---
title: "Read the Docs Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "Read the Docs review: Docs & Developer Portals tool — Free tier, plans, pros & cons, and the best Read the Docs alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/readthedocs
retrieved: 2026-09-11
---

R

[Docs & Developer Portals](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/documentation)Free tier

# Read the Docs: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

Read the Docs has hosted open-source Python documentation for over a decade, and the model has not changed: connect a repo, it builds your Sphinx or MkDocs site on every push, keeps a version per branch or tag, and indexes everything for search. The community tier is free forever for public projects and ad-supported. The commercial plans, from $50/month, add private repositories, authentication in front of the docs and custom domains.

Category

Docs & Developer Portals

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

Docs & Developer Portals — sphinx, mkdocs

[Visit Read the Docs official site](https://about.readthedocs.com/)

## Read the Docs Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan         | Price               | Highlights                                                                 |
| ------------ | ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Community    | $0                  | Free forever for open source · Public documentation · Ad-supported hosting |
| BasicPopular | $50 / month         | Private repositories · 2 concurrent builds · 5 custom domains              |
| Advanced     | $150 / month        | 4 concurrent builds · 250 redirects · 2-day support response               |
| Pro          | $250 / month        | 6 concurrent builds · 15 custom domains · 1-day support response           |
| Enterprise   | From $10,000 / year | SAML SSO · Dedicated builders · Advanced audit tracking                    |

Pricing summary: Free · paid from $50/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

## Key Read the Docs Features

* ✓Private repositories
* ✓2 concurrent builds
* ✓5 custom domains
* ✓3-day support response

### ✓ Pros

* +Free forever for open source
* +Versioned docs per branch or tag
* +Builds automatically from your repo
* +Works with Sphinx and MkDocs

### ✗ Cons

* −Docs must be Sphinx or MkDocs
* −Community tier shows ads
* −Dated next to Mintlify or Scalar

## Best Read the Docs Alternatives

[Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/readthedocs)

[![Docusaurus logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/docusaurus.ico)DocusaurusFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/docusaurus)[![Mintlify logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/mintlify.ico)MintlifyFree · paid from $450/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/mintlify)[![GitBook logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/gitbook.png)GitBookFree · paid from $65/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/gitbook)[![ReadMe logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/readme.ico)ReadMeFree · paid from $250/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/readme)[AArchbeeFrom $80/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/archbee)[![Redocly logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/redocly.ico)RedoclyFrom $10/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/redocly)

## Read the Docs Compared

[Read the Docs vs Docusaurus](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/docusaurus-vs-readthedocs)[Read the Docs vs Mintlify](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/mintlify-vs-readthedocs)[Read the Docs vs Archbee](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/archbee-vs-readthedocs)[Read the Docs vs GitBook](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/gitbook-vs-readthedocs)[Read the Docs vs ReadMe](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/readme-vs-readthedocs)[Read the Docs vs Redocly](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/readthedocs-vs-redocly)

## Read the Docs FAQ

What is Read the Docs used for?⌄

Read the Docs is a docs & developer portals tool. The long-standing host for Sphinx and MkDocs documentation — builds from your repo on every commit, with versioning and full-text search built in.

Is Read the Docs free?⌄

Yes — Read the Docs has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does Read the Docs cost?⌄

Read the Docs offers a free tier, with paid plans starting at $50/month. Some plans are usage-based (pay-as-you-go).

What are the best Read the Docs alternatives?⌄

Popular Read the Docs alternatives include Docusaurus, Mintlify, GitBook, ReadMe, Archbee. Compare pricing and features on our Read the Docs alternatives page.

## Not sure if Read the Docs fits your stack?

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[Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/)