VitePress vs VuePress
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A static site generator built on Vite and Vue for writing documentation sites in Markdown.
Open source · MIT
A minimal static site generator for docs and blogs, built on Vue (v1, now in maintenance mode).
The short answer
Choose VitePress if you need…
- Developers who want a documentation site for a software project
- Teams that already use Vue or Vite and want a familiar toolchain
- People who prefer writing content in Markdown rather than a CMS
Choose VuePress if you need…
- Developers with an existing VuePress v1 documentation site who need to keep it running
- Teams already comfortable with Vue who want a simple Markdown-to-site tool
- People maintaining a project that already uses VuePress v1
Side-by-side
| VitePress | VuePress | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 18.5k | 22.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 8 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
VitePress
VitePress turns Markdown files into a fast, ready-to-publish website, mainly for documentation. It is built on Vite and Vue, and the README describes it as a spiritual successor to VuePress. The README is short and points to the official docs at vitepress.dev for setup and usage details.
VuePress
VuePress is a tool that turns Markdown files into a static website, using Vue for the page templates. It is aimed mainly at documentation sites and blogs. The README says VuePress v1 is now in maintenance mode, and points to VitePress (officially supported by the Vue team) and VuePress v2+ (community supported) as the newer options.
Best for
VitePress
- Developers who want a documentation site for a software project
- Teams that already use Vue or Vite and want a familiar toolchain
- People who prefer writing content in Markdown rather than a CMS
VuePress
- Developers with an existing VuePress v1 documentation site who need to keep it running
- Teams already comfortable with Vue who want a simple Markdown-to-site tool
- People maintaining a project that already uses VuePress v1
Strengths
VitePress
- Built on Vite and Vue, two widely used tools in the web ecosystem
- Output is static files, so hosting can be simple
- Released under the MIT license and actively maintained, with a recent push to the repository
VuePress
- Minimal and focused on turning Markdown into a static site
- Uses Vue, so customization can be done with familiar Vue concepts
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Not ideal for
VitePress
- Non-developers who need a point-and-click website builder, since it requires working with code and the command line
- Projects that need a dynamic, database-driven site, because VitePress generates static pages
VuePress
- New projects: the README says v1 is in maintenance mode, so VitePress or VuePress v2+ is the better starting point
- Non-developers who want a no-code website builder, since it requires working with Node-based tooling
- Anyone needing active new feature development, since the README does not indicate ongoing feature work on v1
Trade-offs
VitePress
- The latest release is an alpha (v2.0.0-alpha.21), so APIs may change before a stable version
- The README is brief, so detailed setup and configuration live on the external docs site
VuePress
- v1 is in maintenance mode according to the README, so new features are unlikely
- The README offers little detail on setup for end users; most guidance is for contributors
- Newer alternatives (VitePress, VuePress v2+) are recommended by the project itself
Getting started
VitePress
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vuejs/vitepress.gitVuePress
Install all dependencies (from a local checkout)
yarn installServe VuePress' own docs with itself
yarn devFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between VitePress and VuePress?
VitePress: A static site generator built on Vite and Vue for writing documentation sites in Markdown. VuePress: A minimal static site generator for docs and blogs, built on Vue (v1, now in maintenance mode). VitePress suits developers who want a documentation site for a software project, while VuePress suits developers with an existing vuepress v1 documentation site who need to keep it running.
Are VitePress and VuePress free?
VitePress: Free and open source. VuePress: Free and open source.
Is VitePress or VuePress more popular?
VuePress has more GitHub stars (22.7k) than VitePress (18.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to VitePress and VuePress?
Other options people compare them with include Docusaurus, Slidev, docsify, Jekyll, Eleventy.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.