Atlassian’s Confluence is one of the most popular knowledge management platforms. It counts over 60,000 customers and is used by around 43,000 websites.
However, Confluence may not be for everyone. Whether it’s due to features or budget, you may need an alternative knowledge management solution to this popular go-to app.
The best Confluence alternative is Tettra, because of its simplicity, Q&A features, and its reasonable cost compared to Confluence. There’s more information about Tettra below.
Below, we’ve gathered a list of the most popular Confluence alternatives for 2023, along with their strengths, weaknesses, and associated costs.
Is there anything better than Confluence? Yes.
1. Tettra
Tettra is an internal knowledge base, wiki and knowledge management solution in one. Launched in 2015, it is designed to be a more modern and user-friendly alternative to the two decade-old Confluence.
Its notable features include an intuitive UI and Slack integration, allowing users to utilize the knowledge base without leaving the popular messaging app. It also supports Microsoft Teams integration, so the knowledge base can be accessed directly from the Teams interface.
Compared to Confluence, it has a streamlined interface that is beginner-friendly. Tettra has a question and answers feature, as well as content verification which keeps knowledge base content up-to-date. One standout feature that Confluence lacks is Tettra’s ability to designate “knowledge experts”, who can serve as the resident expert for certain topics.
“We recognized Google Docs wouldn’t scale for us. We really wanted to evaluate what our teams needed to succeed, and it became clear they needed one place to find all of the information [they needed]…Tettra had a great mix of features. It was just powerful enough and just simple enough to meet our needs.”
Kristina Getty, Director of Accelerator Operations at TechStars
Based on a G2 comparison, reviewers found that Tettra was easier to set up, use, and administer. It also scored higher for templates, permissions, and technical support. Tettra boasts a 4.5 / 5 star rating compared with Confluence’s 4.1 stars.
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
Click here to check out Tettra as your Confluence alternative.
2. Nuclino
Containing both an internal knowledge base and wiki solution, Nuclino is renowned for its clean interface and intuitive navigation, two major criticisms of Confluence. Another good feature is its real-time editing support, enabling multiple users to work on the same document without missing progress like Confluence.
While it does not possess the same number of features as Confluence, it does offer a streamlined package that focuses on the essentials of wiki creation, collaboration, and internal KMS. This gives it a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating on G2.
All these make it a good “Confluence lite” replacement, without the unnecessary features and steep learning curve.
Pros:
- Intuitive UI and navigation
- Real-time collaboration, no need for manual refresh
- 40+ integrations
Cons:
- Limited widgets compared to Confluence
- No access controls for individual folders or pages
- No Excel integration, only Google Sheets
Cost:
- Standard – $5 per user / month with 10gb allocation
- Premium – $10 per user / month with 20gb allocation, team insights, and advanced security controls
Click here to check out Nuclino.
3. Helpjuice
This KMS-specific solution boasts a design-heavy editor that allows you to modify the typeface, palette and layout to match your organization’s branding. Unlike Confluence, it supports Chromebook OS, as well as in person and live online training.
One of its standout features is its flexibility. Apart from corporate branding, it can be used as an internal knowledge base or as an external customer knowledge resource. It also prides itself on near-instantaneous technical support, which is reflected in its 4.2 out of 5 rating on G2.
One major drawback is the cost: pricing is not flexible for single users. Instead it starts at $120 per month for 4 users.
Pros:
- Aesthetics are highly customizable to suit branding
- Chromebook OS support
- In person and live online training
Cons:
- Lacking in integrations
- Multimedia search can be challenging to use
- Pricing plan may not be suitable for smaller organizations
Cost:
- $120/ month for 4 users
- $200 / month for 16 users
- $289 / month for 60 users
- $499 / month for unlimited users
Click here to check out Helpjuice.
4. Basecamp
Basecamp 3 is primarily designed to be a project management and collaboration tool. However, its features like tasks, files, and messages also allow it to function as an internal knowledge solution.
Standouts include a mobile app and a design optimized for speed. This enables it to load quickly on both desktop and mobile versions, even for users with slow internet connections. Its clean UI, fast loading, and simple design are touted as its greatest assets on G2, where it has a 4.1 out of 5 rating.
While it possesses less features than Confluence, Basecamp does offer a client portal and live online training. However it lacks resource management and Linux support. In addition, users can only view one person’s task list at a time, which makes it inefficient for projects with multiple members.
Pros:
- Minimalist intuitive design
- Quick load times
- Unlimited number of projects
- MyStuff tab
Cons:
- No support for group chat
- Limited view: only one user task list at a time
- Lack of Calendar function in new version
Cost:
- Standard – $15 per user / month for 500gb storage
- Pro – $349 / month for unlimited users, 5tb storage, and priority support (discounted to $299 / month for annual subscriptions)
Check out Basecamp’s latest version here.
