HelpLayerCompare / GitBook
HelpLayer vs GitBook
GitBook is a documentation platform with a visual editor and two-way GitHub and GitLab sync, priced per site and per user. HelpLayer is the help center that keeps itself up to date: when your product changes, it writes the update to the article and its narrated video, for you to approve.
Free plan · no card needed
CHOOSE GITBOOK IF
You write product or developer docs together with engineers, want them synced with Git, and are fine paying per site, per user and per AI answer.
CHOOSE HELPLAYER IF
You run customer help: you want articles, narrated videos and click-through demos made for you and updated when your product changes, at a flat price.
FEATURE BY FEATURE
Where they differ
| Feature | HelpLayer | GitBook |
|---|---|---|
| Help center with AI answers | Free plan, then $29 a month flat (3 team members). AI answers included. | $65 per site + $12 per user a month (Essential, billed yearly); each AI answer uses 20 credits ($0.20), 2,000 included |
| Free plan | Yes: 1 help center, 25 articles | Yes: 1 user, no custom domain, no AI answers for readers |
| Keeps articles up to date | Watches GitHub and web pages, writes the update, you approve it | Finds gaps and outdated pages from questions and support tools, drafts a change when you ask (beta, Ultimate) |
| Narrated video tutorials | Made from the article's steps, made again when they change | Embed a video (YouTube, Vimeo, Loom) |
| Click-through demos | Made from the article's steps | Embed one from Arcade, Supademo or Storylane |
| AI answers in your app | Widget, included | Docs Embed with the assistant (Ultimate, $249 per site) |
| AI assistants can read it | llms.txt and an MCP server, built in | llms.txt and an MCP server, on every plan |
| Moving your articles | From a CSV file | Markdown, Word, Confluence, Notion, Google Docs and more |
| Custom domain | Yes | Essential and up |
WHAT IT COSTS
One docs site, 3 editors, 1,000 questions a month
GitBook Essential
$258.50 a month
site $65 + 3 users × $12 = $101+ 1,000 answers × 20 credits = 20,000 credits:2,000 included, 15,000 for $127.50, 3,000 × $0.01 = $30
The chat assistant and the in-app embed need Ultimate: about $375 a month for the same.
HelpLayer Pro
$29 a month
3 team members, 3 help centersAI answers includedin-app widget included
Videos and demos included too.
GitBook prices from gitbook.com/pricing, billed yearly, October 5, 2026, counting every question as one that uses credits (20 each).
WHERE GITBOOK IS AHEAD
- Two-way GitHub and GitLab sync, which suits docs written with engineers.
- An API reference with a playground, and personalised or gated docs.
- llms.txt and an MCP server on every plan, even Free.
- A free Community plan for open-source and non-profit projects.
WHERE HELPLAYER IS AHEAD
- Watches your code and pages, and writes the update itself; you approve it.
- Makes the narrated video and the click-through demo from each article.
- One flat price: no per-user fee and no charge per AI answer.
- A Chrome extension and a Mac app that turn a click-through into a guide.
QUESTIONS
HelpLayer vs GitBook: questions
Is HelpLayer a GitBook alternative?
For a customer help center, yes: articles, AI answers, an in-app widget, videos and demos. For developer docs kept in Git with an API playground, GitBook is the better fit.
What does AI cost in each?
In GitBook, each AI answer uses 20 credits ($0.20), with 2,000 credits a month included per Essential site. In HelpLayer, AI answers are included in the plan.
How does HelpLayer keep articles up to date?
You connect an article to its sources: a GitHub repository or a web page, like your pricing page or changelog. When they change, HelpLayer works out which articles the change touches, writes the update to the text and the video, and waits for your approval.
Can I move my GitBook docs to HelpLayer?
Yes: bring your pages over as a CSV file (Articles → Import CSV), then connect your sources so they stay up to date.
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Sources, checked October 5, 2026: GitBook pricing · AI assistant · Content gaps · LLM-ready docs · Embeds · Importing. GitBook is a trademark of its owner. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.