Software · head to head
Mintlify vs Confluence
Mintlify
Software
Documentation platform for building and maintaining developer docs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Mintlify starter plan excludes webhooks, analytics, and integrations, pushing most teams toward the $450/month Pro tier; Confluence listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X
- They diverge on capability: Mintlify covers Web editor, Confluence covers Page creation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mintlify and Confluence actually diverge.
| Attribute | Mintlify | Confluence |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | web, api | Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2022 | 2002 |
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 Mintlify
- Web editor
- Custom domain
- Authentication
- MCP server
- API playground
- AI agent and assistant
- Automations
Only in Confluence
- Page creation
- Rich text editing
- Macros
- Templates
- Comments
- Version history
- Content organization
- Jira
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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
Confluence
- Knowledge basenot Mintlify
- Meeting notesnot Mintlify
- Process documentationnot Mintlify
- Project planningnot Mintlify
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Confluence
- Listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Confluence
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited pages
- Basic sharing
- Search
- Standard$5.5/month
- Everything in Free
- Advanced permissions
- Macros
Which should you pick?
Choose Mintlify if
- You need web editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want custom domain.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Mintlify or Confluence better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mintlify starts at Free and Confluence at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mintlify or Confluence?
- Mintlify starts at Free and Confluence at Free.
- Does Mintlify or Confluence run on more platforms?
- Mintlify runs on web, api. Confluence runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Mintlify for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Mintlify best used for?
- Mintlify is most often used for hosting versioned api and product documentation, building docs that ai agents can query via mcp, collaborative documentation editing for engineering teams, gating internal or partner docs behind authentication. Of those, hosting versioned api and product documentation and building docs that ai agents can query via mcp are not what Confluence is typically brought in for.
- What can Mintlify do that Confluence cannot?
- Mintlify covers Web editor, Custom domain, Authentication, MCP server. Confluence covers Page creation, Rich text editing, Macros, Templates.
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