shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Redocly?

API documentation: OpenAPI reference docs, linting, developer portals, AI docs review - redocly.com

Depends. Buy if you run many APIs and want strict OpenAPI docs-as-code with linting and portals at $10/seat. Skip it for one small API — free Redoc or Scalar already covers that.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 18 public sources; many snippets truncated, limiting verbatim user quotes.

Ratings

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

Pricing

$0

Open source

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Paid$10/seat/mo
EnterpriseCustom

Best for

  • API-first teams with OpenAPI specs
  • Docs-as-code CI workflows
  • Multi-API enterprise developer portals
  • Teams needing docs linting at scale

Not for

  • Teams with one small API — free Redoc or Scalar suffices
  • Non-OpenAPI or spec-less documentation needs
  • Buyers wanting generic product docs, not API reference
  • Budget-sensitive startups needing only hosted docs

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

CLI RCE CVE-2026-63325: pin and update CLI versions used in CI pipelines

medium

Per-seat model counts every contributor; comparisons flag climbing costs at enterprise headcount

low

Hosted Premium features are gated separately from the open-source CLI and Redoc

low

Competitors (Mintlify, Scalar, Bump) actively court Redocly users; switching is a stated option

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open-source Redoc renderer and CLI are free and widely adopted
  • Low $10/seat/mo entry price reported by reviewers
  • Full toolchain: linting, validation, bundling, reference docs
  • AI Reviewer verifies docs PRs with instant, context-aware review
  • Named enterprise customers including Brex

Cons

  • Two Redocly CLI CVEs disclosed September 2026, including remote code execution
  • Enterprise seat costs flagged as concern in 2026 comparisons
  • Reddit users actively hunt cheaper Redocly alternatives
  • Premium features gated behind paid tiers, not open-source tools
  • Heavier suite than simple renderers; Scalar positioned as lighter modern pick

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/26/2026 - 18 sources - Two Redocly CLI CVEs disclosed Sep 2026 (RCE, path traversal); vendor publishes security policy and compliance reports.

official x5review x7security x4news x2
  • CVE-2026-63325 — Redocly CLI RCE, Remote code execution via crafted $faker value in Arazzo documents.
  • CVE-2026-63225 — Redocly CLI path traversal, Path traversal vulnerability in Redocly CLI disclosed September 2026.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 18

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. $10/seat/mo is cheap; enterprise costs questioned
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Case studies and tutorials praise authoring workflow
  • Feature depth: 4/5. CLI, linting, portals, AI reviewer, visual reference
  • Support quality. No evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture: 2/5. Two CLI CVEs incl. RCE, Sep 2026
  • $10/seat/mo Starting price per third-party reviews
  • Yes Free tier Open-source Redoc/CLI + 30-day trial
  • ~101 companies Detected customers 37 by Bloomberry, 101 by TheirStack
  • 2 Recent CVEs Redocly CLI, Sep 2026

Pricing

Open source

$0

  • Redoc reference renderer
  • CLI lint/validate/bundle

Paid

$10/seat/mo

  • Hosted projects
  • Seat-based collaboration

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • Compliance reports
  • Org access controls

Security

Two Redocly CLI CVEs disclosed Sep 2026 (RCE, path traversal); vendor publishes security policy and compliance reports.

  • CVE-2026-63325 — Redocly CLI RCERemote code execution via crafted $faker value in Arazzo documents.14
  • CVE-2026-63225 — Redocly CLI path traversalPath traversal vulnerability in Redocly CLI disclosed September 2026.15

What users say

Reddit and review threads treat Redocly as a credible OpenAPI docs choice, while some users hunt for cheaper alternatives.

“Are there affordable Redocly Alternatives?”
Reddit, r/node

Companies that use it

Full analysis

Based on 18 public sources; many snippets truncated, limiting verbatim user quotes.

Solid OpenAPI docs suite at $10/seat; overkill for one-API teams — free Redoc or Scalar covers that. Two 2026 CLI CVEs.

Methodology

Based on 18 public sources; many snippets truncated, limiting verbatim user quotes.

Sources

  1. Redocly Review 2026: Features, Pricing, Performancedocumentation.ai
    review
  2. Bump.sh vs Redocly (pricing)gappsy.com
    review
  3. Redocly vs Mintlify 2026: Linting, Pricing, Enterprisehappysupport.ai
    review
  4. Redocly alternatives: 6 better OpenAPI documentation toolsmintlify.com
    review
  5. Experience with Redocly? — r/technicalwritingreddit.com
    review
  6. Are there affordable Redocly Alternatives? — r/nodereddit.com
    review
  7. Scalar: open-source alternative to Redocly/Swaggerreddit.com
    review
  8. Redocly CLI (GitHub)github.com
    official
  9. Redocly Reviewerredocly.com
    official
  10. Redocly Pricingredocly.com
    official
  11. Redocly Premium vs Open Source Featuresredocly.com
    official
  12. Redocly customer: Brexredocly.com
    official
  13. CVE-2026-63325: Redocly CLI RCEsentinelone.com
    security
  14. CVE-2026-63325: Redocly CLI Arazzo $faker RCEmiggo.io
    security
  15. CVE-2026-63225: Redocly CLI Path Traversalsentinelone.com
    security
  16. Security at Redoclyredocly.com
    security
  17. Redocly market share (6sense)6sense.com
    news
  18. Companies using Redocly (TheirStack)theirstack.com
    news

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