This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them

Period

–Visits

–Page views

–Clicks to vendors

–Time on page

–Reading now

Clicks to vendors, by tool

Top countries

Devices

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

phpDocumentor

Free#24 of 28 in API Documentation ToolsDocumentation Generators

phpDocumentor: A focused, open-source choice for PHP API documentation and project guides. Ranked #24 of 28 in API Documentation Tools by our editors (6.3/10); pricing: Open source; best for PHP teams documenting code and class APIs.

6.3/10Editor score

Visit phpDocumentor

phpDocumentor6.3 Visit phpDocumentor

At a glance

Editor score
6.3 / 10
Pricing
Open source
Best for
PHP teams documenting code and class APIs
Paid from
Free
OpenAPI import
No
Facts checked
20 Sep 2026

Where it wins
- Generates PHP API documentation and UML class diagrams
- Combines class documentation with reStructuredText guides
- Supports templates, search, caching, and CI workflows
Where it doesn't
- No OpenAPI import or interactive API reference
- No built-in code samples or custom-domain option
- Configured multi-version support currently handles one version

Our verdict on phpDocumentor

phpDocumentor is an open-source documentation generator for PHP projects. It analyzes PHP source code and DocBlock comments to create API documentation, while also rendering hand-written reStructuredText guides alongside class documentation. Developers and teams maintaining PHP libraries or applications can run it locally on Linux or macOS through a PHAR, Docker image, Composer package, or Phive installation. Its focus is source-based PHP documentation rather than hosted interactive API publishing.

The documentation workflow covers more than class and method reference pages. phpDocumentor can create UML class diagrams with PlantUML or GraphViz, add full-text search to generated documentation, and use customizable templates and navigation. Caching can support repeated documentation generation, while GitHub Actions and Docker integrations fit continuous-integration workflows. Composer and Phive provide additional installation paths for PHP teams that already manage project tooling through those ecosystems.

phpDocumentor is a strong fit when the source code and DocBlocks are the primary documentation inputs, and when a team wants control over local generation, templates, and delivery. It is less suited to teams seeking OpenAPI import, interactive API references, built-in code samples, custom domains, or a hosted platform. The published configuration supports multiple documentation versions in its model, but current projects are limited to a single configured version. Choose it for focused PHP API documentation and companion guides; consider an alternative when interactive, hosted, or broader API-specification workflows are central.

Your product? Our editors can test phpDocumentor in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

phpDocumentor pricing

Plans Open sourceFree Free to use — no paid tier required for the core job.

See plans on phpdoc.org

phpDocumentor fact sheet

Free plan	Not verified
Paid from	Free
OpenAPI import	No
Interactive API reference	No
Code samples	No
API versioning	No
Custom domain	No
Hosting model	Self_hosted
Deployment	Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, macOS
Support	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business (editorial estimate)
Integrations	4 integrations: GitHub Actions, Docker, Composer, Phive
Pricing	Open source
Website	phpdoc.org
Facts checked	20 Sep 2026

phpDocumentor integrations

phpDocumentor lists 4 integrations on its own site.

GitHub Actions
Docker
Composer
Phive

Alternatives to phpDocumentor

See all phpDocumentor alternatives →

Also Ranked In

phpDocumentor is ranked in 2 of our directories.

#25Documentation Generators39 tools ranked

Used phpDocumentor? Be the first to review it

The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used phpDocumentor for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.

Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears

Reviews come only from verified accounts. Sign in or create an account first — your e-mail is never shown.

Title

Your review

0 characters · at least 80, up to 3,000

Pros (optional · one per line)

Cons (optional · one per line)

Your name (shown with your review)

Role (optional)

Company (optional)

How long have you used it?

I've used phpDocumentor myself and this is my honest opinion — nobody paid or asked me to write it.

Posted from your verified account. Reviews appear after an editor reads them, usually within two working days.

Featured on iTechGuides

phpDocumentor is listed in our API Documentation Tools directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/phpdocumentor/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/phpdocumentor.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update