An honest review from a solo technical writer at an AI startup
Let me be upfront: I didn't choose Mintlify. When I joined my current company as the first and only technical writer, the platform had already been selected. The documentation needed a complete overhaul, and Mintlify was what I had to work with.
At first, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd heard of Mintlify but never used it. Now, after months of building documentation from scratch on this platform, I have opinions, and honestly? I'd choose it myself if I had to start over.
Here's my honest take on Mintlify what works, what's tricky, and why it might (or might not) be right for you.
How Mintlify Compares to Alternatives
Even though I didn't make the initial choice, I've since evaluated whether it was the right one. Here's how Mintlify stacks up against what else is out there:
GitBook is the go-to for many teams. It's polished, collaborative, and has a gentle learning curve. But for a developer-focused product with heavy API documentation, I found it limiting. The customization options felt restrictive, and the pricing scales quickly as your team grows.
ReadMe is fantastic for API documentation specifically. The interactive API explorer is genuinely impressive. But if you need more than API docs; tutorials, conceptual guides, getting started content, it starts to feel like you're fighting the platform.
Docusaurus gives you complete control. It's open-source, React-based, and incredibly flexible. The trade-off? You're essentially maintaining a website. For a solo technical writer at a startup, that overhead wasn't something I could justify.
Mintlify sits in an interesting middle ground: docs-as-code workflow, beautiful defaults, and enough customization to not feel boxed in.
What I Love About Mintlify
The Docs-as-Code Workflow Changed Everything
This was the game-changer for me. My documentation lives in a GitHub repository, written in MDX (Markdown with components). Every change goes through a pull request. Engineers can review docs the same way they review code.
Why this matters:
- Version control: I can see exactly what changed, when, and why
- Collaboration: Engineers can suggest edits directly in the files they know
- Deployment: Push to main, docs update automatically
- Backup: My documentation is just files in a repo, not locked in someone's database
Coming from tools where documentation lived in a web interface, this felt like a revelation. No more copy-pasting between platforms. No more wondering if I saved my changes. Just Git.
The Defaults Are Actually Beautiful
I've used documentation tools where "out of the box" meant spending a week on styling before you could show anyone. Mintlify's defaults look professional from day one.
The typography is clean. The navigation makes sense. Dark mode works properly. Code blocks have syntax highlighting. These sound like basics, but you'd be surprised how many platforms get them wrong.
For a startup where I needed to ship documentation fast, not spending time on design decisions was a gift.
MDX Components Save Hours
Mintlify comes with built-in components that would take forever to build yourself:
- Tabs for showing multiple code examples (Python, JavaScript, cURL)
- Callouts for notes, warnings, and tips
- Cards for navigation and feature highlights
- Steps for sequential instructions
- Code groups for switching between related examples
- API playground that lets developers test endpoints directly in the docs
These aren't just nice-to-have. They're the difference between documentation that people skim and documentation that people actually use.
The API Reference Generation
If you're documenting APIs, Mintlify can generate reference documentation from your OpenAPI spec. You maintain your spec file, and the docs stay in sync.
Is it perfect? No. I still end up writing custom content around the generated reference. But having the baseline automatically generated with request/response examples, parameter descriptions, and authentication details saves significant time.
What I Wish I Knew Earlier
The Learning Curve Is Real
Mintlify markets itself as simple, and it is once you understand the patterns. But there's a learning curve that caught me off guard.
The docs.json configuration file controls your entire site structure. Navigation, styling, integrations, redirects — it's all in one file. When things break, you're often debugging JSON structure.
My first few weeks involved a lot of trial and error. "Why isn't this page showing up in the sidebar?" Usually: I forgot to add it to the navigation config. "Why is this redirect not working?" Usually: path formatting issues.
If you're not comfortable with JSON configuration and Git workflows, budget time for learning.
Image Handling Has Quirks
This one bit me multiple times. Images in Mintlify need to be in specific locations, and the path syntax depends on where your MDX file lives.
I've debugged countless "image not displaying" issues. The culprit is usually:
- Wrong path (relative vs. absolute)
- Case sensitivity in filenames
- Forgetting to commit the image file to Git
My advice: establish a clear image organization system from day one and stick to it religiously.
Some Features Need Workarounds
Not everything works exactly as documented. I've had to get creative with:
- Dark/light mode images: Needed custom CSS classes to swap images based on theme
- Nested navigation: The sidebar structure has limits that required restructuring my content
- Custom components: Possible, but requires understanding the underlying system
None of these are dealbreakers, but they're the kind of friction that adds up when you're trying to move fast.
Enterprise Features Cost Extra
If you need authentication, personalization, or analytics beyond the basics, you're looking at higher-tier plans. I implemented customer-specific documentation using Mintlify's authentication features, it works well, but it wasn't part of the base package.
For a startup, be realistic about what features you need now vs. later. The free and lower tiers are generous for getting started, but factor in growth.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use Mintlify
Mintlify is great if you:
- Want docs-as-code without building your own system
- Have developer-focused documentation with API content
- Value beautiful defaults over unlimited customization
- Are comfortable with Git and Markdown
- Need to ship documentation quickly at a startup
Consider alternatives if you:
- Need heavy collaboration features for non-technical writers
- Want a completely custom design (Docusaurus gives more control)
- Primarily need internal documentation (Notion or Confluence might be simpler)
- Have a large team that needs granular permissions
The Bottom Line
I didn't choose Mintlify but after months of daily use, I'm glad someone else did. If I were starting fresh at a new company and had to pick a documentation platform myself, Mintlify would be at the top of my list.
The docs-as-code workflow fits how I think about documentation. The defaults are beautiful. The components save time. The platform gets out of my way and lets me focus on writing.
Is it perfect? No. The learning curve is steeper than advertised. Some features need workarounds. Enterprise features add up.
But for a solo technical writer at a startup building developer documentation? It's been the right tool for the job.
What documentation platform do you use? I'm curious what's worked (and what hasn't) for others. Drop a comment — I read every one.
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