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API Extractor VS ReadMe

Compare API Extractor VS ReadMe and see what are their differences

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API Extractor logo API Extractor

API Extractor helps you write better TypeScript libraries: It analyzes your exported type signatures and (1) produces an API documentation website, (2) generates a .d.ts "rollup" file, and (3) creates an API report to facilitate PR reviews.

ReadMe logo ReadMe

A collaborative developer hub for your API or code.
  • API Extractor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-28
  • ReadMe Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-03-04

API Extractor features and specs

  • Comprehensive API Report
    API Extractor generates detailed reports of the API surface, which helps developers understand the changes and current state of the API, ensuring all team members are on the same page.
  • API Stability
    By using API Extractor, developers can enforce consistent API patterns and prevent breaking changes, contributing to a more stable and reliable API over time.
  • TypeScript Support
    API Extractor is specifically designed for TypeScript, making it highly effective for projects that rely on TypeScript's typing and interfaces.
  • Markdown Documentation
    The tool supports generation of markdown files for documentation, which can be easily integrated with existing documentation sites, enhancing accessibility and ease of use.
  • Version Tracking
    It allows developers to track API changes across versions, helping to manage deprecation and communicate updates effectively to users.

Possible disadvantages of API Extractor

  • Learning Curve
    API Extractor has a steep learning curve for new users, which can be challenging for teams without prior experience or knowledge of TypeScript toolchains.
  • TypeScript-Only
    Since API Extractor is designed for TypeScript, it cannot be used directly with JavaScript projects, limiting its applicability to TypeScript-based projects only.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Setting up API Extractor can be complex due to its configuration options, requiring time and effort to properly integrate it into a build process.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running API Extractor can add significant overhead to the build process, impacting the overall build time, particularly in large projects.
  • Maintenance
    Regular updates and maintenance of the API Extractor configuration are required to keep in synchronization with updates to the TypeScript language and changes in the codebase.

ReadMe features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    ReadMe offers a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create and manage documentation without requiring extensive technical skills.
  • Interactive API Documentation
    The platform provides interactive API documentation, allowing users to try out API calls directly within the documentation, which enhances user understanding and engagement.
  • Customizability
    ReadMe allows a high level of customization, enabling users to tailor the look and feel of their documentation to match their brand identity.
  • Analytics
    The service offers built-in analytics, providing insights into how users interact with the documentation, which can help in improving user experience and understanding common issues.
  • Version Control
    ReadMe supports version control, making it easy to manage and maintain documentation for different versions of an API or product.
  • Collaboration Tools
    It includes collaboration tools that facilitate teamwork by allowing multiple users to work on documentation simultaneously.
  • Markdown Support
    The platform supports Markdown, making it easy for users to format their documentation efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of ReadMe

  • Cost
    Compared to some other documentation platforms, ReadMe can be more expensive, especially for small startups or individual developers.
  • Learning Curve
    While user-friendly, some advanced features may have a learning curve, especially for those who are not familiar with documentation tools.
  • Limited Offline Access
    ReadMe primarily operates as an online service, which can be limiting for users who need offline access to their documentation.
  • Performance on Large Projects
    There may be performance issues or slowdowns when dealing with very large projects or extensive documentation, requiring optimization.
  • Feature Limitations in Lower Tiers
    Some advanced features and customizability options are restricted to higher pricing tiers, which may not be accessible to all users.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to API Extractor and ReadMe)

API Extractor

ReadMe

Documentation
14 14%
Documentation
86% 86
Documentation As A Service & Tools
16 16%
Documentation As A Service & Tools
84% 84
Knowledge Base
24 24%
Knowledge Base
76% 76
Developer Tools
0 0%
Developer Tools
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare API Extractor and ReadMe

API Extractor Reviews

We have no reviews of API Extractor yet.
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ReadMe Reviews

Best Gitbook Alternatives You Need to Try in 2023
Readme.com is a developer hub that allows users to publish API documentation. It focuses on making API references interactive by allowing to Try out API calls, log metrics about the API call usage, and more. This means it lacks some capabilities, like a review system and several blocks, which the Gitbook editor supports.
Source: www.archbee.com
12 Most Useful Knowledge Management Tools for Your Business
ReadMe offers integration with apps like Slack, Google Analytics, and Zendesk. One of its most significant advantages is the metrics option which lets you see how customers are using your API.
Source: www.archbee.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ReadMe should be more popular than API Extractor. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

API Extractor mentions (5)

  • Deploying TypeScript Type Definitions for Umbraco v14 Packages
    Thankfully we can achieve this using third party tool, API Extractor. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • In-Depth guide for TypeScript Library
    There are many more tools than those listed above. You can check out discussion and comparison of bundling tools. Unfortunately, choosing the right tool among them is a process that you'll have to experiment with and decide for your own project needs. For example, dts-bundle-generator, API Extractor, and rollup-plugin-dts do not support .d.ts.map files. Also, API Extractor and dts-bundle-generator do not have... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • I created a game engine using TypeScript. Please roast it.
    I use https://api-extractor.com/ at work and really like it. The problem with it is that the spec it follows doesn’t 100% match VSCode’s behavior. This causes pain when using {@link} fields in descriptions. Typedoc looks fine too, I’ve never used it. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [AskJS] Managing private packages and published types in a monorepo
    I've tried using https://api-extractor.com/ to rollup types but it has some edge cases where it fails. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Do you use JSdocs with TypeScript?
    I use TSDoc extensively at work, along with API Extractor to generate externally-facing documentation from the TSDoc comments. It’s great. Since I’ve gotten used to good intellisense in VSCode I don’t really like working in code that doesn’t have TSDoc comments anymore. Source: over 3 years ago

ReadMe mentions (23)

  • 7 Top API Documentation Software Tools 2025 (With Reviews and Pricing)✨
    For more information and to subscribe, visit ReadMe. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Leveraging API Documentation for Faster Developer Onboarding
    Documentation portals like ReadMe provide complete Developer experience platforms with customization, analytics, and feedback mechanisms. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Integrating OpenAPI With Mintlify
    According to the OpenAPI specification initiative, OpenAPI is the standard for defining your API. This means that with the help of this file, you can migrate your API documentation from one platform to another. For example, you can migrate your API docs from Postman to ReadMe or Mintlify or vice versa. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • How to view API request examples in a ReadMe documentation.
    My recent experience with The Movie Database (TMDB) API documentation underscores the importance of request examples in API documentation. It took me a couple of hours to figure out how to make a successful request to an endpoint because I couldn't access a request sample. However, I eventually found it in an unexpected place. ReadMe on the other hand didn't make it easy. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Do you Know Only Fools Use APIs Doc Platform?
    I came across readme.io some days back, and It's like that fresh outfit you wear to high-end parties—the one with crisp lines, dark colors, and intricate designs that make you stand out. Their documentation platform is sleek, modern, and highly customizable to fit your brand's drip. It's like having a tailor sew a 007 suit (James Bond) to your specs. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing API Extractor and ReadMe, you can also consider the following products

TypeDoc - A documentation generator for TypeScript projects

GitBook - Modern Publishing, Simply taking your books from ideas to finished, polished books.

ng-docx - Ng-docx is a library that automatically generates a documentation page to easily and beautifully view your markdowns.

Docusaurus - Easy to maintain open source documentation websites

Docma - Docma is a powerful tool to easily generate beautiful HTML documentation from Javascript (JSDoc)...

Archbee.io - Archbee is a developer-focused product docs tool for your team. Build beautiful product documentation sites or internal wikis/knowledge bases to get your team and product knowledge in one place.

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