Redoc vs Scalar
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Redoc
Generate clean API documentation from OpenAPI definitions
VS
Scalar
Modern OpenAPI documentation and API reference
| Feature | Redoc | Scalar |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 25,853 | ★ 15,865 |
| First released | 2016 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Stoplight, ReadMe | Stoplight, ReadMe |
Why pick each one
Choose Redoc if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 25.9k GitHub stars
Choose Scalar if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 15.9k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Redoc or Scalar better?
Neither is universally better. Redoc has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Redoc and Scalar free and open-source?
Yes. Redoc is licensed under MIT and Scalar under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Redoc and Scalar with Docker?
Redoc: yes. Scalar: yes.