# Read the Docs vs Starlight

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Read the Docs

| Attribute | Read the Docs | Starlight |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 65 (51% (medium)) | 59.5 (77% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 44 | 38 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 35 |
| adoption.github_stars | 8,377 | 9,131 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 845,041 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A managed documentation platform that connects to Git repositories to automatically build, preview, and host documentation. Handles infrastructure for builds, search, versioning, and authentication so teams can focus on writing documentation. | An open-source documentation platform that provides built-in navigation, search, internationalization, and dark mode. Supports Markdown, Markdoc, and MDX authoring with extensibility via React, Vue, Svelte, and Solid components. |
| features.capabilities | `{"kind":"hosted_build","engine":"Sphinx, MkDocs, Docusaurus, and others","search":"built_in","git_sync":true,"analytics":true,"versioning":true,"hosted_offering":true}` | `{"i18n":true,"kind":"static_generator","engine":"Astro","search":"built_in","themeable":true,"self_hostable":true}` |
| integrations.count | 7 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitLab"},{"name":"Bitbucket"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Sphinx"},{"name":"MkDocs"},{"name":"Docusaurus"}]` | `[{"name":"React"},{"name":"Vue"},{"name":"Svelte"},{"name":"Solid"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Community","summary":"Free for open source","features":["Clone public repositories","Public documentation","Ads-supported hosting","Automatic builds","Versioning","Search","Pull request previews","CDN hosting"],"description":"For open source and community projects","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$50/month","features":["2 concurrent builds","Shared domain","SSO with GitHub and GitLab","50 redirects","Pageview analytics (30 days)","Search analytics (30 days)","Authentication auditing (30 days)","Private repository support","Documentation authentication","Email support (3 business days)","Automatic builds","Versioning","Search","Pull request previews","CDN hosting"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small teams getting started with private docs","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"redirects":"50","custom_domains":"1","concurrent_builds":"2","analytics_retention":"30 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Advanced","summary":"$150/month","features":["4 concurrent builds","5 custom domains","SSO with GitHub and GitLab","250 redirects","Pageview analytics (90 days)","Search analytics (90 days)","Authentication auditing (90 days)","Private repository support","Documentation authentication","Email support (2 business days)","Automatic builds","Versioning","Search","Pull request previews","CDN hosting"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":150,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For hosting public docs at your own domain","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"redirects":"250","custom_domains":"5","concurrent_builds":"4","analytics_retention":"90 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$250/month","features":["6 concurrent builds","15 custom domains","SSO with Google","500 redirects","Pageview analytics (90 days)","Search analytics (90 days)","Authentication auditing (90 days)","Private repository support","Documentation authentication","Email support (1 business day)","Automatic builds","Versioning","Search","Pull request previews","CDN hosting"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For organizations with scale and security needs","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"redirects":"500","custom_domains":"15","concurrent_builds":"6","analytics_retention":"90 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"From $10k/year","features":["SAML SSO","Dedicated builders","Advanced audit tracking","Support SLA"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":10000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For organizations with custom requirements","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From $50/month. Free tier for open source. 30-day trial available. Annual billing and purchase orders supported.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://readthedocs.org/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:27:45.147Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | commercial | - |
| pricing.price_level | mid | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 6 | 5 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.08.26","date":"2026-08-26T14:54:05Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.08.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.08.18","date":"2026-08-18T15:07:27Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.08.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.08.11","date":"2026-08-11T16:05:45Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.08.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.08.04","date":"2026-08-04T16:49:45Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.08.04"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.07.28","date":"2026-07-28T14:55:41Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.07.28"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.07.21","date":"2026-07-21T16:14:39Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.07.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.07.07","date":"2026-07-07T16:14:18Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.07.07"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.07.01","date":"2026-07-01T19:16:11Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.07.01"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.06.30","date":"2026-06-30T12:19:59Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.30"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.06.23","date":"2026-06-23T15:59:57Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.06.16","date":"2026-06-16T14:56:53Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.06.09","date":"2026-06-09T13:12:30Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.09"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.06.02post1","date":"2026-06-02T17:19:50Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.02post1"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.06.02","date":"2026-06-02T15:45:02Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.02"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.05.26","date":"2026-05-26T16:05:37Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.05.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.05.05","date":"2026-05-05T15:55:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.05.05"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.04.29","date":"2026-04-29T14:19:09Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.04.29"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.04.21","date":"2026-04-21T16:07:26Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.04.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.04.14","date":"2026-04-14T08:18:34Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.04.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/releases/tag/2026.04.07","date":"2026-04-07T09:53:51Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.04.07"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.9","date":"2026-08-25T17:23:04Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.8","date":"2026-08-24T16:56:44Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.7","date":"2026-08-05T10:18:34Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.6","date":"2026-07-31T19:55:11Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.5","date":"2026-07-28T07:55:30Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.4","date":"2026-07-22T14:16:32Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.3","date":"2026-07-03T20:20:31Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.2","date":"2026-07-01T11:32:49Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.1","date":"2026-06-25T12:49:53Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.41.0","date":"2026-06-23T19:21:49Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.41.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight-markdoc%400.7.0","date":"2026-06-23T19:21:47Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight-markdoc@0.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.40.0","date":"2026-06-09T17:33:05Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.40.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.39.3","date":"2026-06-02T11:41:05Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.39.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.39.2","date":"2026-05-08T16:50:52Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.39.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.39.1","date":"2026-05-07T18:08:34Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.39.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.39.0","date":"2026-05-07T09:08:14Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.39.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.38.5","date":"2026-05-05T18:20:23Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.38.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.38.4","date":"2026-04-23T13:29:39Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.38.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.38.3","date":"2026-04-07T13:08:22Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.38.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/withastro/starlight/releases/tag/%40astrojs/starlight%400.38.2","date":"2026-03-20T18:00:14Z","type":"stable","version":"@astrojs/starlight@0.38.2"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 7.5 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40astrojs%2Fstarlight&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Documentation Tools)

| Capability | Read the Docs | Starlight |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool kind | Hosted build service | Static-site generator |
| Engine / language | Sphinx, MkDocs, Docusaurus, and others | Astro |
| **Authoring** |  |  |
| Authoring format | - | - |
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:15:17.382Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*