When selecting the best knowledge base software, we suggest looking at these 5 factors when evaluating knowledge base software.
1. Good search function
A knowledge base is only as good as its search capability. To be effective, it should be able to answer the query posed by the employee or customer accurately. To do this, it should ideally support deep searches, and make use of detailed search parameters.
2. Intuitive UI
The software or portal must be easy to use and have an intuitive interface, even for novice users.
3. Good content management
Contributors should be able to submit and edit content quickly, while editors and admins in charge of the knowledge base should be able to edit and publish content efficiently and conveniently.
4. Robust access controls
For internal knowledge bases, you’ll want software should possess adequate access and permission controls for information security. For customer service knowledge bases, the portal should be protected from unauthorized revisions by external actors.
5. Integration
Make sure your chosen vendor integrates with your existing productivity tools. This could be anything from your CRM software to messaging tools.
What is the best knowledge base software in 2023?
1. Tettra
The best knowledge base software is Tettra because of its search functionality, Slack/MS Teams integration, and intuitive UI. It possesses all of the five attributes important to have in a knowledge base solution.
It has strong search and content management functionalities; it has good access and permission controls; it integrates with popular enterprise apps like Slack and Google Docs; all wrapped up in an easy-to-use interface that is intuitive even for non-technical users.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface
- Native Slack and MS Teams integration
- Less learning curve
- Unique knowledge management features
Cons:
- Lacks support for forums / discussion boards
- Limited document formatting
Cost:
- Entry level – $8.33 / user per month for up to 250 users
- Enterprise – $16.66 / user per month
- Google Suite
- GitHub
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Zapier
2. Confluence
Confluence is a wiki software platform designed for knowledge management. It is the oldest wiki solution, having launched in 2004 but still remaining strong today.
Its popularity lies in its flexibility. The software includes an internal wiki, collaboration tools, and even a project management app. Confluence uses “spaces”, which are essentially workspaces for teams. Each space can house its own knowledge base, documents, project trackers, and more.
Other key features are anonymous access, page-level analytics, and integration with other JIRA software tools.
As of 2023, Confluence has four price tiers: free, standard, premium, and enterprise. Need more options? Check out these Confluence alternatives.
3. Zendesk
Popularly known for its helpdesk solution, Zendesk offers a knowledge base tool that can be adapted for customers, internal use, support agents, and IT. The interface is lean and easy to use, and the software boasts AI and machine learning, analytics, and community forums support.
Content can be translated to over 40 languages for localization, and the product can also be customized to match the company’s branding.
Integrations:
- Hootsuite
- HubSpot
- JIRA
- MS Teams
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Shopify
4. Bloomfire
Like Zendesk, Bloomfire has AI search capabilities and crowd-sourced FAQ contributions. What sets it apart is its social media-like interface: users can like, comment, and follow entries.
Other features include auto-tagging, usage and content reporting, and API access for customized applications.
Integrations:
- Dropbox
- MS OneDrive, Teams and Dynamics 365
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Tableau
- Zendesk
5. Guru
The key feature that distinguishes Guru from its competitors is that it unifies contextual information from productivity tools like the organization’s CRM, emails, and messaging apps. The contextual knowledge and relevant suggestions also improves over time, once the AI establishes individual and company-wide patterns.
Guru is primarily designed as an internal knowledge base, but the API can be modified to turn into an customer-facing knowledge portal. Want more Guru alternatives?
Integrations:
- Azure
- Confluence
- Gosquared
- Google Suite
- Livechat
- MS Onedrive and Teams
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Scribe
- Workramp
- Zapier
- Zendesk
6. Stack Overflow for Teams
Mostly known among developers, Stack Overflow now offers its iconic question and answer interface as internal knowledge base for enterprise use with the Stack Overflow for Teams.
The app possesses the same attributes that made its parent portal a huge hit with the dev community, including the answer ranking system and clean interface.
Integrations:
- Github
- JIRA
- MS Teams
- Okta
- Slack
7. Document360
Document 360 is both a knowledge base and file manager in one. It includes several content management features like a markdown editor, version control, secure file management, and user feedback.
Other features include community forums, SEO and analytics, and a self-service portal.