5. Zoho Wiki
Zoho Wiki is an internal knowledge management software renowned for its rich text editor and extensive customization. It uses workspaces, which act like mini wikis. Each has its own admin controls, formatting and customization options.
What Confluence lacks in its word processing features, Zoho more than makes up for with its formatting support. And like Helpjuice, it can be extensively personalized for corporate branding. These features give it a 4.1 out of 5 G2 rating.
Notable weaknesses include a lack of templates as well as no built-in reports.
Pros:
- Feature-rich text editor
- Tailor-made style sheets
- Access controls for each workspace and page
Cons:
- Lack of templates
- No built-in reports
- Mobile version is quite clunky to use
Cost:
- Basic – $49 for 3 users / month, with support for 500 customers
- Standard – $99 for 5 users / month, with support for 2,000 customers, domain branding and web tabs
- Professional – $249 for 10 users / month, with support for 5,000 customers, custom schedulers, and live chat support
Check out Zoho Wiki here.
6. ClickUp
ClickUps is geared as a wiki and collaboration platform. One unique feature is its organizational hierarchy, which empowers users to customize their content organization.
Another plus over Confluence is the real-time collaborative editing, allowing more than one user to work on the same document simultaneously. Text editing is also a step up over Confluence, with a wide range of formatting options and the ability to tag team members in comments. The Embed view even allows multimedia embedding in documents, like videos, trackable tasks, and bookmarks.
Finally, unlike most Confluence alternatives, its lowest tier boasts unlimited storage, unlimited dashboards, and agile reporting. All these features enable it to achieve a 4.7 out of 5 rating on G2.
Pros:
- Unique hierarchical feature
- Content and formatting rich editor
- Real-time collaborative editing
Cons:
- Mobile dashboard suffers from bugs
- UI can be a bit overwhelming
- A bit of a learning curve for new users
Cost:
- Unlimited – $5 per user / month
- Business – $12 per user / month, with Google SSO, custom exporting and unlimited teams
- Business plus – $19 per user / month, with team sharing, custom roles and permissions, and increased automations and API
Check out ClickUp here.
7. Monday
This project management tool is lauded for its visual interface. It uses “pulses”, which can be anything from post, task or client. Each pulse has plenty of customization options in terms of views, formatting, widgets and trackers, making it endlessly flexible for different uses.
The software comes with many preset templates to suit different industries, so basic documents for most fields are already available and ready to go. However, the interface can be quite daunting to get used to, and this is evident in the many tutorials present on Monday’s Youtube channel.
Despite the learning curve, Monday enjoys a 4.7 out of 5 rating on G2.
Pros:
- Social media-style seen and tagging features
- Highly customizable pulses
- Rich visual indicators for deadlines, project statuses, and progress made
Cons:
- Complex features can be overwhelming
- Initial setup takes time
- Issues on mobile
- Word editor is slow
Cost:
- Basic – $8 per user / month with 5gb storage
- Standard – $10 per user / month with up to 5 boards, automations and integrations support
- Pro – $16 per user / month with time tracking, up to 10 boards, private boards and docs, and 25,000 actions each for automations and integrations
Check out Monday here.
8. Quip
This project management and team collaboration solution is designed for enterprise-level use and boasts tight integration with Salesforce.
Quip boasts a full productivity suite, including its own word processor, sheets, slide presentation, and chat function. This allows it to be an alternative not only to Confluence but even MS Office and Google Suite. However, this all-in-one feature set is reflected in the price: Quip is the most expensive Confluence alternative on this list.
Pros:
- All in one office suite
- Full Salesforce integration
- Familiar UI
Cons:
- Expensive
- Syncing and latency issues
- Spreadsheets has limited functionality compared to Google Sheets
Cost:
- Starter – $12 per user / month (down to $10 for annual subscription)
- Plus – $25 per user / month with custom live apps, SSO, and enterprise API
- Advanced – $100 per user / month Salesforce live editing, 2-way data syncing, and service use cases
Check out Quip here.
9. Wiki.js
This open source wiki platform is built on Node.js and is a favorite among devs. This is because it can save content directly as .md files and it can be synced directly with the organization’s Git repository.
Another noteworthy feature is its security focus. It supports local authentication, social authentication, enterprise authentication, and two-factor authentications for peace of mind. Beyond its dev-focused underpinnings, the interface is highly customizable, allowing personalized admin area and wiki looks.
Best of all, it’s free!
Pros:
- Free
- Git syncing
- Extra layers of security
- Customizable wiki and admin area
- Fast loading thanks to Node.js engine
Cons:
- No database like Confluence
- Clunky navigation boxes
- Content collaboration features are weaker compared to Confluence
Cost:
Free
Check out Wiki.js here.
