Fern

What it is for

Fern is a hosted API Reference desk: you open Create user and read the request fields plus curl / 200 example, and Docs Free is $0/mo. Use it when the job is an API reference you start at a public $, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is Fern’s official API Reference (Create user, POST https://plantstore.swagger.io/api/v3/user, Request username / firstName / lastName / email / password / phone, curl plantlover123 / Katie / Neumann / plantlover123@email.com, 200 Successful id 1555) from the Create user still on Customize API Reference layout — not a pricing card. The plantlover123 example itself is ops of API Reference.

Key features

• API Reference — endpoint title, request fields, curl, and response on one page (cover still; docs). One desk. Cover Create user / plantlover123 sit here. Search sits here as a CTA, not a sixth desk.
• API Explorer — authenticated try-it against the live API (docs). A playground, not a curl cell. Explorer prints on Free.
• Guides / Markdown — the docs pages beside the reference (docs). An article, not a POST badge.
• SDKs — generated clients in TypeScript / Python / Go / Java and more (pricing.md SDKs). An SDK, not a request field. SDKs are priced separately from Docs.
• Ask Fern / MCP — the assistant trained on the same docs (pricing.md Free “Ask Fern, Fern Agent, and MCP server”). An assistant, not a 200 example.
• Custom domain — the published hostname (pricing.md Free “Custom domain and subpath”). A domain, not a username field.

Search on the cover is a CTA (not a desk). Docs Free / Enterprise tiles are the meter. Ask Fern / Fern Agent are AI extras, not a sixth desk we fold into API Reference.

Who it's for

Best fit: API teams who will stay on Docs Free at $0/mo (10 members, 1,000 pages) while they open a first API Reference, then Enterprise custom when they need SSO / multiple docs instances — not a paid Docs middle tile (the page we fetched prints only Free and Enterprise).

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) from buildwithfern.com/pricing.md. Docs and SDKs are priced separately. Each has Free and Enterprise. Do not invent a Pro Docs $.

• Docs Free — $0/mo (Free forever). 10 team members. 1,000 pages. 250 AI credits / month. 2,000 page generations / month. Custom domain and subpath. Guides, API references, changelogs. API explorer and web editor. Ask Fern, Fern Agent, and MCP. Version and product switching.
• Docs Enterprise — custom / book a demo. SSO, SCIM, advanced RBAC. Multiple repos and docs instances. Custom CSS / JS / React. Dedicated infrastructure; self-hosting available. Uptime SLA. Do not invent a $.
• SDK Free / Enterprise — priced separately on the same file. Confirm the SDK cards on pricing before you quote an SDK $.
• Postman Team — Postman customers can apply for raised Free allowances (pricing.md).

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Limitations / costs

• There is no public Docs Pro $. The page prints Free $0 and Enterprise custom.
• SDKs are a separate meter. Do not fold an SDK $ into Docs Free.
• An API Reference, not Mintlify’s playground. For that playground see Mintlify.

Alternatives

• Mintlify — a hosted API playground when you want Starter $0 / 5 seats, not Fern’s plantlover123 Create user.
• Docusaurus — a local docs page when you want MIT $0, not Fern Docs Free’s 1,000-page cap.
• ReadMe — a developer hub when you want ReadMe Starter $0, not Enterprise custom.

Official tutorial

Official Fern channel video: Auto-populate API Credentials with Fern Docs (oEmbed author: Fern). First-party Fern Docs how-to; the Create user still is the cover. Credentials chrome on the video is ops of API Explorer, not generate-on-the-curl.

Written path: buildwithfern.com/pricing plus the Create user still.

Website

https://buildwithfern.com

Repository

https://github.com/fern-api/fern

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is Fern’s official API Reference still (Create user POST + plantlover123 / Katie Neumann + 200 id 1555). Dollars checked on buildwithfern.com/pricing.md (Docs Free $0/mo; Enterprise custom; SDKs priced separately). Tutorial oEmbed author: Fern.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.