Sphinx AlternativesDocumentation Generators and other similar apps like Sphinx

Sphinx is described as 'Tool that makes it easy to create intelligent and beautiful documentation, written by Georg Brandl and licensed under the BSD license' and is a documentation generator in the development category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Sphinx for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, Web-based and Self-Hosted apps. The best Sphinx alternative is GitBook, which is free. Other great apps like Sphinx are Wiki.js, MkDocs, Doxygen and Archivy.

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Sphinx alternatives are mainly Documentation Generators but may also be Static Site Generators or Blog Publishing Tools.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Sphinx.
Sphinx iconSphinx
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Sphinx is a tool that makes it easy to create intelligent and beautiful documentation, written by Georg Brandl and licensed under the BSD license.

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Sphinx alternatives page was last updated Mar 18, 2025
  1. GitBook icon
     51 likes

    GitBook is a tool for building beautiful books using Git and Markdown. It can generate your book into multiple formats:

    79 GitBook alternatives
    GitBook screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1. Git icon  Git Support
    2.  Support for MarkDown
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  AsciiDoc
    GitBook iconSphinx Icon

    GitBook VS Sphinx

    Is GitBook a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
    • GitBook is the most popular Web-based alternative to Sphinx.

    • GitBook is the most popular free alternative to Sphinx.

    • GitBook is Freemium and ProprietarySphinx is Free and Open Source
    • GitBook is LightweightSphinx is not according to our users
  2. Wiki.js icon
     46 likes

    Write your content in the widely used and simple Markdown format, using the built-in visual editor. Unlike other wiki software that save content in a database with a difficult to extract format, Wiki.js saves all your content directly into Markdown (.

    75 Wiki.js alternatives
    Wiki.js screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron

    Wiki.js Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Built-in authentication
    3.  Wiki
    4.  Built-in search engine
    5.  Knowledge base
    6. Git icon  Git Support
    7.  WYSIWYG Support
    8.  Real time collaboration
    9.  Access Control
    Wiki.js iconSphinx Icon

    Wiki.js VS Sphinx

    Is Wiki.js a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
    • Wiki.js is the most popular Windows, Mac, Linux & Self-Hosted alternative to Sphinx.

    • Wiki.js is the most popular Open Source alternative to Sphinx.

    • Wiki.js is Free and Open SourceSphinx is also Free and Open Source
  3. MkDocs icon
     20 likes

    MkDocs is static site generator that's geared towards building project documentation. Documentation source files are written in Markdown, and configured with a single YAML configuration file.

    63 MkDocs alternatives
    MkDocs screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Python

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Support for MarkDown
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Ad-free
    MkDocs iconSphinx Icon

    MkDocs VS Sphinx

    Is MkDocs a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  4. Doxygen icon
     51 likes

    Doxygen is a tool for generating documentation from annotated C++ sources, as well as other popular programming languages like C, Objective-C, C#, PHP, Java, Python, IDL (CORBA, Microsoft, and UNO/OpenOffice flavors), Fortran, VHDL, Tcl, and to some extent D.

    34 Doxygen alternatives
    Doxygen screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Haiku
    Doxygen iconSphinx Icon

    Doxygen VS Sphinx

    Is Doxygen a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  5. Archivy icon
     10 likes

    A self-hosted knowledge repository that allows you to safely preserve useful content that contributes to your own personal, searchable and extensible wiki.

    57 Archivy alternatives
    Archivy screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Python
    • Nix Package Manager
    • Docker

    Archivy Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Support for MarkDown
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Knowledge base
    5. Node.js icon  Support for Node.js
    6.  LaTeX Math
    7.  Knowledge Management
    8.  Wiki
    Archivy iconSphinx Icon

    Archivy VS Sphinx

    Is Archivy a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  6. Docsie icon
     31 likes

    Docsie is a multilingual documentation solution that reduces documentation time by 60% through features like collaborative editing, real-time updates, a searchable repository, interactive checklists, and AI-powered chatbots. It also enables automation, version control, media upload, and supports diverse lang...

    35 Docsie alternatives
    Docsie screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Multiple languages
    2.  Knowledge base
    3.  Team Collaboration
    4.  Software localization
    5.  Dynamic retargeting
    6.  Programmers Documentation
    7.  Support for MarkDown
    8.  WYSIWYG Support
    9.  DMS
    10.  Wiki
    11.  Web-Based
    12.  AI-Powered
    Docsie iconSphinx Icon

    Docsie VS Sphinx

    Is Docsie a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  7. VitePress icon
     5 likes

    Simple, powerful, and fast. Meet the modern SSG framework you've always wanted.

    53 VitePress alternatives
    VitePress screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Node.JS
    • npm
    VitePress iconSphinx Icon

    VitePress VS Sphinx

    Is VitePress a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  8. Writerside icon
     4 likes

    The most powerful development environment – now adapted for writing documentation.

    52 Writerside alternatives
    Writerside screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Mac

    Writerside Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Programmers Documentation
    Writerside iconSphinx Icon

    Writerside VS Sphinx

    Is Writerside a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  9. Notaku icon
     4 likes

    Turn you Notion into documentation, knowledge base and blog websites.

    69 Notaku alternatives
    Notaku screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Online

    Notaku Features

    1.  Knowledge base
    Notaku iconSphinx Icon

    Notaku VS Sphinx

    Is Notaku a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  10. Retype icon
     7 likes

    A documentation generator that builds HTML output based on Markdown files. Supports Markdown specs and offers a wide set of custom components using Markdown-like syntax. Builds Reference Source documentation for .NET projects (more added soon).

    51 Retype alternatives
    Retype screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted

    Retype Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2. Git icon  Git Support
    3.  Integrated Search
    4.  Tagging
    Retype iconSphinx Icon

    Retype VS Sphinx

    Is Retype a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
  11. Vrite icon
     1 like

    Vrite is an open-source headless CMS intended for technical content like programming blogs or documentation. It aims to provide the best user and developer experience for creating, managing and delivering technical content, with features like:

    57 Vrite alternatives
    Vrite screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Software as a Service (SaaS)

    Vrite Features

    1.  WYSIWYG Support
    2.  Headless CMS
    3.  API Integration
    4.  Rich text editing
    Vrite iconSphinx Icon

    Vrite VS Sphinx

    Is Vrite a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
    • Vrite is the most popular SaaS alternative to Sphinx.

    • Vrite is Free and Open SourceSphinx is also Free and Open Source
  12. Docsify.js icon
     15 likes

    docsify generates your documentation website on the fly. Unlike GitBook, it does not generate static html files. Instead, it smartly loads and parses your Markdown files and displays them as website. All you need to do is create an index.

    47 Docsify.js alternatives
    light theme

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted

    Docsify.js Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Client-side
    Docsify.js iconSphinx Icon

    Docsify.js VS Sphinx

    Is Docsify.js a good alternative to Sphinx?
     
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