Startup decision matrix: choose in one minute

Pick	Use it when
Mintlify	Your docs live in the repo, API reference should come from an OpenAPI spec, and engineers prefer review through Git pull requests (source: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07)).
Document360	Non-engineers will author most help content, you need approval workflows and roles, or you are building an internal knowledge base (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Mintlify aligns with GitHub and OpenAPI workflows; Document360 provides a hosted portal, WYSIWYG authoring, and custom domain support (sources: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

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Hybrid can work when the split is deliberate: keep API docs in Mintlify and end-user help in Document360. Cross-link the header navigation, reuse product-area slugs, and align URL patterns so support, sales, and developers see one information architecture.

Pricing checkpoints that matter at seed and Series A

Before choosing, open both pricing pages and mark the same cost drivers: editor seats, project or portal count, environments or versions, custom domain, SSO, and analytics (sources: Mintlify Pricing page (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Pricing page (consulted 2026-07)).

Seed

Forecast the next two quarters by listing named editors: engineers, support, and PM. If only engineers edit today, keep support as viewers until workflow pain is real (sources: Mintlify Pricing page (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Pricing page (consulted 2026-07)).

Series A

Model workspace growth before products split. An added product, docs locale, or private partner area can require another project, portal, environment, or version (sources: Mintlify Pricing page (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Pricing page (consulted 2026-07)).

Pilot lean: start on an entry tier with one project and publish real public docs (sources: Mintlify Pricing page (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Pricing page (consulted 2026-07)). Before inviting more editors, validate export, redirect, and migration paths.

For public docs, inspect limits tied to content size, traffic, and build or publish frequency on both pricing pages (sources: Mintlify Pricing page (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Pricing page (consulted 2026-07)).

Workflow fit: repo‑first vs portal‑first (how it feels day‑to‑day)

Mintlify: repo-first

Mintlify treats docs as files in your codebase: teams write Markdown/MDX, review changes with pull requests, and let Git carry history, branching, and versioning (source: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07)).

Document360: portal-first

Document360 runs a hosted knowledge base with browser-based WYSIWYG authoring, role assignment, review workflows, APIs, and webhooks (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Day-to-day, Mintlify fits a product team already living in an IDE. Docs changes can be reviewed next to related code changes before merge (source: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07)).

Document360 fits support, success, and ops teams that need browser editing without Git. Its portal workflow supports a draft-review-publish pattern across PM, support, and owner roles (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Map product UI states and onboarding emails to exact article URLs, not to a generic help center home. Both platforms document custom domains and search, which supports native-looking and discoverable help links (sources: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07); Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

1‑day setup playbook: Mintlify path

Bootstrap the repo

Initialize the docs inside the product repo with a Mintlify starter, then commit the generated Markdown/MDX files and config. Set navigation, theme tokens, and the first page groups in the Mintlify config before writing long-form content (source: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07)).

Generate the API reference

Import your OpenAPI definition so Mintlify can render endpoint pages and request examples. Keep the spec in the repo, review it like code, and add language tabs only for SDKs or snippets you actually support (source: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07)).

Make edits safe

Add CONTRIBUTING.md with ownership rules for docs changes, including how to update API specs and screenshots. Add a PR template with docs preview checks, then require branch protection on docs folders before merge.

Publish from merge

Connect analytics and search in the Mintlify project settings, then attach the custom domain your users will bookmark. Configure CI so a merge to the protected branch builds and deploys the docs automatically (source: Mintlify Docs (consulted 2026-07)).

1‑day setup playbook: Document360 path

Create the portal skeleton

Create the project first, then lock the top-level taxonomy: product area, audience, and task type. Pick a base template before drafting articles, so navigation, header style, and article layout stay consistent across categories (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Move existing content in

Import existing Markdown or HTML where Document360 supports the source format. Convert repeated article types into templates: troubleshooting, how-to, API concept, and release note. Add a lightweight style guide covering title format, prerequisites, screenshots, and CTA placement (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Set ownership and review

Invite editors only after categories and templates exist. Assign roles by function: product writes, support edits, engineering validates technical claims. Enable a simple review workflow, and turn on versioning when the docs must track multiple shipped product versions (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Publish and wire product traffic

Publish the knowledge base on a custom domain. Enable article feedback widgets and analytics, then add CTAs from the product UI to the exact help topics users need: onboarding, billing, permissions, imports, and error recovery (source: Document360 Documentation (consulted 2026-07)).

Mintlify vs Document360: Best Pick for Startups