# Scalar vs Redocly

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/scalar-vs-redocly/

Every value below is read from Scalar's and Redocly's own documentation. See https://inetgeek.com/methodology/ for how.

## At a glance

| Criterion | Scalar | Redocly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Kind of free offer | Free tier | Free trial |
| What the free plan includes | The Free plan costs $0 with no credit card: hosted OpenAPI docs, built-in API client, landing pages, up to 3 APIs, 1 SDK up to 25 endpoints, 50 Agent Scalar credits and 1 editor seat. Publishing a Docs site needs a paid plan after the 7-day trial every new team gets. | A 30-day free trial of Pro with no credit card, inviting the whole team from day one; the trial can be switched to Scale at any time. |
| Entry paid plan | Pro is $150/month ($125/month billed yearly): 5 editor seats, up to 15 APIs, 1 SDK up to 100 endpoints, custom domains, Git Sync, Markdown and MDX, hosted MCP servers. Business is $600/month. | Pro is $249 per month billed annually as $2,988 a year: 3 projects, unlimited seats, readers and Git contributors. The page states annual billing is two months free compared with monthly; its default view shows annual figures only. Extra projects are $390 a year each. |
| Pricing model | Priced per plan by APIs published, SDK size (endpoints in the OpenAPI document) and editor seats: Free 3 APIs and 1 seat, Pro 15 APIs and 5 seats, Business 25 APIs and 10 seats, Enterprise custom. Each plan includes 1 SDK; extra SDKs are $150/month each up to 100 endpoints or $600/month each for 101-250. Billed monthly or yearly. | One flat price per plan, not per person: unlimited seats, readers and Git contributors on every plan. Plans differ in projects included (Pro 3, Scale 10, Enterprise unlimited) and in features; extra projects cost $39 a month or $390 a year each. AI features are included in beta under usage limits. |
| Sites or apps included | Pro, the entry paid plan, allows up to 15 APIs and 5 editor seats; Free allows 3 APIs and 1 editor seat, Business 25 APIs and 10 seats. | 3 projects on Pro, where a project is one docs site with its own Git repository and domain; more are $390 a year each. Scale includes 10 and Enterprise is unlimited. |
| Self-hostable | Limited — MIT-licensed core only; no page says the hosted Docs platform itself can be self-hosted. | Limited — Open-source Redoc CE self-hosts the API reference; no self-hosting of the full platform is described |
| Docs as code in a git repository | Supported | Supported |
| API reference from an OpenAPI spec | Supported | Supported |
| Interactive API playground | Supported | Supported |
| Client SDK generation | Supported | Limited — Early access; hosted publishing from Scale, local CLI on Pro |
| llms.txt and markdown for AI tools | Supported | Supported |
| MCP server for the docs or API | Supported | Limited — Beta; on every plan, under fair-use usage limits |
| Built-in AI assistant over the docs | Supported | Limited — Beta; on every plan, under fair-use usage limits |
| Multiple documentation versions | Supported — Docs plan table lists versions from Pro upward, not on Free. | Supported |
| SOC 2 | SOC 2 Type 1 report received for controls relevant to security; no Type 2 stated. GDPR privacy rights are described, no data-residency region is stated. | Redocly states it has completed the SOC 2 Type II audit; reports are downloadable after logging in. |

## Where they differ

### Free tier

- Scalar: Yes ([source](https://scalar.com/pricing))
- Redocly: No ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: 78% Scalar / 22% Redocly — whether it is offered at all. inetGeek's own reading, computed from the two values above by the rules at https://inetgeek.com/methodology/, not a provider claim.

### Kind of free offer

- Scalar: Free tier ([source](https://scalar.com/pricing))
- Redocly: Free trial ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: none. No documented basis to lean either way on this criterion.

### What the free plan includes

- Scalar: The Free plan costs $0 with no credit card: hosted OpenAPI docs, built-in API client, landing pages, up to 3 APIs, 1 SDK up to 25 endpoints, 50 Agent Scalar credits and 1 editor seat. Publishing a Docs site needs a paid plan after the 7-day trial every new team gets. ([source](https://scalar.com/pricing))
- Redocly: A 30-day free trial of Pro with no credit card, inviting the whole team from day one; the trial can be switched to Scale at any time. ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: none. No documented basis to lean either way on this criterion.

### Entry paid plan

- Scalar: Pro is $150/month ($125/month billed yearly): 5 editor seats, up to 15 APIs, 1 SDK up to 100 endpoints, custom domains, Git Sync, Markdown and MDX, hosted MCP servers. Business is $600/month. ([source](https://scalar.com/pricing))
- Redocly: Pro is $249 per month billed annually as $2,988 a year: 3 projects, unlimited seats, readers and Git contributors. The page states annual billing is two months free compared with monthly; its default view shows annual figures only. Extra projects are $390 a year each. ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: none. No documented basis to lean either way on this criterion.

