# Alternatives to Starlight (https://devrel.directory/directory/starlight/alternatives)

Starlight is listed under Docs & dev portals, tagged open-source. This page lists the alternatives this directory has curated, compared on the same criteria.

## Curated alternatives

- [Material for MkDocs](https://devrel.directory/directory/material-for-mkdocs): The most widely deployed open-source docs theme; Markdown in, a polished documentation site out.
- [Docusaurus](https://devrel.directory/directory/docusaurus): Open-source docs framework from Meta, the workhorse of OSS documentation sites.

## Also in this space (ranked by shared tags, not hand-picked)

- [Read the Docs](https://devrel.directory/directory/read-the-docs): Automated building, versioning, and hosting of docs from Git; the long-standing home of open-source documentation.
- [Scalar](https://devrel.directory/directory/scalar): Open-source tool for rendering OpenAPI specs into interactive API documentation, with integrated SDKs, API client, and registry features.
- [Vale](https://devrel.directory/directory/vale): Command-line prose linter that enforces a docs style guide in CI; keeps large doc sets consistent.
- [Algolia DocSearch](https://devrel.directory/directory/algolia-docsearch): Free hosted search for open-source docs sites; the default search layer on thousands of developer docs.

## Compared on the same criteria

| Criterion | Starlight | Material for MkDocs | Docusaurus | Read the Docs | Scalar | Vale | Algolia DocSearch |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Category | Tools | Tools | Tools | Tools | Tools | Tools | Tools |
| Type | Docs & dev portals | Docs & dev portals | Docs & dev portals | Docs & dev portals | API & SDK tooling | Docs & dev portals | Docs & dev portals |
| Focus | docs, open-source | docs, open-source | docs, open-source | docs, open-source | docs, api, open-source | docs, open-source | docs, search |
| Public source repo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Last commit | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 |
| Stars | 9.0k | 27k | 65k | 8.3k | 15k | 5.8k | 4.3k |
| Documentation | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| MCP endpoint | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| llms.txt | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| Pricing model | Free (checked Jul 26, 2026) | Not stated | Free (checked Jul 26, 2026) | Not stated | Open core (checked Jul 26, 2026) | Not stated | Free (checked Jul 26, 2026) |
| Link verified | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | Not stated |
| Listed since | Jul 12, 2026 | Jul 12, 2026 | Jul 8, 2026 | Jul 12, 2026 | Jul 12, 2026 | Jul 12, 2026 | Jul 12, 2026 |

## How to read this

Every fact on this page is copied from the product's own site or repository and dated. We do not test these tools hands-on, and the criteria are structural (what a product publishes) rather than qualitative (how well it works). Pricing is read off each product's own pricing page and carries the date it was read, so check the current page before budgeting. Where a product does not state something, the table says so instead of guessing.