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feat(docs): enhance comparison documents with Fern components
- Add CardGroup with icons for top 10 enterprise gaps in summary
- Convert detailed feature sections to Accordions in full document
- Add Info, Success, Warning, and Launch callouts throughout
- Enhance key links section with Cards for better organization
- Improve visual hierarchy and readability with collapsible sections
- Make documents more digestible and scannable for sales engineering use
Co-Authored-By: Chris McDonnell <[email protected]>
# Stainless Docs vs Fern Docs: Enterprise Feature Comparison
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## Executive Summary
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## Executive summary
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<Infotitle="Overview">
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Fern Docs is a production-ready, enterprise-grade documentation platform with comprehensive features for large-scale API documentation, while Stainless Docs Platform remains in early access with significant feature gaps for enterprise deployments.
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</Info>
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**Key Enterprise Advantages of Fern:**
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**Key enterprise advantages of Fern:**
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1.**Production Maturity**: Fern is production-ready and battle-tested, while Stainless explicitly warns of "breaking changes before 1.0" in their early access phase.
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---
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## Detailed Feature Comparison
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## Detailed feature comparison
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### 1. Platform Maturity and Stability
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<AccordionGroup>
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<Accordiontitle="1. Platform maturity and stability"defaultOpen={true}>
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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**Gap Analysis:** Stainless is not ready for enterprise production deployments where API stability and backward compatibility are critical. Fern's production-ready status makes it suitable for mission-critical documentation.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 2. Content Authoring and Governance
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<Accordiontitle="2. Content authoring and governance">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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**Gap Analysis:** Stainless requires all authors to use Git workflows and code editors, limiting collaboration to technical team members. Fern's visual editor democratizes documentation authoring, enabling technical writers, product managers, and support teams to contribute without Git expertise.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 3. API Reference and Interactive Testing
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<Accordiontitle="3. API reference and interactive testing">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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**Gap Analysis:** Stainless lacks an interactive API testing environment, forcing developers to use external tools like Postman or curl. Fern's integrated API Explorer reduces friction and enables developers to test endpoints without leaving the documentation, with automatic credential injection for authenticated users.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 4. RBAC, Versioning, and Multi-Product Support
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<Accordiontitle="4. RBAC, versioning, and multi-product support">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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Fern's RBAC and versioning capabilities are essential for enterprises with complex API portfolios and diverse user bases.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 5. AI-Powered Search and Assistance
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<Accordiontitle="5. AI-powered search and assistance">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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Stainless offers basic RAG search without the operational controls needed for enterprise deployments where answer accuracy and compliance are critical.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 6. Authentication and Security
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<Accordiontitle="6. Authentication and security">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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- Compliance with security policies requiring authenticated documentation access
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- Integration with existing identity providers (Okta, Azure AD, etc.)
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 7. Hosting and Deployment
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<Accordiontitle="7. Hosting and deployment">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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Fern's self-hosted Docker container includes all necessary services (PostgreSQL, MinIO, MeiliSearch, FDR, Next.js UI), making it suitable for regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government) that require on-premises deployment with full data sovereignty.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 8. Redirects, SEO, and Large-Site Operations
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<Accordiontitle="8. Redirects, SEO, and large-site operations">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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Stainless lacks documented redirect capabilities, making it unsuitable for migrations or large-scale content reorganization.
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---
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</Accordion>
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### 9. Analytics and Observability
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<Accordiontitle="9. Analytics and observability">
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| Feature | Fern Docs | Stainless Docs |
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|---------|-----------|----------------|
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1.**Enterprise Requirements**: You need RBAC, SSO, versioning, or multi-product documentation
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2.**Regulated Industries**: You require self-hosted deployment with full data sovereignty
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3.**Interactive Testing**: Developers need to test APIs directly in documentation
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9.**Production Stability**: You need a stable, battle-tested platform with backward compatibility
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10.**Comprehensive Support**: You want white-glove migration and ongoing support
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### Choose Stainless Docs When:
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</Accordion>
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<Accordiontitle="Choose Stainless Docs when">
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1.**Early Adopter**: You're comfortable with early access software and breaking changes
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2.**Simple Documentation**: You have straightforward documentation needs without versioning or RBAC
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3.**Astro Expertise**: Your team prefers Astro and wants deep customization control
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9.**Cloudflare Preference**: You're committed to Cloudflare's ecosystem
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10.**Patience for Maturity**: You can wait for the platform to reach 1.0 stability
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</Accordion>
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</AccordionGroup>
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## Migration Considerations
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## Migration considerations
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### Migrating from Stainless to Fern
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-**Effort**: Medium - Content can be migrated from MDX/Markdoc to Fern MDX
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## Conclusion
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Fern Docs is the clear choice for enterprise organizations requiring production-ready documentation with advanced features like RBAC, versioning, interactive API testing, visual editing, enterprise SSO, and full-stack self-hosting. The platform's maturity, comprehensive feature set, and robust infrastructure make it suitable for mission-critical documentation at scale.
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<Launch>
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**Fern Docs is the clear choice for enterprise organizations** requiring production-ready documentation with advanced features like RBAC, versioning, interactive API testing, visual editing, enterprise SSO, and full-stack self-hosting. The platform's maturity, comprehensive feature set, and robust infrastructure make it suitable for mission-critical documentation at scale.
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Stainless Docs Platform shows promise with its Astro-based architecture and SDK-native approach, but remains in early access with significant feature gaps for enterprise deployments. Organizations should wait for Stainless to reach production maturity before considering it for critical documentation needs.
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**Stainless Docs Platform shows promise** with its Astro-based architecture and SDK-native approach, but remains in early access with significant feature gaps for enterprise deployments. Organizations should wait for Stainless to reach production maturity before considering it for critical documentation needs.
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For enterprises evaluating documentation platforms today, Fern Docs provides the stability, features, and support required for successful API documentation programs.
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**For enterprises evaluating documentation platforms today**, Fern Docs provides the stability, features, and support required for successful API documentation programs.
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