- Public docs, API reference or internal wiki?
- Ten documentation tools compared
- Hosted platforms for product and API docs
- Open-source generators and self-hosted wikis
- Knowledge bases for your own staff
- What each platform is best at
- My advice before you commit
- Moving pages without breaking them
- Frequently asked questions
Choose a docs replacement by the job your site does: public product documentation, an API reference with try-it panels, or an internal wiki for staff. They're easy to confuse and hard to swap later. Self-hosted options are free to run but take your own time for upgrades and backups, so weigh that before you migrate anything.
Founders, developer relations teams and support leads all end up looking for a GitBook replacement, and they're rarely after the same thing. A founder wants docs that make the product look credible, DevRel wants an API reference developers enjoy, and support wants answers customers can find without opening a ticket. Here are ten options, in no particular order, grouped around those three jobs.
Public docs, API reference or internal wiki?
Docs tools split into three jobs that look alike from a distance. Public product documentation explains how to use what you sell, with guides, screenshots and search. API reference lists every endpoint and often lets developers try a call from the page. An internal wiki holds specs, processes and onboarding notes that only staff should see.
A tool that's brilliant at one can be clumsy at another. Internal wikis rarely make polished public sites, and public docs platforms often make awkward wikis. Decide which job matters most and treat the others as a bonus.
Ten documentation tools compared
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Archbee | Knowledge portals | Easy-to-search knowledge portals for customers |
| BookStack | Self-hosted wiki | Organising and storing information on your own server |
| Confluence | Team workspace | Internal knowledge and collaboration across teams |
| Document360 | AI knowledge base | Knowledge bases with AI search and a chatbot |
| Docusaurus | Open-source docs generator | Building a docs website in React |
| Helpjuice | Knowledge base software | Support and internal knowledge bases |
| Mintlify | AI-era docs platform | Product docs written for people and AI agents |
| Outline | Team knowledge base | Internal specs, onboarding and support answers |
| ReadMe | Interactive API docs | Interactive API reference for developers |
| Wiki.js | Self-hosted wiki | A self-hosted wiki that can grow with contributors |
Hosted platforms for product and API docs
Mintlify is a documentation platform for startups, enterprises and AI agents, and the vendor's headline is self-updating documentation. ReadMe focuses on interactive API documentation, so it's the one to look at if your reference matters more than your guides. Archbee builds knowledge portals that are easy to navigate, search and share.
Two more lean towards support. Document360 is knowledge base software with AI search, an AI chatbot and writing tools. Helpjuice is knowledge base software for support and internal knowledge. Both suit teams whose readers are customers looking for answers, rather than developers reading code samples.
Open-source generators and self-hosted wikis
Docusaurus is an optimised site generator in React for documentation websites, blogs and more. Your docs live as files in a repository, which developers often like because docs changes go through the same review as code.
For internal knowledge you host yourself, BookStack is a simple, self-hosted platform for organising and storing information, and it's MIT licensed. Wiki.js is a self-hosted, open-source wiki under the AGPL licence.
Free to self-host isn't the same as free to run. Somebody has to apply upgrades, take backups and fix the server when it falls over, so count your own team's time honestly.
Knowledge bases for your own staff
Two tools are aimed squarely at internal knowledge. Confluence is Atlassian's team workspace for creating and sharing knowledge, with AI to draft, summarise and find answers. The other is an open-source team knowledge base and wiki for specs, support answers and onboarding, and it also comes as a hosted service with a free trial.
What each platform is best at
Archbee
Best for: Teams building knowledge portals that are easy to navigate, search and share, which the vendor says turn static docs into instant answers.
BookStack
Best for: Small organisations wanting a simple, self-hosted platform for organising and storing information that's fully free and MIT licensed.
Confluence
Best for: Companies already on Atlassian who want a team workspace for creating and sharing knowledge, with AI to draft, summarise and find answers.
Document360
Best for: Support and product teams after knowledge base software with AI search, an AI chatbot and writing tools built in.
Docusaurus
Best for: Developer teams happy in React who want an optimised site generator for documentation websites, blogs and more, kept in their own repository.
Helpjuice
Best for: Customer support leads who want dedicated knowledge base software for support answers and internal knowledge.
Mintlify
Best for: Startups and enterprises wanting a documentation platform built with agents in mind, with what the vendor calls self-updating documentation.
Outline
Best for: Teams needing an open-source knowledge base and wiki for internal documentation, specs, support answers and onboarding, with a hosted option too.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
ReadMe
Best for: API companies that want interactive API documentation, so developers can read the reference and try calls in one place.
Wiki.js
Best for: Groups who want a free, AGPL-licensed, self-hosted wiki that the vendor says scales from a side project to a large contributor base.
My advice before you commit
Pick the platform for your most important reader, not for the longest feature list. If developers are your audience, look hardest at the API reference and repository-based options. If customers are, a support knowledge base will serve them better. If it's your own staff, choose a wiki and stop worrying about public polish.
Be realistic about self-hosting. It's an excellent fit for teams with an engineer who enjoys running servers, and a poor fit for a founder who'd rather not think about backups. Either is fine, as long as you choose it on purpose.
If a knowledge base for customers is your main job, my guide to knowledge base software and my list of knowledge base alternatives go further. For more docs platforms built around AI, see my round-up of AI docs platform alternatives.
Moving pages without breaking them
Before you migrate a whole docs site, publish one real page in each of your shortlisted tools. Choose a page with a code block and a screenshot, because those are where formatting breaks first. Check how it looks on a phone, how search finds it and whether a colleague can edit it without help.
Then list every URL on your current docs and plan where each one goes. Old links live in support replies, forum posts and other people's tutorials, so redirect every old address to its new home. Lose those links and you quietly lose readers for months.
Finally, move in sections rather than all at once. Start with the pages people visit most, check them, then bring the rest across.
Do you make documentation or knowledge base software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between docs and a knowledge base?
Product docs explain how to use your product, often with guides and API reference. A knowledge base usually answers support questions customers search for. Many tools do some of both, but each leans one way.
Is a static site generator good for documentation?
It's a strong fit for developer teams, because docs live as files in the same repository as the code and go through the same reviews. It's less friendly for non-technical writers.
Are self-hosted wikis free?
The software can be free and open source, but you'll still need a server, backups and time for upgrades. Count that time before you choose.
How do I keep links working when I change docs platforms?
Export a list of every current URL, map each one to its new address and set up redirects before you switch. Then check your most visited pages by hand.
Should API reference and guides live in the same tool?
It's simpler for readers when they do, because search and navigation cover both. If your API reference needs interactive try-it panels, make sure the tool you pick supports them.
