Startup Program
Documentation.AI gives startups its Pro plan for free: 12 months when you are venture-backed, and 6 when you are bootstrapped. Teams paying Mintlify or GitBook today qualify too.
Up to 12 months of Pro free · No card to start · Bootstrapped teams welcome
Two tiers: Venture and Founders
Venture
VC-backed12 monthsof Pro, free
For startups that have raised from a VC or an accelerator.
- Raised from a VC, or in an accelerator such as YC or Techstars
- Raised up to and including Series A
- Founded in the last 2 years
- Paying Mintlify or GitBook today is fine
- Not already paying for Documentation.AI
Founders
Bootstrapped6 monthsof Pro, free
For startups growing on their own revenue, or on angel money.
- Bootstrapped, or funded by angels, friends and family
- Under $1M in annual revenue
- Founded in the last 2 years
- Paying Mintlify or GitBook today is fine
- Not already paying for Documentation.AI
What the program includes
The full Pro plan
Automations, an MCP server and llms.txt, versions and languages, Git sync with preview sites, private docs behind your own login, and Ask AI.
30,000 AI credits a month
About 3,000 Ask AI answers a month at 10 credits each. Half of any unspent credits carry over to the next cycle.
Unlimited seats, four projects
A seat for everyone who writes or reviews docs, and separate sites for your product docs, API reference and SDKs.
We move your docs for you
Migration services for docs coming from Mintlify, GitBook, Docusaurus, Notion or anywhere else.
A review before you launch
An Agent Score audit of how well AI agents can read your docs, and a read-through from the team with what to fix first.
A private Slack channel
Priority support from the team in a shared Slack channel, from migration to launch and after.
What happens after the free period
Pro, free for 6 or 12 months
Venture gets 12 months and Founders gets 6. No card is needed to start.
Then the regular Pro price
$199 a month, or $159 a month billed yearly. You can move to another plan at any point instead.
Notice before any charge
We email you 30 days before the free period ends, and nothing is charged until you add a card.
How to join
Apply
Email supportdocumentation.ai with your company’s website and the year it was founded. If you are VC-backed, add your lead investor and a public link to the round: an announcement, your Crunchbase page or the investor’s portfolio page. If you are bootstrapped, add your annual revenue.
We review it
We check your funding or revenue against what you sent, and reply by email with your next step.
Move your docs across
We migrate your docs from wherever they live today, then run the launch review once they are in.
Mintlify and GitBook startup programs, compared
| Documentation.AIApply for free | Mintlify | GitBook | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligibility and terms | |||
| What you get | Pro free: 12 months if VC-backed, 6 if bootstrapped | 50% off Pro for 12 months | 6 months free |
| Plan | Pro | Pro | Not stated |
| Company age | Under 2 years | Under 2 years | Not stated |
| Funding | VC-backed up to Series A, or bootstrapped | Under $2M | Not stated |
| Bootstrapped startups | Eligible, 6 months free | Venture-backed only | Not stated |
| 12 months free for | Every VC-backed startup | The current YC batch | None listed |
| Price after the offer | Published | Not stated | Not stated |
| Cost | |||
| Price during the offer | $0 | $225 to $270 a month | $0 |
| Regular price of the plan | $199 a month, $159 yearly | $540 a month, $450 yearly | $249 a site + $12 a user* |
| AI | |||
| AI credits a month | 30,000 | 10,000 | Not stated |
| Credits per AI answer | 10 | 25 | 20 |
| AI answers a month | About 3,000 | About 400 | Not stated |
| Support | |||
| Migration services | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | |
| Support channel | Private Slack channel | Priority support | Direct support access |
| Eligibility and terms | |
|---|---|
| What you get | Pro free: 12 months if VC-backed, 6 if bootstrapped |
| Plan | Pro |
| Company age | Under 2 years |
| Funding | VC-backed up to Series A, or bootstrapped |
| Bootstrapped startups | Eligible, 6 months free |
| 12 months free for | Every VC-backed startup |
| Price after the offer | Published |
| Cost | |
| Price during the offer | $0 |
| Regular price of the plan | $199 a month, $159 yearly |
| AI | |
| AI credits a month | 30,000 |
| Credits per AI answer | 10 |
| AI answers a month | About 3,000 |
| Support | |
| Migration services | |
| Support channel | Private Slack channel |