Integrations:
- Drift
- Disqus
- Intercom
- Livechat
- MS Teams
- Olark
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Zapier
- Zendesk
8. Notion
This flexible app can function as a knowledge base, project management tool, or collaborative writing space. It’s geared more towards internal use and lacks many of the features possessed by dedicated customer-facing solutions. It has a markdown editor, categorization, and content management. While it can be repurposed for knowledge management, setting the right admin settings on different pages can get wonky. It’s hard to force it to do something it wasn’t built for.
Integrations:
- Asana
- Dropbox
- Github
- Google Drive
- JIRA
- Slack
- Zapier
- Zoom
9. Nuclino
Nuclino is an internal knowledge base and fan favorite due its clean user interface and intuitive navigation. Criticisms often leveled at bigger tools can generally be avoided with Nuclino since those two features are a strength. Nuclino even supports real-time editing so users can work together on the same document without any issues.
10. HelpJuice
This prototypical external knowledge base has a lot to offer with its dynamic and design-oriented editor, allowing you to customize typeface, palette, and layout according to your company’s branding. Users and customers can go directly to it for answers.
When you really need help fast – technical support teams are just a few clicks away as shown by its impressive G2 rating (an impressive 4.2 out of 5)!
However, its one major setback lies in pricing structure. There aren’t any freemium options and prices start from $120 per month for a base team of four users.
Integrations:
- Slack
- Chrome
- Salesforce
- Olark
- Zapier
- Teams
- Freshdesk
Knowledge Base Software FAQ
What is Knowledge Base Software?
Knowledge base software are tools designed for building and managing a self-help channel for a target audience, whether its internal (for employees) or external (for customers).
For this reason, knowledge base software is also known as business wiki, help center tool, or knowledge management program.
The creation and management of a knowledge base channel is part of the broader field of knowledge management. Knowledge management aims to collect all the valuable knowledge, best practices and routines of the company for the benefit of the entire organization.
What’s the difference between internal and external knowledge bases?
In terms of the audience, there are two types of knowledge bases:
The internal knowledge base is designed for use within the organization. As such, it usually possesses data security features like log-on credentials, permissions and access management.
On the other hand, an external knowledge base is meant for use by customers to find answers to common problems. As an open resource, it may not require a log-in credential. External knowledge bases may also be linked to other customer support channels such as chat support or contact pages in case the information displayed is insufficient, or doesn’t solve the customer’s issue.
Who Uses the Knowledge Base Software?
The knowledge base is a very useful resource for different types of audiences. These include:
Employees– In the course of their everyday tasks, whenever they need to look up data, a procedure, or information possessed by other departments. These are mainly for internal knowledge bases.
Customers – A self-help channel can help clients solve issues on their own instead of going through a customer support agent. External knowledge bases are set up for this.
New hires – For onboarding, training, or company culture
Promotions or lateral transfers – Allows them to get up to speed quicker
Inter-department collaborations – When different teams or departments need to work together, the knowledge base offers a reliable source of information.
External partnerships – With the appropriate clearances and restrictions in place, external users like business partners, consultants, suppliers and agencies can also find the knowledge base useful.
What are the benefits of a good knowledge base software?
A good knowledge base software can bring a ton of benefits to your business, making it worth more than the initial time and investment required. These benefits include better customer service, higher productivity, and a connected source of truth. This article about choosing knowledge base software has more info.
How do I keep my knowledge base up-to-date?
There are two ways:
- Assign a panel of moderators to manage the content, including updating, revisions and approval of submissions.
- Crowdsource the content creation by letting employees submit new topics, revise or update existing material, just like a wiki.
To ensure that your knowledge base stays relevant and updated, it is useful to have a knowledge management strategy.
Who is in charge of managing the knowledge base?
A knowledge manager should be appointed to oversee the implementation and maintenance of the knowledge. The knowledge manager will ideally come from a related field, such as project management, training and development, or IT.
For more information, see our article “What is a Knowledge Manager, and Why Do You Need One?”
What software integrations should an internal knowledge base software have?
The internal knowledge base should integrate with your organization’s preferred messaging app like Slack or MS Teams, so that employees can quickly share and collaborate knowledge.
Likewise, it should ideally support productivity tools, so that users can look up information without leaving the tool or app they are currently using.
Tettra is able to do all of this, including linking to other tools on the menu sidebar.