Docusaurus vs Fern
Docusaurus
docusaurus.ioFern
buildwithfern.comSide by side
| Figure | Docusaurus | Fern |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Technical Documentation Software | 8.1 (#15) | 8.8 (#3) |
| Spec score · Developer Documentation Software | 8.0 (#14) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Spec score · Technical Writing Platforms | 8.1 (#14) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Spec score · Knowledge base software | 7.7 (#101) | 8.8 (#17) |
| Publishing audience | public | both |
| Content analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Version history | Yes | Yes |
| What it does | Docusaurus is a static-site generator that builds a React single-page application and includes features for documentation sites. | Fern turns API definitions and Markdown into hosted documentation sites, SDKs, and command-line tools. |
Plans
In their own words
Docusaurus
Docusaurus is a free static-site generator that builds React single-page applications, with features aimed at documentation sites. Authors write documentation and blog posts in Markdown or MDX and can embed React components in Markdown. Versioning keeps documents aligned with project releases, while localization is built in and translation can use Git, Crowdin or another manager. Search choices include Algolia DocSearch, Typesense DocSearch, local search and custom SearchBar components; Algolia is the official option, and its DocSearch is free for eligible developer documentation or technical blogs. React components, plugins and theme customizations extend sites. Docusaurus generates static files for hosting on GitHub Pages, Vercel, Netlify or other static hosting. It can also power personal websites, product sites, blogs and marketing landing pages. Installation requires Node.js 20.0 or above. The listed platforms are self-hosted and web, with custom domains, version history and content analytics available. Docusaurus v2 and later do not support Internet Explorer 11. Help channels include Stack Overflow, GitHub, Discord and X.