| Eligibility and terms | |
|---|---|
| What you get | 50% off Pro for 12 months |
| Plan | Pro |
| Company age | Under 2 years |
| Funding | Under $2M |
| Bootstrapped startups | Venture-backed only |
| 12 months free for | The current YC batch |
| Price after the offer | Not stated |
| Cost | |
| Price during the offer | $225 to $270 a month |
| Regular price of the plan | $540 a month, $450 yearly |
| AI | |
| AI credits a month | 10,000 |
| Credits per AI answer | 25 |
| AI answers a month | About 400 |
| Support | |
| Migration services | Enterprise only |
| Support channel | Priority support |
| Eligibility and terms | |
|---|---|
| What you get | 6 months free |
| Plan | Not stated |
| Company age | Not stated |
| Funding | Not stated |
| Bootstrapped startups | Not stated |
| 12 months free for | None listed |
| Price after the offer | Not stated |
| Cost | |
| Price during the offer | $0 |
| Regular price of the plan | $249 a site + $12 a user* |
| AI | |
| AI credits a month | Not stated |
| Credits per AI answer | 20 |
| AI answers a month | Not stated |
| Support | |
| Migration services | Enterprise only |
| Support channel | Direct support access |
Competitor terms are from mintlify.com/startups, mintlify.com/pricing, gitbook.com/industries/startups and gitbook.com/pricing, checked 6 November 2026. “Not stated” means the program page does not say. Mintlify’s price during the offer is half its Pro price, billed yearly or monthly. *GitBook’s startup page names no plan; the price is its Ultimate plan billed yearly, the plan with the AI features compared here. Answers a month divide each plan’s credits by what one answer costs.
Frequently asked questions
What founders ask before they apply.
Who can apply?
Startups founded in the last 2 years. VC-backed startups, up to and including Series A, join Venture with 12 months of Pro free. Bootstrapped startups with under $1M in annual revenue join Founders with 6 months free.
What is the difference between Venture and Founders?
How you are funded. Venture is for startups that have raised from a VC or an accelerator, and gives 12 months of Pro free. Founders is for bootstrapped and angel-funded startups, and gives 6. Both tiers get the same Pro plan and the same help with migration and launch.
How do you check that we are VC-backed?
Name your lead investor when you apply, and link to a public record of the round: a funding announcement, your Crunchbase page or the investor’s portfolio page. We do not contact your investor.
We have raised from angels only. Which tier is ours?
Founders, with 6 months of Pro free. Venture is for startups that have raised from a VC or an accelerator.
We pay for Mintlify or GitBook today. Do we qualify?
Yes. Switching from another docs tool does not count against you, and the program includes migration services, so we move your docs across for you. The only startups excluded for what they pay are ones already paying for Documentation.AI.
How is this different from the Mintlify startup program?
Mintlify gives venture-backed startups under 2 years old with under $2M raised 50% off Pro for 12 months, so Pro still costs $225 to $270 a month, and only the current YC batch gets 12 months free. Here every VC-backed startup up to Series A gets 12 months of Pro free, and bootstrapped startups get 6. Pro here also gives 30,000 AI credits a month at 10 an answer, about 3,000 answers, where Mintlify’s gives 10,000 at 25, about 400.
What happens when the free period ends?
Pro moves to its regular price: $199 a month, or $159 a month billed yearly. We email you 30 days before the free period ends, and nothing is charged until you add a card. You can move to another plan at any point instead.
We are open source. Which program fits?
If the project has an OSI-approved license and a public repository, the Open Source Program gives its docs Pro free with no end date. Docs for a paid or hosted product built on it, a project under a source-available license such as BSL or FSL, and a closed-source product belong in the Startup Program.
What happens if we run out of AI credits?
Ask AI and the Documentation Agent pause until the next 30-day cycle, or until you top up. Your docs stay published and editable, there is no overage billing, and half of any unspent credits carry over to the next cycle.
Do we have to give a testimonial or be featured?
No. If you would like, we can feature your launch on our blog or customers page, but it is optional and not a condition of the program.
Apply to the Startup Program
Up to 12 months of Pro free · No card to start