📘 Docsmith API
Turn any OpenAPI spec into branded, Stripe-style API docs, locally, forever.
ReadMe.io charges $99+ a month, about $1,188 a year, essentially to render a JSON file and host it. Docsmith renders it once on your own machine: a three-pane, Stripe-style reference with try-it-out, auto-generated curl/JavaScript/Python snippets and versioning, exported as static files you host anywhere for $0. Pay $29, once, and your spec never leaves your desk.
Docsmith API screenshot is being captured — the app is shipped and real.
Features
Import OpenAPI / Swagger
Load OpenAPI 3.x or Swagger from a file or URL, JSON or YAML, with $refs fully dereferenced.
Stripe-style 3-pane layout
Endpoint nav grouped by tag, full descriptions with parameters and schemas, and code samples beside live response examples.
Try-it-out that works
Requests fire from the app main process so there is no CORS pain, returning status, timing, headers and a pretty-printed body.
Auto-generated snippets
cURL, JavaScript fetch and Python requests per endpoint, with path params filled from spec examples and auth headers included for secured endpoints.
Custom branding
Bake your product name, logo text, primary color and default base URL into every export.
Static export
One click or one CLI command produces a self-contained folder you host free on Netlify, GitHub Pages, S3 or nginx with your own domain.
Versioning
Keep multiple spec versions with a switcher in the nav.
Docsmith API vs ReadMe.io
ReadMe.io at $99+/mo runs roughly $1188/year — $2,376 over two years. Docsmith API is $29, once.
| Docsmith API | ReadMe.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 once | $99+/mo |
| 1 year | $29 | $1,188+ |
| OpenAPI import | Yes | Yes |
| 3-pane Stripe-style docs | Yes | Yes |
| Try-it-out console | Yes | Yes |
| Code snippets (curl/JS/Python) | Yes | Yes |
| Custom branding | Yes | Paid tiers only |
| Hosting cost | $0 (static files) | Included in the $99/mo |
| Your spec stays local | Yes | No |
A single month of ReadMe.io buys Docsmith three times over, and the static export it spits out costs $0 a month to host after that.
Three steps, no subscription
Buy once on Whop
One payment of $29 gets you the packaged Windows installer, or clone the MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/api-docs-generator and run it yourself for free.
Install and run offline
Launch the Electron desktop app; it builds the renderer on first run and works entirely on your machine.
Import and export
Point it at your OpenAPI or Swagger spec, brand it, and export a complete static docs site you upload anywhere for free.
Honest answers
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes. Docsmith API is MIT-licensed at github.com/bensblueprints/api-docs-generator and always will be. The $29 buys the packaged Windows installer; building from source is free.
Does my API spec leave my machine?
No. Docsmith is 100% local, an offline desktop app, so your spec never leaves your computer. The static export you generate is yours to host wherever you like.
What does hosting cost?
Nothing. The export is a self-contained folder of static files with relative asset paths and inlined spec data, so Netlify, GitHub Pages, S3 or nginx all serve it for $0.
Is this a subscription in disguise?
No. $29 once, no renewal, no license server. Render your docs and they keep working forever.
Own Docsmith API forever
$29 once. Signed installer, 1-click setup, updates included. No renewal, no account with us, no meter. Or build it yourself from the MIT source — it's the same app.