Comparisons
How Vellum differs from LaRecipe, the other package that serves Markdown documentation from inside a Laravel app.
LaRecipe
LaRecipe is the tool closest to Vellum: a Laravel package that serves Markdown from resources/docs at /docs. It has been around since 2018 and is still maintained. The table reflects both packages as of September 2026.
| Vellum | LaRecipe | |
|---|---|---|
| Rendering | Compiled once by vellum:build |
Parsed on each request, with an optional cache |
| Markdown | CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown | Parsedown Extra |
| Sidebar | Your folder structure, ordered by meta.json or frontmatter |
A hand-written index.md per version |
| Access control | Per page or folder: signed-in readers or a named gate, hidden pages return 404 | The whole site, behind a guard or your own middleware |
| Search | Built in, in the browser, filtered per reader. Laravel Scout optional | Algolia, or a built-in index of h2 and h3 headings |
| Static export | Yes | No |
| Front end | Alpine.js, compiled assets included | Vue |
| Dark mode | Built in | A separate package |
| Components | ::: directives and Blade components |
Blade, and Vue components through asset packages |
| Requirements | PHP 8.4, Laravel 11 to 13 | PHP 7.1 or later, Laravel 5.4 to 13 |
LaRecipe fits better if you are on an older PHP or Laravel version, or want one of its add-on packages: Swagger, right-to-left layouts, reader feedback, Disqus comments.
Vellum fits better if some pages are for some readers only, if you also want a static copy of the docs, or if you want broken links caught before a deploy.
Outside Laravel
If the product is not a Laravel app, a documentation framework for its own stack will suit it better: Fumadocs for Next.js, or VitePress as a standalone static site. Vellum's layout takes its cues from Fumadocs; the credits say which.