head to head · open source
devdocs vs simba
devdocs has 39,596 GitHub stars, 2,656 forks, 196 open issues and last shipped yesterday. simba has 1,547 stars, 115 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. devdocs leads on adoption by 2,460% (39,596 vs 1,547 stars). devdocs is written in Ruby under MPL-2.0; simba is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. devdocs has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, simba 7%. devdocs was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| devdocs | simba | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 40K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-06-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 115 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick devdocs if
- You weight community size — 40K stars and counting
- You want the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick simba if
- You want the simba feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and simba fits your workflow better
About devdocs
DevDocs — API Documentation Browser DevDocs combines multiple developer documentations in a clean and organized web UI with instant search, offline support, mobile version, dark theme, keyboard shortcuts, and more. DevDocs was created by Thibaut Courouble and is operated by freeCodeCamp. We are currently searching for maintainers Please reach out to the community on Discord if you would like to join the team! Keep track of development news: Join the contributors chat room on Discord Watch the repository on GitHub Table of Contents: Quick Start · Vision · App · Scraper · Commands · Contributing · Documentation ·…
read the full devdocs overview →
About simba
High Efficiency Customer Service Assistant See how easy it is to integrate Simba into your website What is Simba? Simba is an open source customer service assistant built for teams who need full control over their AI. Unlike black box solutions, Simba is designed from the ground up around evaluation and customization , so you can measure performance, iterate fast, and tailor the assistant to your exact needs. Why Simba? Key Features Evaluation First Design Track retrieval accuracy, generation quality, and latency out of the box. Know exactly how your assistant performs. Fully Customizable Swap embedding models…
read the full simba overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is devdocs or simba more popular?
devdocs has 39,596 GitHub stars and simba has 1,547. devdocs has the larger community by that measure.
Are devdocs and simba free?
Both are open source. devdocs is licensed under MPL-2.0 and simba under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between devdocs and simba?
devdocs is written in Ruby and simba in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, devdocs or simba?
Choose devdocs if you want the larger community (39,596 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose simba if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.