---
title: GitBook
canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/gitbook/
category: Knowledge Base Software
points: 77
rank: 2 of 11
facts_checked: 2026-10-09
---

# GitBook

Docs and help centre platform with a free plan for one user and paid sites priced per site and per editor.

77 points out of 100. #2 of 11 knowledge base tools. Vendor: GitBook. Website: https://www.gitbook.com/

- The Free plan costs $0 and includes one user [1].
- Essential costs $65 per site a month plus $12 per user, shown for annual billing; one site with one editor is $77 [1].
- A custom domain needs Essential or higher [2].
- Merge rules can require approval from named reviewers before a change request is merged [5].
- SAML SSO is Enterprise only; other plans offer email-domain SSO [1][2].

Verdict: GitBook suits documentation teams that want a free start, Git sync, reviewer-gated change requests and a docs API [1][5][10]. The catch is that Free is single-user and has no custom domain, and SAML SSO and visitor authentication sit on the upper plans [1][2]. Its docs do not say whether the search report lists searches with no results [12]. Best for: Product and developer documentation teams that want change requests and Git sync.

## Points

| Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Cheapest paid plan | $77/mo | 6/12 | Essential $65 per site plus $12 for one user, annual billing per month. Free plan excluded as not a paid plan [1]. |
| Price | Free plan | Yes | 6/6 | Free plan lists unlimited page views, built-in SEO and page analytics for one user; sites publish to a gitbook.io address by default [1][3]. |
| Publishing | Help centre on your own domain | Yes | 8/8 | Sites can move from a gitbook.io subdomain to a chosen domain; plans comparison lists it for Essential and above [2][3]. |
| Publishing | Multiple languages | Yes | 7/7 | Variants with a language set add a language picker for readers; the pricing page lists site variants on every plan [1][9]. |
| Publishing | Article version history | Not published | 0/6 | Version history is tracked and rolled back per section, not per page, so it is not counted as article history [7]. |
| Publishing | Review and approval workflow | Yes | 7/7 | Editors tag reviewers on a change request; the 'Require review by specified actors' rule needs their approval before merging [4][5]. |
| Readers and reports | Search reports | Not published | 0/6 | Not published: the Search card shows what readers typed, but zero-result searches are not mentioned [12]. |
| Readers and reports | Reader feedback on articles | Yes | 4/4 | With page rating enabled, the Page feedback card shows how readers rate content, with comments and CSV export [12]. |
| Readers and reports | Help widget for your site or app | Yes | 4/4 | Docs Embed adds search and docs browsing inside a product or website via script, npm or React [13]. |
| Readers and reports | Login-only articles | Yes | 4/4 | Pages can carry a condition so only matching visitors see them [18][19]; adaptive content is on Ultimate [1]; sign-in is set up separately [16]. |
| Access and data | Single sign-on (SAML or OIDC) | Yes | 7/7 | Documentation describes SAML 2.0 single sign-on; the plans page lists it as Enterprise only [2][8]. |
| Access and data | API to read and write articles | Yes | 7/7 | API reference covers creating and managing spaces, pages and their content [15]. |
| Access and data | Bulk export of articles | Yes | 5/5 | Members can export a whole section as PDF with 'All pages'; the pricing page lists PDF export from Essential up [1][11]. |
| Access and data | Editor roles and permissions | Yes | 4/4 | Guest, Reader, Commenter, Editor, Reviewer, Creator and Admin roles [6]. |
| Access and data | Open source | Not published | 0/5 | Public GPL-3.0 repository holds the code used to render published sites; no page says the editor or backend is open source [14]. |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Yes | 8/8 | Pricing page marks ISO 27001 and SOC 2 as certified; docs name a SOC 2 Type II audit by Prescient Assurance [1][17]. |

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Per month (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free [1] | $0 |
| Essential | $65/site/month + $12/user/month [1] | $77 |
| Ultimate | $249/site/month + $12/user/month [1] | $261 |
| Enterprise | Quote [1] | - |

GitBook says its pricing-page figures are monthly costs under annual billing [1]. Monthly billing is $79 per site plus $15 per user on Essential [2]. GitBook's plans page says Essential was formerly called Premium [2].

## Strengths

- Free plan covers section version history, change requests, API playgrounds and Git Sync for one user [1].
- Merge rules can require named reviewers to approve a change request before it merges [5].
- Six roles from Reader to Admin, including Reviewer and Creator [6].
- Page ratings feed a Page feedback card, exportable as CSV [12].
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 are marked certified on every plan; a SOC 2 Type II audit by Prescient Assurance is named [1][17].

## Limits

- Free has one user and no custom domain [1].
- Costs scale with sites and editors: $65 per site plus $12 per user on Essential, $249 per site on Ultimate [1].
- SAML SSO is available on Enterprise only [1][2].
- The open-source repository holds the code used to render published sites; it does not state that the editor is open source [14].
- The docs do not say whether the Search report lists searches with no results [12].

## Sources

1. [GitBook pricing](https://www.gitbook.com/pricing), GitBook, accessed 2026-10-09
2. [Plans](https://gitbook.com/docs/account-and-billing/plans.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
3. [Set a custom domain](https://gitbook.com/docs/publish/custom-domain.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
4. [Change requests](https://gitbook.com/docs/collaborate/change-requests.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
5. [Merge rules](https://gitbook.com/docs/collaborate/merge-rules.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
6. [Roles](https://gitbook.com/docs/collaborate/member-management/roles.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
7. [Version control](https://gitbook.com/docs/create-content/version-control.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
8. [SSO & SAML](https://gitbook.com/docs/account-and-billing/sso-and-saml.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
9. [Content variants](https://gitbook.com/docs/manage-your-site/site-structure/variants.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
10. [GitBook API reference](https://gitbook.com/docs/developers/gitbook-api/api-reference.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
11. [PDF export](https://gitbook.com/docs/publish/pdf-export.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
12. [Traffic insights](https://gitbook.com/docs/analytics/insights/traffic.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
13. [Embed in your product](https://gitbook.com/docs/publish/embedding.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
14. [GitbookIO/gitbook repository](https://github.com/GitbookIO/gitbook), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-09
15. [GitBook API quickstart](https://gitbook.com/docs/developers/gitbook-api/quickstart.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
16. [Enabling authenticated access](https://gitbook.com/docs/publish/site-audience/authenticated-access/enabling-authenticated-access.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
17. [Security as a company value](https://gitbook.com/docs/policies/privacy-and-security/security/security-as-a-company-value.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
18. [Adapting your content](https://gitbook.com/docs/publish/adaptive-content/adapting-your-content.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09
19. [Adaptive content FAQ and troubleshooting](https://gitbook.com/docs/publish/adaptive-content/faq-and-troubleshooting.md), GitBook docs, accessed 2026-10-09