DocFX vs TechWriter for Databases
DocFX
dotnet.github.ioTechWriter for Databases
techwriter.meSide by side
| Figure | DocFX | TechWriter for Databases |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Documentation Generators | 8.2 (#6) | 7.6 (#20) |
| Purpose | DocFX builds technical documentation sites from .NET assemblies, XML code comments, REST API Swagger files, and Markdown. | TechWriter for Databases uses database information to automatically produce reference documentation. |
| Support | The DocFX project is listed as supported by the .NET Foundation. | The maker lists support requests, product updates and online documentation, with the first 12 months of support included with a license purchase. |
Plans
TechWriter for Databases
- TechWriter for Databases$179, paid once
- TechWriter Complete subscription license$49 a month
In their own words
DocFX
DocFX is a free static site generator for technical documentation. It builds documentation from .NET assemblies, XML code comments, REST API Swagger files and Markdown, and can produce rendered HTML pages, JSON models or PDFs. Static HTML output is placed in the `_site` folder for publication to hosting services such as GitHub Pages. DocFX can also be used as a NuGet library through the `Docfx.App` package and .NET APIs. It parses CommonMark-compliant Markdown with Markdig and supports additional extensions. Built-in templates include a modern option with dark mode and customization settings; users can also customize templates with CSS, JavaScript, Mustache templates and metadata. DocFX can generate git links for GitHub, GitLab, Azure Pipelines, AppVeyor, TeamCity and Jenkins. It requires .NET SDK 8.0 or higher. Node.js v20 or higher is optional generally, but required to create PDFs. Native reference documentation generation covers .NET and REST APIs; other languages need a custom API docs converter. PlantUML diagrams use a remote server by default, with local rendering available as a setting.
TechWriter for Databases
TechWriter for Databases has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.