shouldiuse.io

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VERDICT

Should I use Read the Docs?

Documentation simplified - readthedocs.org

Depends. Buy if your docs live in Git and your team can debug a build; the free community tier is excellent for open source and Sphinx projects. Skip it if you want WYSIWYG editing or a knowledge base for non-technical staff — GitHub Pages, Notion, or Document360 fit better.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources: official docs, G2, Stack Overflow, Reddit, GitHub advisories.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo reliable evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Community

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Business30-day free trial, then subscription
EnterpriseCustom

Best for

  • Python and Sphinx projects
  • Open source maintainers
  • API reference docs
  • Docs-as-code teams

Not for

  • Non-technical writers wanting WYSIWYG editing
  • Marketing or HR knowledge bases — use Notion or Confluence
  • One-page or five-page docs — overkill
  • Teams unwilling to debug failed builds

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

No public pricing numbers in reviewed sources; trial then paid subscription

medium

Webhook setup with GitHub fails for some users

medium

Docs-as-code learning curve; migrations from WYSIWYG tools mean rewriting

low

Community docs are ad-supported; EthicalAds monetizes your traffic

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, ad-supported hosting for public docs
  • Docs-as-code: builds from your repo, review rendered output
  • Full-featured docs deployment platform
  • Commercial product established since 2014

Cons

  • Setup challenges reported; build troubleshooting needed
  • Navigation widely criticized in newer builds
  • GitHub webhook integration failures reported
  • Private docs require paid Business plan
  • Sparse mainstream reviews: only 2 on G2 seller page

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 14 sources - No breaches reported; two patched GitHub advisories plus one XSS in a companion Sphinx extension.

official x3review x4security x3news x4
  • Write access to projects via API V2, GitHub security advisory on Read the Docs disclosed May 30, 2023.
  • Cross-site scripting in Read the Docs for Business, GitHub security advisory disclosed Oct 29, 2024.
  • XSS in readthedocs-sphinx-search, Medium-severity vulnerability in companion Sphinx search package, Jan 17, 2024.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free community tier; paid plans only for private docs
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Build and navigation friction reported by users
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Full-featured docs deployment with versioning and builds
  • Support quality. No reliable evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture: 3/5. Two patched advisories; published security policy exists
  • 317 Companies using tracked by TheirStack
  • Yes Free community tier public docs, ad-supported
  • 30 days Business trial commercial plans, then subscription
  • Bootstrapped Funding self-funded company

Pricing

Community

Free

  • Public docs hosting
  • Ad-supported via EthicalAds

Business

30-day free trial, then subscription

  • Private documentation
  • Commercial support options

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • Custom plans
  • Enterprise pricing page

Security

No breaches reported; two patched GitHub advisories plus one XSS in a companion Sphinx extension.

  • Write access to projects via API V2GitHub security advisory on Read the Docs disclosed May 30, 2023.⁸
  • Cross-site scripting in Read the Docs for BusinessGitHub security advisory disclosed Oct 29, 2024.⁹
  • XSS in readthedocs-sphinx-searchMedium-severity vulnerability in companion Sphinx search package, Jan 17, 2024.10

What users say

Open-source users value the free hosting, but posts cite build, webhook, and navigation friction.

“Very poor navigation in new readthedocs builds”
GitHub, jupyter/notebook issue
“Challenges with ReadTheDocs”
Stack Overflow

Companies that use it

  • ASReview LAB
  • Carbon Black (cloud SDK docs)
  • Jupyter⁶
  • VIVO
Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources: official docs, G2, Stack Overflow, Reddit, GitHub advisories.

Best free docs hosting for code-first teams; a build-heavy mismatch for non-technical writers.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources: official docs, G2, Stack Overflow, Reddit, GitHub advisories.

Sources

  1. Read the Docs: Full featured documentation deploymentabout.readthedocs.com
    official
  2. Plans and pricingreadthedocs.com
    official
  3. About Read the Docs (bootstrapped company)docs.readthedocs.com
    official
  4. Readthedocs Products on G2g2.com
    review
  5. Challenges with ReadTheDocs — Stack Overflowstackoverflow.com
    review
  6. Very poor navigation in new readthedocs builds — GitHubgithub.com
    review
  7. Alternatives to Read the Docs — Reddit r/Pythonreddit.com
    review
  8. GHSA-rqfv-8rrx-prmh: API V2 write access advisorygithub.com
    security
  9. GHSA-v4vm-q9fw-x237: XSS in Read the Docs for Businessgithub.com
    security
  10. XSS in readthedocs-sphinx-search — Snyksecurity.snyk.io
    security
  11. Read the Docs Uses EthicalAdsethicalads.io
    news
  12. Read the Docs — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  13. Companies that use Read the Docs (317) — TheirStacktheirstack.com
    news
  14. Announcing Read the Docs for Business (2014)ericholscher.com
    news

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