Software · head to head
Confluence vs Mintlify
Mintlify
Software
Documentation platform for building and maintaining developer docs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Confluence listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X; Mintlify starter plan excludes webhooks, analytics, and integrations, pushing most teams toward the $450/month Pro tier
- They diverge on capability: Confluence covers Page creation, Mintlify covers Web editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Confluence and Mintlify actually diverge.
| Attribute | Confluence | Mintlify |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android | web, api |
| Founded | 2002 | 2022 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Confluence
- Page creation
- Rich text editing
- Macros
- Templates
- Comments
- Version history
- Content organization
- Jira
Only in Mintlify
- Web editor
- Custom domain
- Authentication
- MCP server
- API playground
- AI agent and assistant
- Automations
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Confluence
- Knowledge basenot Mintlify
- Meeting notesnot Mintlify
- Process documentationnot Mintlify
- Project planningnot Mintlify
Mintlify
- Hosting versioned API and product documentationnot Confluence
- Building docs that AI agents can query via MCPnot Confluence
- Collaborative documentation editing for engineering teamsnot Confluence
- Gating internal or partner docs behind authenticationnot Confluence
- Automating documentation updates alongside code changesnot Confluence
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Confluence
- Listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X
Mintlify
- Starter plan excludes webhooks, analytics, and integrations, pushing most teams toward the $450/month Pro tier
- Pro plan AI credits are metered with per-credit overage charges, making costs variable for heavy agent usage
- Jump from free Starter to Pro is a large price step with no mid-tier option
- Enterprise features like SSO and SLAs require contacting sales rather than transparent pricing
Pricing, plan by plan
Confluence
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited pages
- Basic sharing
- Search
- Standard$5.5/month
- Everything in Free
- Advanced permissions
- Macros
Mintlify
Free- StarterFree
- 5 editor seats
- Custom domain
- Web editor
- Pro$450/month
- Unlimited editor seats
- Agent and Assistant
- Automations
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited editor seats
- SSO, SCIM, RBAC
- Performance SLA
Which should you pick?
Choose Confluence if
- You need page creation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
- You also want rich text editing.
Choose Mintlify if
- You need web editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want custom domain.
Questions people ask
- Is Confluence or Mintlify better?
- Neither clearly leads. Confluence starts at Free and Mintlify at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Confluence or Mintlify?
- Confluence starts at Free and Mintlify at Free.
- Does Confluence or Mintlify run on more platforms?
- Confluence runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android. Mintlify runs on web, api.
- Can I use Confluence for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Confluence best used for?
- Confluence is most often used for knowledge base, meeting notes, process documentation, project planning. Of those, knowledge base and meeting notes are not what Mintlify is typically brought in for.
- What can Confluence do that Mintlify cannot?
- Confluence covers Page creation, Rich text editing, Macros, Templates. Mintlify covers Web editor, Custom domain, Authentication, MCP server.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Mintlify: Is there a free plan for Mintlify?
Yes, the Starter plan is free with no credit card required, offering 5 editor seats, custom domain hosting, the web editor, authentication, MCP server, and an API playground.
SourceMintlify: What does the Pro plan cost and include?
Pro costs $450/month (or discounted annually) with unlimited editor seats plus the AI Agent, Assistant, Automations, preview deployments, and admin APIs.
SourceMintlify: How are AI credits metered?
Pro includes 10,000 AI credits per month consumed by the Assistant, Agent, and Automations, with overage billed at $0.01 per credit; additional credit packs can be purchased.
SourceMintlify: What do new users get to try AI features?
New users receive their first month of AI credits free, letting them try the Agent and Assistant before being billed for usage.
SourceMintlify: What does Enterprise add over Pro?
Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM, RBAC, a performance SLA, advanced insights, enterprise-grade security and legal terms, and migration support, priced via custom sales contact.
Source