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apidex vs Stoplight Elements: focused viewer vs full platform
Stoplight is a full API design platform with mocks, governance, and collaborative editing. apidex is a focused viewer for the moment when you already have a spec and you just want it live.
Different products, different goals
Stoplight is an end-to-end API design suite — visual editors, style guides, mock servers, organization-wide governance. Stoplight Elements is the open-source viewer that ships with it. It's a great fit if you're investing in a platform.
apidex doesn't try to be a platform. It does one thing: turn an OpenAPI 3 spec into beautiful, browsable, interactive documentation behind a single link. If that's the job, it's the fastest path there.
When to pick Stoplight Elements
Pick Stoplight when you're standardizing API design across an organization and you need governance, mocks, and a shared editing experience.
When to pick apidex
Pick apidex when the spec already exists and the only thing missing is a beautiful, shareable place to read and try it. No platform, no migration, no learning curve.