Stoplight

stoplight.io
DevOps
Weekend Project

Design, document, and build APIs faster

How to Replace Stoplight

Overview

Stoplight is an OpenAPI design and documentation management tool built with the modern API workflow in mind. It provides an intuitive interface and thoughtful features to power the complete API design lifecycle, enabling teams to create high-quality APIs at any scale with a design-first approach.

Features

57 features across 11 categories

API Design(8)

Code-Based Editing

Ability to edit API definitions using code-based approach

Component LibrariesPremium

Create and manage reusable component libraries

Design Validation

Validate API designs against standards and best practices

Git Sync

Synchronize API designs with Git repositories

Multi-Branch Support

Support multiple Git branches for API definitions

OpenAPI Export

Export API definitions in OpenAPI format

OpenAPI/JSON Schema Visual Designer

Visual editor for designing APIs using OpenAPI and JSON Schema standards

Schema Reuse

Reuse models and components across API definitions

API Mocking(7)

Automatic Mock Servers

Automatically generate mock servers from API definitions

Configurable Response Codes

Configure different response codes in mock servers

Dynamic Responses

Generate dynamic responses for mock servers

Instant Mock Servers

Instantly create mock servers for API testing and development

Local Mock Servers

Run mock servers locally for development

Request Validation

Validate API requests against schema definitions

Static Responses

Define static responses for mock servers

Access Control(7)

Approved Email Domains

Restrict access to users with approved email domains

Internal Projects

Create internal-only projects

Per-Project User Access

Configure user access on a per-project basis

Private Projects

Create private projects with restricted access

Public Projects

Create publicly accessible projects

User Management and RBAC

User management with role-based access control

Workspace GroupsPremium

Organize users into workspace groups

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Lacework, LastPass

Analytics(1)

Analytics Integration

Integrate with Google Analytics and other analytics platforms

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Billing(2)

Custom Payment TermsPremium

Custom payment terms for enterprise customers

Invoicing

Invoicing for annual plans

Also in: Insightly, Airtable, Obsidian

Collaboration(2)

DiscussionsPremium

Discuss and collaborate on API designs

Workspace Teams

Organize teams within workspace

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Documentation(11)

API Console (Try It Out)

Interactive console to test API endpoints

Automatic SSL

Automatic SSL certificate management for documentation

Code Generation

Generate client code from API definitions

Custom Domains

Host documentation on custom domains

Documentation Editor

Edit and create API documentation

Interactive API Documentation

Generate interactive documentation for APIs

Remove Stoplight BrandingPremium

Remove Stoplight branding from documentation

Rich Markdown Articles

Create rich documentation using markdown

Theming

Customize the appearance of documentation

Unlimited Documentation Views

No limits on viewing API documentation

Versioning

Version control for API documentation

Governance(12)

Activity LogsPremium

Track activity and changes in the platform

API Style Guides

Create and enforce API style guides

Automatic Changelogs

Automatically generate changelogs for API versions

Automatic Git Repo Analysis

Automatically analyze Git repositories for API definitions

Create Shared Style Guide ProjectsPremium

Create shared style guides for teams

Dependency Graph

Visualize dependencies between API components

Enable Shared Style GuidesPremium

Enable and use shared style guides across workspace

Enable Stoplight Style Guide

Use built-in Stoplight style guide

Model MaskingPremium

Mask sensitive data in API models

Search and Filter

Search and filter API assets

Star API Assets

Star favorite API assets

Technical Knowledge Base

Create technical knowledge bases for APIs

Also in: MuleSoft, Looker, Okta

Integration(4)

Catalog API AccessPremium

API access to catalog of API definitions

Cloud Git Providers

Integration with cloud Git providers

Self-Hosted Git ProvidersPremium

Integration with self-hosted Git providers

Stoplight CLI

Command-line interface for Stoplight

Security(1)

LDAP and SAML SSOPremium

Enterprise single sign-on with LDAP and SAML

Support(2)

24x7 Community Access

24/7 access to Stoplight community support

Priority SupportPremium

Priority support with faster response times

Pricing

Free

Free
  • 1 project maximum
  • OpenAPI/JSON schema visual designer
  • Interactive docs
  • Instant mock servers
  • 24x7 access to knowledge base
  • 24x7 access to community
  • Public projects
  • Search and filter

Basic

$44/month (annual) or $56/month (monthly)
  • First 3 users free, $11-$14 per additional user
  • Unlimited projects
  • OpenAPI/JSON schema visual designer
  • Code-based editing
  • Schema reuse
  • Design validation
  • Git sync
  • Interactive API docs
  • API console
  • Rich markdown articles
  • Code generation
  • Automatic SSL
  • Unlimited documentation views
  • Versioning
  • Theming
  • Custom domains with Stoplight branding
  • API style guides
  • Enable Stoplight style guide
  • Technical knowledge base
  • Automatic Git repo analysis
  • Search and filter
  • Automatic changelogs
  • User management and RBAC
  • Per-project user access
  • Public projects
  • Internal projects
  • Private projects
  • Credit card payment
  • Self-service portal
  • 14-day free trial

Startup

$113/month (annual) or $147/month (monthly)
  • First 8 users free, $11-$14 per additional user
  • Unlimited projects
  • All Basic features plus:
  • Multi-branch support
  • Custom domains, theming and favicon
  • Google Analytics integration
  • Approved email domains
  • Workspace teams
  • Cloud Git providers
  • 14-day free trial

Pro Team

Popular
$362/month (annual) or $453/month (monthly)
  • First 15 users free, $22-$27 per additional user
  • Unlimited projects
  • Up to 20 teams
  • All Startup features plus:
  • Shared style guides
  • Create shared style guide projects
  • Enable shared style guides
  • Discussions
  • Component libraries (beta)
  • Model masking
  • Dependency graph
  • Remove Stoplight branding
  • Self-hosted Git providers
  • Activity logs
  • LDAP & SAML SSO
  • Catalog API access
  • Workspace groups
  • Invoicing (annual plans only)
  • 14-day free trial

Enterprise

Custom
  • Custom pricing
  • Unlimited projects and teams
  • Custom payment terms
  • Invoicing
  • Priority support
  • All Pro Team features

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Stoplight

Monthly$56/mo
Yearly$672/yr
5-Year Total$3.4k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~4 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $432
SaaS
$672
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $1.3k
SaaS
$2k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $2.2k
SaaS
$3.4k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 57 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Stoplight alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 57 features.

Buy Stoplight

Better Value
Monthly cost$560/mo
3-year total$20,160
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$36,000
Maintenance$540/mo
3-year total$55,440
Dev time~3 months

Buying Stoplight saves ~$35,280 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 57 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

7 known integrations