Yes, ReadMe has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans. The free plan includes access to 1 project, access to 1 published version, and 404 redirect rules. FreeTier.co estimates the free tier at about $75/mo, and no credit card is required to sign up.
About
ReadMe is a documentation platform for building and publishing interactive API docs. It combines a WYSIWYG editor with Git-backed workflows so teams can keep documentation synchronized as they write, review, and ship APIs.
The platform includes versioning, branching, reusable content, custom MDX components, and customizable themes to support both technical writers and developers. It also provides developer-facing tools such as interactive API reference pages, request history, metrics, and built-in AI features for documentation assistance and quality control.
- Interactive API documentation and reference pages
- WYSIWYG editing and Git-style documentation workflows
- Branching, versioning, and reusable content
- Custom MDX components, HTML/CSS, and landing pages
- Developer dashboard, metrics, and request history
- AI tools including Ask AI, Agent Owlbert, AI Linter, and Docs Audit
Free Tier Value
This free tier is genuinely usable, but it is tightly capped: one project, one published version, one admin, and only 24 hours of history/logs, plus the broken-link checker is just a preview. Compared with the $250/month Pro plan, it feels like roughly 30% of that plan’s practical value, so about $75/month; no credit card is required and the offer is perpetual, but the limits keep it well below paid-tier parity.
What's included in the free tier
Verified
- Access to 1 project.
- Access to 1 published version.
- Access to documentation metrics.
- Access to ReadMe API.
- Bidirectional sync for documentation.
- Custom MDX components.
- Recipes.
- Changelog.
- Discussion forums.
- Landing page.
- Custom HTML pages.
- Branches.
- Reusable content.
- Export doc metrics.
- 404 redirect rules.
- PDF export.
- Theme editor.
- Custom domain.
- Health check / Statuspage integration.
- Custom CSS and HTML.
- Custom JavaScript.
- AI dropdown.
- LLMs.txt.
- MCP Server.
- 1 admin included.
- 24 hours of request history.
- 24 hours of detailed logs.
- In-app and email support.
See ReadMe pricing for current limits.
Paid plans
Pro
- published versions
- Unlimited
- admins
- 5
- additional admins
- $20 each
- All Starter features
- Invite teammates
- Branching and reviews
- Notifications
- Private docs
- Landing page
- Changelog, recipes & forums
- Custom MDX components
Enterprise
- projects
- Custom
- admins
- Custom
- All Pro features
- Multiple combined projects
- No ReadMe branding
- User roles & access control
- Branch review permissions
- Global reusable content library
- Audit logs
- SSO, OAuth, & more
Pricing extracted from ReadMe's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.
Common questions
Is ReadMe free forever?
Yes. ReadMe has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans, though the allowance typically resets each month.
Does ReadMe require a credit card?
No. You can start on ReadMe's free tier without entering card details.
What happens when you exceed ReadMe's free tier?
You move to a paid plan. ReadMe's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $250 / month.
What is ReadMe's free tier worth?
ReadMe's free tier is worth about $75 per month. That maps to an FTV score of 69/100. The FTV score is explained at freetier.co/ftv.
