vioscaleAI
Comparison

ReadMe vs Sphinx

On the evidence we track, Sphinx leads this comparison with a composite score of 64/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

ReadMe full profile →Sphinx full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
ReadMe59
★Sphinx64
Score
vioscaleAI score
ReadMe59 / 100high · 75%
Sphinx64 / 100high · 77%
Pricing
Free tier
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Model
Price level
ReadMehigh
Sphinxfree
Starting price
ReadMe$250
Sphinx–
Transparent
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Integrations
Count
ReadMe12
Sphinx1
Security
Gdpr
ReadMe✓
Sphinx–
Hipaa
ReadMe✓
Sphinx–
Scorecard
ReadMe–
Sphinx5.4
Soc2
ReadMe✓
Sphinx–
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
ReadMe✓
Sphinx–
Adoption
Dependent repos
ReadMe–
Sphinx68,751
Github stars
ReadMe–
Sphinx8,061
Package downloads weekly
ReadMe–
Sphinx15,422,418
Activity
Commits last 30d
ReadMe–
Sphinx1
Release
Cadence days
ReadMe–
Sphinx1
History
ReadMe–
Sphinx20 items
Language
Primary
ReadMe–
SphinxPython
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
ReadMe7 items
Sphinx4 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for documentation tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Tool kind
ReadMeHosted platform
SphinxStatic-site generator
Engine / language
ReadMeOpenAPI/REST/GraphQL/SOAP/RPC
SphinxPython
Authoring
Authoring format
ReadMeMarkdown
SphinxreStructuredText
API docs
API reference from OpenAPI / code
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Content
Multi-version docs
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Internationalisation
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Discovery
Search
ReadMeBuilt-in
SphinxBuilt-in
Design
Theming / custom design
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Workflow
Edit-in-Git / WYSIWYG round-trip
ReadMe✓
Sphinx-
Deployment
Self-hostable
ReadMe✗
Sphinx✓
Official managed host
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✗
Insight
Built-in usage analytics
ReadMe✓
Sphinx-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

ReadMe

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.

Independently observed

Sphinx

Leader

Converts reStructuredText and Markdown into multiple output formats including HTML, PDF, and ePub, with support for automatic API documentation, customizable themes, and internationalization.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

ReadMe

from $250/yrHybridFree tier

Free tier. Pro from $250/year (billed annually). Enterprise custom pricing.

  • StarterFree
    • Custom domain
    • Bi-directional Sync
    • Interactive API reference
    • Usage metrics
    • Markdown editor
    • +3 more
  • Pro$250/year billed annually
    • All Starter features
    • Invite teammates
    • Multiplayer editing
    • Branching and reviews
    • Notifications
    • +9 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • All Pro features
    • Multiple combined projects
    • Aggregated doc metrics
    • No ReadMe branding
    • User roles & access control
    • +9 more
as of verify ↗

Sphinx

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✗
CLI
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
ReadMe✓
Sphinx✗
Self-hosted
ReadMe✗
Sphinx✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

ReadMe

12 total
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Bitbucket
  • Google Analytics
  • Intercom
  • Slack
  • Zendesk
  • Statuspage
  • Segment
  • Localize
  • Smartling
  • Transifex
Independently observed

Sphinx

Leader
1 total
  • Jupyter
Independently observed
Still deciding?

ReadMe or Sphinx: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.