# Docup vs Read the Docs

How Docup and Read the Docs compare: docs written from your repository versus hosting for docs you build, and what each costs for open source.

On this page

- The short version
- What Read the Docs says it offers
- Where Docup fits
- Where Read the Docs may fit better
- Frequently asked questions
- Where this information comes from
- Keep reading

## The short version

Read the Docs builds and hosts documentation that you write and configure with a documentation tool. Docup starts one step earlier: it reads your GitHub repository, writes the pages, and hosts the result, then updates the pages a code change affects.

What we say about Read the Docs comes from its pricing page on November 5, 2026. It can change, so check about.readthedocs.com for the current details.

## What Read the Docs says it offers

- A Community plan that is free for open-source software, for public repositories and public docs, supported by ads.
- Business plans for private repositories and private docs: Basic at $50 per month, Advanced at $150 and Pro at $250, with Enterprise from $10,000 per year.
- Automatic builds, versioning, search, pull request previews and CDN hosting.

## Where Docup fits

- You have a repository and little documentation, and want a reviewed first draft instead of writing every page.
- You want pages updated only when their source files change, with hand edits protected by suggestions.
- You want the site hosted without setting up a documentation tool and a build.
- You want to pay nothing during early access, for public or private repositories. Docup is still young.

## Where Read the Docs may fit better

- You already write docs with a tool such as Sphinx or MkDocs and only need hosting for them.
- You need versioned docs built from many branches and tags, or pull request previews, which Read the Docs lists on its pricing page.
- You want a mature, widely used service. Docup is in early access.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is Docup an alternative to Read the Docs?**: If you want the documentation written from your code and hosted for you, yes. If you already have docs in a documentation tool and need them hosted and versioned, Read the Docs is built for that.

**Is Read the Docs free?**: Its pricing page lists a Community plan as free for open-source software, supported by ads, and paid Business plans for private docs. Check about.readthedocs.com for current terms.

**Is Docup free?**: Docup is free while it is in early access. Plans will be announced well before anything is charged.

## Where this information comes from

The facts about the other product were read from its official pages on November 5, 2026. They can change, so check the sources for the current details: [Read the Docs pricing](https://about.readthedocs.com/pricing/). Tell us at [hello@docup.dev](mailto:hello@docup.dev) if something here is out of date.

## Keep reading

- [Free Docs Hosting for Open Source Projects](https://docup.dev/guides/free-docs-hosting-for-open-source)
- [Docup vs Docusaurus](https://docup.dev/compare/docusaurus)
- [GitHub Documentation Generator](https://docup.dev/guides/github-documentation-generator)

Last updated November 5, 2026