-2022","question":"What platforms does GitBook support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for GitBook, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/blog/pricing-update-september-2022","question":"Can GitBook be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 13 integrations for GitBook, including GitHub, GitLab, Ahrefs, Okta, SAML, Intercom, kapa.ai and Slack, plus 5 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/blog/pricing-update-september-2022","question":"What does GitBook integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for GitBook. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as GitBook not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/industries/security","question":"What security certifications does GitBook have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"GitBook is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://www.gitbook.com/blog/pricing-update-september-2022","question":"Where is GitBook available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"A cloud-based service for publishing and managing technical documentation and API references, featuring interactive reference tools, version control, customizable themes, AI-assisted writing, and team collaboration features. It is indexed under Documentation Tools.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"What is ReadMe?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"ReadMe offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $250 per year. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"Is ReadMe free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to ReadMe. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does ReadMe support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for ReadMe, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"Can ReadMe be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 12 integrations for ReadMe, including GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Google Analytics, Intercom, Slack, Zendesk and Statuspage, plus 4 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"What does ReadMe integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR for ReadMe. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as ReadMe not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"What security certifications does ReadMe have?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"ReadMe is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://readme.com/pricing","question":"Where is ReadMe available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A documentation hosting and management tool that incorporates AI assistance for user support and includes automated checks to identify when content becomes outdated. | A cloud-based service for publishing and managing technical documentation and API references, featuring interactive reference tools, version control, customizable themes, AI-assisted writing, and team collaboration features. |
| features.capabilities | `{"i18n":true,"kind":"hosted_platform","engine":"TypeScript/Node.js","search":"built_in","git_sync":true,"analytics":true,"authoring":"markdown","themeable":true,"versioning":true,"api_reference":true,"self_hostable":true,"hosted_offering":true}` | `{"i18n":true,"kind":"hosted_platform","engine":"OpenAPI/REST/GraphQL/SOAP/RPC","search":"built_in","git_sync":true,"analytics":true,"authoring":"markdown","themeable":true,"versioning":true,"api_reference":true,"self_hostable":false,"hosted_offering":true}` |
| integrations.count | 30 | 12 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitLab"},{"name":"Ahrefs"},{"name":"Okta"},{"name":"SAML"},{"name":"Intercom"},{"name":"kapa.ai"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Salesforce"},{"name":"OpenAPI","native":true,"category":"api","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Swagger","native":true,"category":"api","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Discord","native":true,"category":"chat","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Confluence","native":true,"category":"documentation"},{"name":"Linear","native":true,"category":"project management","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"YouTube","native":true,"category":"media","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"PDF","native":true,"direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitLab"},{"name":"Bitbucket"},{"name":"Google Analytics"},{"name":"Intercom"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Zendesk"},{"name":"Statuspage"},{"name":"Segment"},{"name":"Localize"},{"name":"Smartling"},{"name":"Transifex"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["Git Sync","Basic customization","Built-in SEO","Page view analytics","Full text search","API playground","Integrations","Preview deployments","Vulnerability management","ISO 27001 & SOC 2 certified","GitBook Agent (10 messages/week)"],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$65/site/mo + $12/additional user/mo (annual billing)","features":["All Free features","Advanced customization","Custom domain","AI writing and editing","AI search","Real-time collaboration","Redirect management","Search analytics","Opt out of search indexing","GitBook Agent (unlimited)"],"minSeats":1,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":65,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":12,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","summary":"$249/site/mo + $12/additional user/mo (annual billing)","features":["All Premium features","Custom subdirectory","Custom fonts","Adaptive content","Embed Assistant anywhere","Customize the Assistant","Connect external sources","AI Insights","Auto-updating translations","GitBook MCP Server"],"minSeats":1,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":249,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":12,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["All Ultimate features","SAML SSO","Git Sync IP allowlisting","Unlimited adaptive content","Custom integrations","White-glove migration and support"],"contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Auto-updating translations (Premium add-on)","components":[{"per":{"qty":50000,"unit":"words"},"kind":"metered","amount":25,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"words"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.2,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $65/site/month. Free tier available. Enterprise custom.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.gitbook.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-23T13:30:38.298Z","startingPrice":{"amount":65,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["Custom domain","Bi-directional Sync","Interactive API reference","Usage metrics","Markdown editor","Customizable themes","AI Dropdown","MCP Server"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Free tier with core documentation features","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$250/year billed annually","features":["All Starter features","Invite teammates","Multiplayer editing","Branching and reviews","Notifications","Private docs","Landing page","Changelog, recipes & forums","Custom MDX components","Reusable content","CSS/HTML","Agent Owlbert","AI Linter","GitHub AI Writer"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":250,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Team collaboration with advanced documentation features","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["All Pro features","Multiple combined projects","Aggregated doc metrics","No ReadMe branding","User roles & access control","Branch review permissions","Global reusable content library","Audit logs","SSO, OAuth, & more","Dedicated support","Implementation services","Docs Audit","Private AI Context","Global Lint Rules"],"description":"Full-featured enterprise documentation platform with dedicated support","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Ask AI","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":150,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Ask AI Lite","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":150,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Docs Audit History","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extended history & logs","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Additional admin","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"admin","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier. Pro from $250/year (billed annually). Enterprise custom pricing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://readme.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-23T14:40:27.251Z","startingPrice":{"amount":250,"period":"year","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | high | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":65,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":250,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"SOC 2"},{"name":"ISO 27001"}]` | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://www.gitbook.com/industries/security | - |

## Capabilities (Documentation Tools)

| Capability | GitBook | ReadMe |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool kind | Hosted platform | Hosted platform |
| Engine / language | TypeScript/Node.js | OpenAPI/REST/GraphQL/SOAP/RPC |
| **Authoring** |  |  |
| Authoring format | Markdown | Markdown |
| **API docs** |  |  |
| API reference from OpenAPI / code | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Content** |  |  |
| Multi-version docs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Internationalisation | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Discovery** |  |  |
| Search | Built-in | Built-in |
| **Design** |  |  |
| Theming / custom design | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Edit-in-Git / WYSIWYG round-trip | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Official managed host | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Insight** |  |  |
| Built-in usage analytics | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:14:36.693Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*