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Head-to-head · Documentation Generators

Doxygen vs Dokka

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Doxygen #3 in Documentation Generators 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Doxygen
Dokka #6 in Documentation Generators 8.7/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit JetBrains

Doxygen leads on 0 checks, Dokka on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDoxygen · 9.0/10
  • Free planonly Doxygen
  • Most featuresDokka · 2 of 3

Doxygen scores higher on our rubric for documentation generators: 9.0 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

Doxygen is the better fit for multi-language source-code API documentation. Dokka is the better fit for kotlin and Java API documentation.

  • Doxygen fits best

    Multi-language source-code API documentation

  • Dokka fits best

    Kotlin and Java API documentation

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Side by side

Feature Doxygen 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Dokka 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.7
Ranking #3 in Documentation Generators #6 in Documentation Generators
Best for Multi-language source-code API documentation Kotlin and Java API documentation
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Doxygen 0/3 · Dokka 2/3
API reference generation Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Versioned documentation Not checked yet ✓ (best)
CI/CD integration Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Source inputs Not checked yet Kotlin source with KDoc, Java source with Javadoc, Markdown module and package documentation
Output formats Not checked yet HTML, Javadoc HTML, GitHub Flavored Markdown, Jekyll-compatible Markdown
Programming languages Not checked yet Kotlin, Java
Our review
Pros
  • Supports programming and hardware-description languages
  • Outputs HTML, LaTeX, RTF, XML, DocBook, and man pages
  • Includes diagrams, search, Markdown, examples, and Doxywizard
  • Supports Kotlin KDoc and Java Javadoc in mixed-language projects
  • Outputs HTML, Javadoc HTML, GFM, and Jekyll-compatible Markdown
  • Runs with Gradle, Maven, CLI, and supports versioned documentation
Cons
  • Primarily generates documentation locally rather than hosting it
  • Configuration relies on a Doxyfile and source-code documentation
  • Not positioned as a hosted OpenAPI documentation platform
  • Focused on API documentation rather than a broader documentation suite
  • Requires source comments such as KDoc or Javadoc for API content
  • Its workflow centers on Kotlin, Java, and listed Markdown inputs
Our verdict

Doxygen is a free, open-source documentation generator for software projects that parses source code and documentation comments. It produces browsable, cross-referenced documentation for APIs, classes, functions, files, namespaces, and…

Read the review →

Dokka is an open-source API documentation engine from JetBrains for developers and library teams working with Kotlin, Java, Android, and multiplatform projects. It reads Kotlin KDoc and Java Javadoc comments, making it suitable for…

Read the review →
  1. DoxygenDocumentation Generators 9.0Free plan
  2. DokkaDocumentation Generators 8.7Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Doxygen — where it wins

    • Supports programming and hardware-description languages
    • Outputs HTML, LaTeX, RTF, XML, DocBook, and man pages
    • Includes diagrams, search, Markdown, examples, and Doxywizard

    Where it doesn't

    • Primarily generates documentation locally rather than hosting it
    • Configuration relies on a Doxyfile and source-code documentation
    • Not positioned as a hosted OpenAPI documentation platform

  • Dokka — where it wins

    • Supports Kotlin KDoc and Java Javadoc in mixed-language projects
    • Outputs HTML, Javadoc HTML, GFM, and Jekyll-compatible Markdown
    • Runs with Gradle, Maven, CLI, and supports versioned documentation

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on API documentation rather than a broader documentation suite
    • Requires source comments such as KDoc or Javadoc for API content
    • Its workflow centers on Kotlin, Java, and listed Markdown inputs

More comparisons

All documentation generators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update