### Pricing model

- Scalar: Priced per plan by APIs published, SDK size (endpoints in the OpenAPI document) and editor seats: Free 3 APIs and 1 seat, Pro 15 APIs and 5 seats, Business 25 APIs and 10 seats, Enterprise custom. Each plan includes 1 SDK; extra SDKs are $150/month each up to 100 endpoints or $600/month each for 101-250. Billed monthly or yearly. ([source](https://scalar.com/pricing))
- Redocly: One flat price per plan, not per person: unlimited seats, readers and Git contributors on every plan. Plans differ in projects included (Pro 3, Scale 10, Enterprise unlimited) and in features; extra projects cost $39 a month or $390 a year each. AI features are included in beta under usage limits. ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: none. No documented basis to lean either way on this criterion.

### Sites or apps included

- Scalar: Pro, the entry paid plan, allows up to 15 APIs and 5 editor seats; Free allows 3 APIs and 1 editor seat, Business 25 APIs and 10 seats. ([source](https://scalar.com/pricing))
- Redocly: 3 projects on Pro, where a project is one docs site with its own Git repository and domain; more are $390 a year each. Scale includes 10 and Enterprise is unlimited. ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: none. No documented basis to lean either way on this criterion.

### Client SDK generation

- Scalar: Supported ([source](https://scalar.com/products/sdk-generator))
- Redocly: Limited — Early access; hosted publishing from Scale, local CLI on Pro ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: 64% Scalar / 36% Redocly — documented support level. inetGeek's own reading, computed from the two values above by the rules at https://inetgeek.com/methodology/, not a provider claim.

### MCP server for the docs or API

- Scalar: Supported ([source](https://scalar.com/products/docs/configuration/ask-ai))
- Redocly: Limited — Beta; on every plan, under fair-use usage limits ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: 64% Scalar / 36% Redocly — documented support level. inetGeek's own reading, computed from the two values above by the rules at https://inetgeek.com/methodology/, not a provider claim.

### Built-in AI assistant over the docs

- Scalar: Supported ([source](https://scalar.com/products/docs/configuration/ask-ai))
- Redocly: Limited — Beta; on every plan, under fair-use usage limits ([source](https://redocly.com/pricing))
- Lean: 64% Scalar / 36% Redocly — documented support level. inetGeek's own reading, computed from the two values above by the rules at https://inetgeek.com/methodology/, not a provider claim.

### SOC 2

- Scalar: SOC 2 Type 1 report received for controls relevant to security; no Type 2 stated. GDPR privacy rights are described, no data-residency region is stated. ([source](https://scalar.com/security))
- Redocly: Redocly states it has completed the SOC 2 Type II audit; reports are downloadable after logging in. ([source](https://redocly.com/security))
- Lean: none. No documented basis to lean either way on this criterion.

## Which should you choose?

Pick Scalar if A team that wants OpenAPI-driven docs, an API client, SDK generation and MCP servers from one toolchain with an MIT-licensed core. Pro is $150 a month for 15 APIs and 5 editor seats.

Pick Redocly if An API reference built from OpenAPI, GraphQL or AsyncAPI descriptions with Git workflows, at one flat price with unlimited seats and readers: Pro is $249 a month billed annually for three projects, with a 30-day trial.

Consider something else: Scalar — You need SAML SSO, which starts at Business, or a SOC 2 Type II report, where Scalar states a Type 1. Publishing a docs site needs a paid plan after the 7-day trial, so the free plan is not a way to host docs.

Consider something else: Redocly — You want a standing free plan, which Redocly does not list. Its AI assistant, MCP server and SDK generation are beta or early access, and its security and pricing pages disagree on which plan includes SAML SSO.

## Documented by only one

One side documents these and the other does not. An absence is a missing source, not a stated "no" — except where a line says the other page was READ on a date and does not mention it, which is a sourced observation and the only one-sided case this site leans on.

- When the free offer ends: Redocly: 30 days
- SAML single sign-on: Scalar: Supported — Business and Enterprise plans; not on Free or Pro.
- GDPR / data residency: Redocly: Under the Data Processing Addendum, Redocly may transfer and process Customer Data in the United States and anywhere else in the world where it, its affiliates or its sub-processors operate.

## Questions this comparison answers

**Entry paid plan: Scalar or Redocly?**

Scalar: Pro is $150/month ($125/month billed yearly): 5 editor seats, up to 15 APIs, 1 SDK up to 100 endpoints, custom domains, Git Sync, Markdown and MDX, hosted MCP servers. Business is $600/month.
Redocly: Pro is $249 per month billed annually as $2,988 a year: 3 projects, unlimited seats, readers and Git contributors. The page states annual billing is two months free compared with monthly; its default view shows annual figures only. Extra projects are $390 a year each.

**Free tier: Scalar or Redocly?**

Scalar: Yes
Redocly: No

**Should I choose Scalar or Redocly?**

Pick Scalar if A team that wants OpenAPI-driven docs, an API client, SDK generation and MCP servers from one toolchain with an MIT-licensed core. Pro is $150 a month for 15 APIs and 5 editor seats.
Pick Redocly if An API reference built from OpenAPI, GraphQL or AsyncAPI descriptions with Git workflows, at one flat price with unlimited seats and readers: Pro is $249 a month billed annually for three projects, with a 30-day trial.