--- title: "Read the Docs vs ReadMe: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Read the Docs or ReadMe more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Developer documentation platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/read-the-docs-vs-readme" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Read the Docs vs ReadMe: Which is searched more? Is Read the Docs or ReadMe more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Developer documentation platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Read the Docs and ReadMe - **Competitive set**: Developer documentation platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Read the Docs Share of Search**: 10.7% - **ReadMe Share of Search**: 1.2% ## Is Read the Docs or ReadMe more popular in search? - In September 2026, Read the Docs had more branded searches than ReadMe among developer documentation platforms worldwide. Read the Docs had about 5,400 branded searches, while ReadMe had 630. Read the Docs made up 10.7% of all developer documentation platform searches we track, and ReadMe accounted for 1.2%. - Read the Docs was ahead of ReadMe in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Read the Docs’ share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide moved from 9.8% to 10.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.1K to 5.4K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ReadMe’s share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide moved from 1.3% to 1.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.1K to 630. ## Top developer documentation platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, ReadMe appeared in all five answers. Read the Docs did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mintlify | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | ReadMe | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | GitBook | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Docusaurus | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Fern | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Read the Docs | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Slate | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about developer documentation platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which developer documentation platform should I use?": 1. Mintlify, 2. Docusaurus, 3. ReadMe, 4. GitBook, 5. Fern - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best developer documentation platforms?": 1. Mintlify, 2. ReadMe, 3. GitBook, 4. Fern, 5. Docusaurus - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best developer documentation platform for a dev team?": 1. Mintlify, 2. GitBook, 3. ReadMe, 4. Docusaurus - Searched Google, AI Overview "api documentation tool": 1. ReadMe, 2. Mintlify, 3. GitBook, 4. Docusaurus - Searched Google, AI Overview "developer documentation platforms": 1. Mintlify, 2. ReadMe, 3. GitBook Not named in any answer: Read the Docs and Slate. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for developer documentation platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Read the Docs gained share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 7.6% to 10.7%. - In September 2026, ReadMe gained share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 0.73% to 1.2%. ## Month by month | Month | Read the Docs estimated searches | Read the Docs Share of Search | Read the Docs rank | ReadMe estimated searches | ReadMe Share of Search | ReadMe rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 8.1K | 9.8% | 3 | 1.1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 8.1K | 10.4% | 3 | 880 | 1.1% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 8.1K | 9.9% | 3 | 830 | 1% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 9.9K | 11.7% | 3 | 920 | 1.1% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 8.1K | 12.7% | 3 | 1K | 1.6% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 8.1K | 10.7% | 3 | 1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 6.6K | 8.4% | 3 | 850 | 1.1% | 5 | | May 2026 | 6.6K | 10.7% | 3 | 710 | 1.2% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 5.4K | 6.4% | 3 | 800 | 0.94% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 5.4K | 8.3% | 3 | 650 | 1% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 5.4K | 7.6% | 3 | 520 | 0.73% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 5.4K | 10.7% | 3 | 630 | 1.2% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Read the Docs’ and ReadMe’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Read the Docs**: Measured on the search term “readthedocs”. - **ReadMe**: Measured on the search terms “api documentation readme”, “readme api”, “readme api documentation” and “readme documentation”, summed into one figure. - [Read the Docs profile](/demand/global-en/brands/read-the-docs) - [ReadMe profile](/demand/global-en/brands/readme) - [All developer documentation platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/developer-documentation-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Read the Docs or ReadMe more popular in search? In September 2026, Read the Docs had more branded searches than ReadMe among developer documentation platforms worldwide. Read the Docs had about 5,400 branded searches, while ReadMe had 630. Read the Docs made up 10.7% of all developer documentation platform searches we track, and ReadMe accounted for 1.2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Read the Docs vs ReadMe: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/read-the-docs-vs-readme This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/read-the-docs-vs-readme. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.