shouldiuse.io

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VERDICT

Should I use Read the Docs?

Full featured documentation deployment and hosting with versioned docs, automated builds, and search. - readthedocs.com

Depends. Buy it if you're an open-source or Python-centric team that needs free, automated, versioned technical docs. Skip it if you want WYSIWYG editing, polished marketing docs, or private docs without build-tooling overhead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~40 public sources; verified user reviews are sparse (2 G2 reviews), so satisfaction signal is weak.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNot disclosed
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Community

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Commercial plansUp to $250/mo
EnterpriseCustom

Best for

  • Open-source project docs
  • Python/Sphinx-based teams
  • Versioned technical documentation
  • Docs on a zero budget

Not for

  • Non-technical teams wanting a WYSIWYG editor
  • Companies needing private docs on a $0 budget
  • Marketing-style docs needing heavy custom design
  • Anyone unwilling to maintain Sphinx/MkDocs config

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Free tier is open-source only; internal company docs require commercial plans after a 30-day trial.

medium

Sphinx/MkDocs YAML config has a learning curve; expect trial-and-error during initial setup.

low

Free docs display EthicalAds advertising; removing ads requires a paid commercial plan.

low

Top commercial tier reaches $250/mo; Enterprise pricing is custom and undisclosed.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free documentation hosting for open-source projects
  • Commercial plans use flat pricing, not per-seat
  • Full-featured docs deployment with versioned builds
  • 30-day free trial on commercial plans
  • Active open-source project with public changelogs and security handling

Cons

  • Free tier limited to open source; private docs cost money
  • Build configuration issues commonly reported by users
  • Only 2 G2 reviews; little verified user feedback
  • Some projects have migrated away; self-hosting desired

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/06/2026 - 12 sources - security policy and reporting process; two disclosed advisories in 2023, since patched.

official x3review x5security x2news x2
  • Serving arbitrary content on documentation sites (GHSA-mp38-vprc-7hf5), Disclosed Feb 14, 2023 on the repository.
  • Arbitrary write to files from builder server (GHSA-v7x4-rhpg-3p2r), Disclosed Aug 8, 2023 on the repository.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free open-source tier; flat pricing, not per-seat
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Build configuration friction commonly reported
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Versioned builds, search, addons; rivals GitBook and Mintlify
  • Security posture: 3/5. Two disclosed 2023 advisories, patched; public policy
  • 2 G2 reviews Seller profile; rating not shown
  • $0 Starting price Community tier; commercial up to $250/mo
  • Yes Free tier Open-source docs; 30-day commercial trial
  • Bootstrapped Funding Self-funded company, no VC

Pricing

Community

$0

  • Free docs hosting for open-source projects
  • Ad-supported via EthicalAds
  • Public projects only

Commercial plans

Up to $250/mo

  • Private docs, ad-free
  • 30-day free trial
  • Higher build resources

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • Custom pricing and terms

Security

security policy and reporting process; two disclosed advisories in 2023, since patched.

  • Serving arbitrary content on documentation sites (GHSA-mp38-vprc-7hf5)Disclosed Feb 14, 2023 on the repository.⁹
  • Arbitrary write to files from builder server (GHSA-v7x4-rhpg-3p2r)Disclosed Aug 8, 2023 on the repository.10

What users say

User feedback is sparse: open-source users value the free hosting, while some report build-configuration friction and others seek self-hosting.

“Readthedocs is free only”
Reddit, r/webdev

Companies that use it

  • Zcash (documentation)
  • PyCA Cryptography (project docs)
Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources; verified user reviews are sparse (2 G2 reviews), so satisfaction signal is weak.

Free, battle-tested docs hosting for open-source and Python projects; paid plans and Sphinx setup make it overkill for simple docs.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources; verified user reviews are sparse (2 G2 reviews), so satisfaction signal is weak.

Sources

  1. Readthedocs Products | Read 2 Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  2. Challenges with ReadTheDocs - Stack Overflowstackoverflow.com
    review
  3. Free hosted docs for a non-opensource web app - Redditreddit.com
    review
  4. Moving away from readthedocs.io - GitHub issuegithub.com
    review
  5. Read the Docs Plans and Pricingreadthedocs.com
    official
  6. Read the Docs: Full featured documentation deploymentabout.readthedocs.com
    official
  7. Read the Docs vs. Vercel comparisonabout.readthedocs.com
    official
  8. Read the Docs Pricing 2026 - Doklydokly.co
    news
  9. GHSA-mp38-vprc-7hf5 - Security advisorygithub.com
    security
  10. GHSA-v7x4-rhpg-3p2r - Security advisorygithub.com
    security
  11. Read the Docs - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  12. GitBook vs. Read the Docs Comparison - SourceForgesourceforge.net
    review

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