Antora vs Read the Docs
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Antora
Multi-repository documentation site generator
VS
Read the Docs
Documentation hosting platform you can self-host
| Feature | Antora | Read the Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 8,373 |
| First released | 2017 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | GitBook, Confluence |
Why pick each one
Choose Read the Docs if…
- Great for versioned project docs
- Automated build pipeline
Frequently asked questions
Is Antora or Read the Docs better?
Neither is universally better. Read the Docs has the larger community, while Antora is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Antora and Read the Docs free and open-source?
Yes. Antora is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Read the Docs under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Antora and Read the Docs with Docker?
Antora: check the project docs for container support. Read the Docs: yes.