# MkDocs vs Sphinx

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Sphinx

| Attribute | MkDocs | Sphinx |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 57.4 (71% (medium)) | 64 (77% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | 1 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 18,004 | 68,751 |
| adoption.github_stars | 22,497 | 8,061 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 3,612,213 | 15,422,418 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A documentation platform that converts Markdown files into static HTML websites. It offers built-in themes, plugin support for extensions, and YAML-based configuration for easy customization. It is indexed under Documentation Tools.","source":"https://www.mkdocs.org","question":"What is MkDocs?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"MkDocs is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the BSD-2-Clause licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.mkdocs.org","question":"Is MkDocs free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"MkDocs supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.mkdocs.org","question":"What platforms does MkDocs support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. MkDocs can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.mkdocs.org","question":"Can MkDocs be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. MkDocs is published under the BSD-2-Clause licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs","question":"Is MkDocs open source?","confidence":0.67}]` | `[{"answer":"Converts reStructuredText and Markdown into multiple output formats including HTML, PDF, and ePub, with support for automatic API documentation, customizable themes, and internationalization. It is indexed under Documentation Tools.","source":"https://www.sphinx-doc.org","question":"What is Sphinx?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Sphinx is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.sphinx-doc.org","question":"Is Sphinx free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Sphinx supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.sphinx-doc.org","question":"What platforms does Sphinx support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Sphinx can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.sphinx-doc.org","question":"Can Sphinx be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A documentation platform that converts Markdown files into static HTML websites. It offers built-in themes, plugin support for extensions, and YAML-based configuration for easy customization. | Converts reStructuredText and Markdown into multiple output formats including HTML, PDF, and ePub, with support for automatic API documentation, customizable themes, and internationalization. |
| features.capabilities | `{"i18n":true,"kind":"static_generator","engine":"Python","authoring":"markdown","themeable":true,"build_model":"fully_static","api_reference":true,"self_hostable":true,"hosted_offering":false,"docs_specialised":true}` | `{"i18n":true,"kind":"static_generator","engine":"Python","search":"built_in","authoring":"restructuredtext","themeable":true,"versioning":true,"api_reference":true,"self_hostable":true,"hosted_offering":false}` |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Jupyter"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Python |
| license.spdx | BSD-2-Clause | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.mkdocs.org","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T15:11:13.960Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://www.sphinx-doc.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:27:10.554Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 77 | 1 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.6.1","date":"2024-08-30T12:23:09Z","type":"stable","version":"1.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.6.0","date":"2024-04-20T17:55:01Z","type":"stable","version":"1.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.5.3","date":"2023-09-18T21:27:59Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.5.2","date":"2023-08-02T14:54:19Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.5.1","date":"2023-07-27T22:44:51Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.5.0","date":"2023-07-26T20:39:53Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.4.3","date":"2023-05-02T21:19:16Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.4.2","date":"2022-11-01T18:34:14Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.4.1","date":"2022-10-15T19:19:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.4.0","date":"2022-09-27T17:38:06Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.3.1","date":"2022-07-19T07:28:26Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.3.0","date":"2022-03-26T19:55:09Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.2.4","date":"2022-03-26T19:39:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.2.3","date":"2021-10-12T21:59:03Z","type":"stable","version":"1.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/mkdocs/mkdocs/releases/tag/1.2.2","date":"2021-07-18T19:32:00Z","type":"stable","version":"1.2.2"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.1.0","date":"2025-12-31T15:08:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.1.0rc2","date":"2025-12-27T03:17:14Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.1.0rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.1.0rc1","date":"2025-12-19T23:30:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.1.0rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.4","date":"2025-12-04T07:46:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.3","date":"2025-12-04T01:46:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.2","date":"2025-12-03T23:03:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.1","date":"2025-12-01T16:43:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.0","date":"2025-11-30T12:41:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.0rc4","date":"2025-11-30T06:18:15Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0rc4"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.0rc3","date":"2025-11-30T03:03:03Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0rc3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.0rc2","date":"2025-11-29T02:44:03Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v9.0.0rc1","date":"2025-11-28T00:47:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.2.3","date":"2025-03-02T22:31:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v8.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.2.2","date":"2025-03-02T21:01:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v8.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.2.1","date":"2025-02-21T23:29:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v8.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.2.0","date":"2025-02-18T19:52:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v8.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.2.0rc2","date":"2025-02-18T00:39:02Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v8.2.0rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.2.0rc1","date":"2025-02-16T05:41:49Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v8.2.0rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.1.3","date":"2024-10-13T20:26:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v8.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/releases/tag/v8.1.2","date":"2024-10-12T18:44:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v8.1.2"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 4.1 | 5.4 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=mkdocs&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=sphinx&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Documentation Tools)

| Capability | MkDocs | Sphinx |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool kind | Static-site generator | Static-site generator |
| Engine / language | Python | Python |
| **Authoring** |  |  |
| Authoring format | Markdown | reStructuredText |
| **API docs** |  |  |
| API reference from OpenAPI / code | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Content** |  |  |
| Multi-version docs | - | ✓ |
| Internationalisation | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Discovery** |  |  |
| Search | - | 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 2026-10-15T23:33:34.541Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*