Docco vs MkDocs

Struggling to choose between Docco and MkDocs? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Docco is a Development solution with tags like documentation, generator, literate-programming.

It boasts features such as Generates documentation from comments in source code, Supports multiple languages like JavaScript, CoffeeScript, Ruby, Python, etc, Generates HTML output that displays comments alongside code, Lightweight and simple implementation (~100 lines of code), Open source and free to use and pros including Quick and easy way to generate documentation, Keeps documentation alongside code, Lightweight and simple to add to projects, Supports annotating code in multiple languages, Open source with MIT license.

On the other hand, MkDocs is a Development product tagged with markdown, documentation, static-site-generator.

Its standout features include Static site generator optimized for building project documentation, Markdown support for writing content, Built-in search functionality, Theming support to customize look and feel, Multi-page navigation sidebar, Pre-built deployment to various hosting platforms, and it shines with pros like Fast and simple to get started, Markdown is easy to write and read, Great looking default theme, Active development and community support.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Docco

Docco

Docco is a quick-and-dirty, hundred-line-long, literate-programming-style documentation generator. It produces HTML that displays your comments alongside your code.

Categories:
documentation generator literate-programming

Docco Features

  1. Generates documentation from comments in source code
  2. Supports multiple languages like JavaScript, CoffeeScript, Ruby, Python, etc
  3. Generates HTML output that displays comments alongside code
  4. Lightweight and simple implementation (~100 lines of code)
  5. Open source and free to use

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Quick and easy way to generate documentation

Keeps documentation alongside code

Lightweight and simple to add to projects

Supports annotating code in multiple languages

Open source with MIT license

Cons

Limited formatting options for docs

Not suitable for large, complex documentation

HTML output only (no PDF, etc)

No built-in hosting or publishing options

Minimal configuration options


MkDocs

MkDocs

MkDocs is a fast, simple and downright gorgeous static site generator that's geared towards building project documentation. Documentation source files are written in Markdown, and configured with a single YAML configuration file.

Categories:
markdown documentation static-site-generator

MkDocs Features

  1. Static site generator optimized for building project documentation
  2. Markdown support for writing content
  3. Built-in search functionality
  4. Theming support to customize look and feel
  5. Multi-page navigation sidebar
  6. Pre-built deployment to various hosting platforms

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Fast and simple to get started

Markdown is easy to write and read

Great looking default theme

Active development and community support

Cons

Limited customization compared to more complex solutions

Not ideal for large documentation sets

Only supports Markdown (no reStructuredText, etc)