Read The Docs vs GitBook

Struggling to choose between Read The Docs and GitBook? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Read The Docs is a Development solution with tags like documentation, sphinx, mkdocs, python, open-source.

It boasts features such as Continuous integration for documentation, Web hosting for documentation, Version control for documentation, Search across documentation, Support for Sphinx, MkDocs and other static site generators and pros including Free and open source, Easy to set up, Integrates seamlessly with GitHub, Bitbucket etc, Large community support, Good documentation and tutorials available.

On the other hand, GitBook is a Development product tagged with git, version-control, docs, markdown.

Its standout features include Markdown based content creation, Real-time collaboration, Version control integration, Multi-platform publishing, Theming and customization, Access controls and permissions, SEO optimization, Analytics and insights, and it shines with pros like Easy to use Markdown editor, Great for technical documentation, Integrates with GitHub and GitLab, Produces professional looking books, Good collaboration features, Lots of themes and customization options, Free and open source.

Feature	Read The Docs	GitBook
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

Read The Docs

Description: Read The Docs is a free and open-source tool created in Python to help developers easily build documentation for software projects using Sphinx, MkDocs and other static site generators. It provides continuous integration, web hosting for documentation, versioning and search functionality.

GitBook

Description: GitBook is an open source web-based platform for writing and hosting documentation and books with Markdown. It allows teams to collaboratively edit documentation in real time and publish formatted books.

Key Features Comparison

Read The Docs Features

• Continuous integration for documentation
• Web hosting for documentation
• Version control for documentation
• Search across documentation
• Support for Sphinx, MkDocs and other static site generators

GitBook Features

• Markdown based content creation
• Real-time collaboration
• Version control integration
• Multi-platform publishing
• Theming and customization
• Access controls and permissions
• SEO optimization
• Analytics and insights

Pros & Cons Analysis

Read The Docs

Pros

• Free and open source
• Easy to set up
• Integrates seamlessly with GitHub, Bitbucket etc
• Large community support
• Good documentation and tutorials available

Cons

• Limited customization compared to self-hosted options
• No native WYSIWYG editor
• Search can be slow for large documentation sets

GitBook

Pros

• Easy to use Markdown editor
• Great for technical documentation
• Integrates with GitHub and GitLab
• Produces professional looking books
• Good collaboration features
• Lots of themes and customization options
• Free and open source

Cons

• Limited custom JavaScript/CSS options
• Not ideal for long form publishing
• Lacks some advanced publishing features
• Analytics and insights are limited
• Collaboration requires signup and permissions

Pricing Comparison

Read The Docs

• Free
• Open Source

GitBook

• Freemium
• Open Source