Comparison

Scalar vs Stoplight

On the evidence we track, Scalar leads this comparison with a composite score of 63/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Scalar63
Stoplight47
Score
vioscaleAI score
Scalar63 / 100medium · 70%
Stoplight47 / 100medium · 61%
Pricing
Free tier
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Model
Scalarfreemium
Stoplightcommercial
Price level
Scalarhigh
Stoplightlow
Starting price
Scalar$150
Stoplight–
Transparent
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Integrations
Count
Scalar4
Stoplight7
Reliability
Status page
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Scalar1
Stoplight0
Github stars
Scalar16,253
Stoplight872
Package downloads weekly
Scalar1,422,867
Stoplight–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Scalar100
Stoplight0
Release
Cadence days
Scalar3
Stoplight27
History
Scalar20 items
Stoplight20 items
License
Spdx
ScalarMIT
Stoplight–
Language
Primary
Stoplight–
Content
Faq
Scalar7 items
Stoplight6 items

Capabilities

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

Core
REST client
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
GraphQL support
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
gRPC support
Scalar✓
Stoplight-
Design
Mock servers
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Testing
Automated / contract testing
Scalar✓
Stoplight-
Collaboration
Team collaboration & sharing
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Docs
Doc generation
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Standards
OpenAPI / spec import
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Ops
CI integration / CLI
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓

What each one is

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

Scalar

Leader

A platform that creates API documentation, type-safe client libraries, and AI-ready tools from OpenAPI documents, ensuring all developer interfaces stay synchronized as APIs evolve.

Independently observed

Stoplight

Stoplight is a design-first platform that facilitates collaborative API development, enabling teams to design APIs using OpenAPI specifications, generate interactive documentation, create mock servers, and enforce consistency standards across API programs.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Scalar

Leader
from $150/moSubscriptionFree tier

Free tier available. From $150/month for Pro or $600/month for Business, with yearly billing discounts (2 months free).

  • FreeFree
    • Hosted OpenAPI docs
    • Built-in API client
    • Landing pages
    • 1 editor seat
  • Pro$150/month or $125/month billed yearly ($1,500/year)
    • Hosted MCP servers
    • 5 editor seats
    • Access groups included
    • Volume discounts available
  • Business$600/month or $500/month billed yearly ($6,000/year)
    • SSO and subpath hosting
    • 10 editor seats
    • Volume discounts available
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Unlimited APIs and custom SDK sizes
    • Priority support and SLAs
    • SDK and MCP migration services
    • Dedicated Slack/Teams channel
as of verify ↗

Stoplight

from $11/moSubscriptionFree tier14-day trial

From $44/month billed annually. Free tier available with 14-day trials on paid plans.

  • FreeFree
    • API editor
    • OpenAPI/JSON schema visual designer
    • Code-based editing
    • Schema reuse
    • Design validation
    • +8 more
  • Basic$44/month (annual), first 3 users free, $11 per additional user/month
    • OpenAPI/JSON schema visual designer
    • Interactive docs
    • Instant mock servers
  • Startup$113/month (annual), first 8 users free, $11 per additional user/month
    • Private projects
    • Multi-branch support
    • Custom domains and theming
    • Google Analytics integration
    • Approved email domains
  • Pro Team$362/month (annual), first 15 users free, $22 per additional user/month
    • Up to 20 teams
    • Shared style guides
    • Workspace groups
    • Remove Stoplight branding
    • Self-hosted Git providers
    • +3 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited projects and teams
    • Custom payment terms
    • Invoicing
    • Priority support
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
Web
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
macOS
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Windows
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Linux
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
CLI
Scalar✓
Stoplight✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Scalar✓
Stoplight✓
Self-hosted
Scalar✓
Stoplight✗
On-premise
Scalar✗
Stoplight✓

Integrations

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

In common (1)
  • GitHub

Scalar

Leader
12 total - 11 not shared
  • Agent
  • FastAPI
  • ASP.NET Core
  • Hono
  • Elysia
  • Hapi
  • Docker
  • Docusaurus
  • Vercel AI SDK
  • OpenAI Agents SDK
  • Anthropic Claude Agent SDK
Independently observed

Stoplight

8 total - 7 not shared
  • GitLab
  • Azure DevOps
  • Bitbucket
  • Google Analytics
  • LDAP
  • SAML
  • Postman
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Scalar or Stoplight: 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.