Doccupine vs GitBook
GitBook overhauled their pricing in 2024, switching from per-user to per-site billing. A lot of teams got hit with 2-4x price increases overnight. We think there's a better way.
Start your free trialAt a glance
Choose Doccupine if...
- AI is part of your docs workflow and you don't want to pay extra for it
- You're tired of per-site plus per-user billing math
- Your brand needs more than a default theme with limited color options
- You want to own your infrastructure with a self-hostable, open-source platform
- Your workflow is GitHub-first and you want deployments to just happen
Choose GitBook if...
- Multiple people on your team need to edit the same page at the same time
- Your writers aren't comfortable with Markdown and need a full WYSIWYG experience
- Your team is already deep in the GitBook ecosystem and migration isn't worth it
- You need a free tier for public open-source docs
Feature comparison
FeatureDoccupineGitBook
Core Features
MDX / Markdown support
Visual editor
WYSIWYG with real-time collab
Version history
Media management
Auto-generated navigation
Custom components
Full MDX component library
Limited to built-in blocks
AI & Automation
AI assistant
Included at every tier
Premium plan and above
MCP server
Every site includes MCP
Bring your own AI model
AI budget control
Monthly spending caps
Deployment & Hosting
Custom domains
All plans
Premium ($65/mo) and above
Automatic deployments
GitHub integration
Managed hosting
Self-hosting option
Fully open source
Collaboration
Team roles & permissions
Team member limits
5 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise
$12/user/mo beyond first user
Real-time co-editing
Customization
Theme colors
Custom fonts
Heading, body & code fonts
Dark mode
Custom logo & branding
Full CSS control
Open source = full control
Pricing
Doccupine
Starting at $200/mo
- AI assistant included on all plans
- Custom domains on all plans
- Full theme customization included
- 30-day free trial, no credit card
GitBook
Starting at $65/mo + $12/user/mo
- GitBook bills per-site ($65/mo) plus per-user ($12/mo each after the first). A team of 5 runs $113/mo before you even look at features
- Want a custom domain? AI features? Your own branding? Those are all behind paywalls on GitBook
- In 2024, GitBook cut their free plan from 3 users down to 1. Existing users reported bills jumping 2-4x
- With Doccupine, AI, custom domains, and full theming come standard on every plan
What we actually think about GitBook
What GitBook does well
- Been around since 2014 with 450,000+ users. It's battle-tested
- Real-time co-editing is genuinely great for teams with non-technical contributors
- The free tier for public and open-source docs is generous
- The WYSIWYG editor is solid if your team doesn't want to touch Markdown
- AI-powered translations are a nice touch for multi-language docs (paid plans only)
Where it gets tricky
- The 2024 pricing overhaul hit a lot of teams hard. Plenty of reports of 2-4x increases
- Free plan went from 3 users to 1. Custom domains used to be free; now they're paid
- Customization options are shallow. If you want control over layout and design, you'll hit walls quickly
- Sync issues and occasional lost work come up regularly in user reviews
- Support is a weak spot. Slow responses are a common complaint
See for yourself
Try Doccupine free for 30 days. No credit card, no commitment.
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