DocFX vs Typemill

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.

Typemill is a lightweight, self-hosted flat-file CMS for creating product documentation, software manuals, user guides, websites, and eBooks from Markdown. It provides both a WYSIWYG-style editor with drag-and-drop blocks and a raw Markdown editor. Content can be arranged in hierarchical navigation, divided into separate projects, and published in multiple languages. Its eBook plugin can generate PDFs and EPUBs, while the same content can also be published as a website. Typemill stores content in Markdown files and configuration in YAML, without requiring a database. Roles include Administrator, Editor, Author, and Member, and access can be restricted to a whole site or individual pages. Plugins and themes extend it; the Kixote connector works with OpenAI-compatible services and Anthropic’s Claude API, including ChatGPT, Claude, Ollama, and LM Studio. The maker says installation requires Apache or Nginx and PHP 8.1 or higher. Community is free; Maker costs $22 a year, billed 22 € + VAT/Year, for one instance and production domain.