ReadMe

ALMOST

A weekend of work, and real gaps remain.

Developer documentation hosting: an API reference generated from an OpenAPI file with a live try-it console, guides alongside it, versioning, and usage metrics on what readers do.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Build me developer docs with a reference generated from OpenAPI and a working try-it console.

STACK
- Astro, content in MDX, deployed as static output behind a CDN
- No CMS: the docs live in the same repository as the API

THE REFERENCE
- Parse the OpenAPI file at build time and generate one page per operation
- Show request schema, response schemas by status code, and every enum value
- Fail the build if an operation has no description or no example — undocumented endpoints do not ship

THE CONSOLE
- A form built from the schema, posting through a small proxy on your own domain
- The proxy injects the reader's key from a header they paste, and never logs the body
- CORS and rate limits documented; refuse requests to anything but the declared server list

GUIDES
- MDX with a shared component set: callouts, tabs for languages, and code blocks with copy
- Every code sample compiled or linted in CI, so an example that no longer runs breaks the build

VERSIONS
- One directory per version, a stable /v2/... URL space, and a banner on anything but the latest
- Redirect the bare path to the newest version

SEARCH
- Client-side index built at build time; no hosted search service

Include a README on the OpenAPI lint rules, the proxy's safety rules and how to cut a new version.

What you lose

An API reference generated from OpenAPI with a try-it console that actually calls the API
Per-user API keys injected into the examples, so a reader can run them signed in
Versioned documentation with a stable URL per version
Metrics showing which endpoints developers read before they fail
A support inbox attached to the docs, in context

If you would rather not build

Starlight — open-source docs theme for Astro
Mintlify — paid, closest competitor, faster to start

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Docusaurus

Documentation site generator with versioning, search and Markdown pages.

facebook/docusaurusfree · open source

Scalar

API reference and try-it console generated from an OpenAPI document.

scalar/scalarfree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

50/100

Verdict kinda at 50: generating the reference and linting the examples in CI is a weekend and is genuinely better than a hosted product, because the docs cannot drift from the code. The try-it console with per-user keys is the piece that takes real care.

History

tracked since 9 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about ReadMe

answered from the record above

Is ReadMe free?

No — the plan we track is $99 a month. Startup at $99/month billed monthly for a small number of admins; Business and Enterprise add SSO and versioning at much higher rates.

Can you replace ReadMe by building your own?

ALMOST. A weekend of work, and real gaps remain. Replacement score 50 out of 100, build time a weekend. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does ReadMe cost?

$99 a month on Startup — $1,188 a year. Recorded 9 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing ReadMe?

An API reference generated from OpenAPI with a try-it console that actually calls the API; Per-user API keys injected into the examples, so a reader can run them signed in; Versioned documentation with a stable URL per version; Metrics showing which endpoints developers read before they fail; A support inbox attached to the docs, in context. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to ReadMe?

Yes: Docusaurus, Scalar. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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