10. You Need a Wiki
This add-on for Google Drive provides a Wiki-style navigation interface for Google docs. Compared to all the other Confluence alternatives on this list, YNAW is unique in that it is simply an add-on for the Google Drive API.
The advantages of using this are quick setup and no need for onboarding. It also does away with the cumbersome UI and learning curves of most other software, thanks to its intuitive design. YNAW provides you with a powerful search function for your Google Drive.
However, this assumes of course that you use Gdrive as your repository, and that all of the organization’s files and knowledge materials are in there.
Pros:
- Fast setup
- No learning curve
Cons:
- Limited to Google Drive
Cost:
- 1 user – free
- 10 users – $10 / month
- 25 users – $49 / month
- 75 users – $99 / month
Check out You Need A Wiki here.
Confluence Alternatives for 2023: Honorable Mentions
11. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a KMS suite designed for both internal and customer-facing applications. It boasts machine learning capabilities in addition to KCS v6 verification. One feature that sets it apart from Confluence is decision support. However, it lacks support for forums / discussion boards, as well as full text search functionality.
Pros:
- AI learning
- Decision support, alerts and escalation, approval process control
- Supports asset tracking and capacity management
Cons:
- No forums / discussion boards, communication management, commenting / notes function
- No document management functions (capture, storage, classification, review)
- Lacks cataloging and categorization
- Pricey
Cost:
- $100 / IT process user per month with volume discounts available.
12. Zendesk
This popular help desk suite also has a knowledge base function, as well as some collaboration features. Strong points include a WYSIWYG editor that greatly simplifies article creation, and collaboration tools that allow multiple users to work together on an article.
However, most of the advanced features for the knowledge base are only available in the enterprise plan.
Pros:
- Unlike most others on the list, it has 24/7 support via phone, chat and email
- Supports in person and live online training unlike Confluence
Cons:
- Expensive
Cost:
- Starts at $19/user per month for foundational support
- Advanced knowledge base features are limited to enterprise starting plan, at $150/agent per month
13. Help Scout
Like Zendesk, Help Scout is a help desk and knowledge base solution. The knowledge base component, Docs, likewise has a WYSIWYG editor, and also supports multimedia uploads like videos and images.
Meanwhile, the vendor’s Beacon tool is a chat-style widget that can be embedded on sites or apps that allow users access to the knowledge base library without leaving their current page.
Pros:
- Docs knowledge base is built for SEO
- Beacon widget allows seamless knowledge base access
- Supports live online training
Cons:
- Lacking in integration
- Pricey, no free version
Cost
Starts at $20/user per month, for up to 25 users. Larger teams cost $35/user per month
14. Slite
Slite is like the Slack of internal wikis. Documents are organized in channels that can be set to public or private, and channels with new posts are highlighted in bold.
One standout feature is the company wiki template. Instead of building your wiki from scratch, Slite provides an example of what your wiki could look like, guiding you along the way as you structure it. Documents can be worked with the collaboration editor that also tracks revisions and restores previous versions.
Pros:
- Familiar interface
- Minimalist design
Cons:
- No API support
- Lacks cataloging / categorization functionality
Cost
Standard – $6.67/user per month
Premium – $12.50 /user per month
15. Whatfix
This knowledge base platform is best suited for microlearning. Topics are divided into shortform standalone bites, and documentation is displayed as links in a self-help widget. The widget can be flexibly integrated in other applications such MS Teams, so that it shows up as a link.
Pros:
- Excellent aftersales support according to multiple reviews
- Simple and highly customizable dashboard
Cons:
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- Content editing can be a clunky experience
Cost
By quotation only
16. Bloomfire
This internal KMS platform boasts an AI-powered Deep Search function that can transcribe videos, especially useful for organizations that have a lot of AV resources. The transcription can then be indexed and searched down to specific words or phrases within the video. It can also index every single word in all your documents and automatically generate tags to optimize them for search.
Another notable feature is bulk import and export, useful for weeding out outdated or irrelevant content.
Pros:
- Advanced video transcription powered by machine learning
- Content supports likes and shares, ala social media
Cons:
- Search function can be challenging to use
- No free version, expensive
Price
- Starts at $25/user per month for a multi-year subscription
17. Notion
Notion is a sleek KMS noted for its ease of use. It supports drag and drop, page nesting, and mentions. Additionally, you can embed over 50 apps inside your Notion documents, turning your wiki into your company’s go-to-source for all types of knowledge. Finally, you can assign tasks and due dates to users, making it a wiki and project management tool in one.
Pros:
- Very flexible – can build almost anything with it
- Recently added API & AI functionality
- Lots of integrations
Cons:
- Free plan is only for personal use, less scalable
- Overwhelming optionality – can be a productivity vampire
- No draft mode and publishing workflow
18. LiveAgent
This comprehensive help desk is used by over 15,000 organizations, including Forbes companies. The suite includes a knowledge base, community forums, and FAQ. The client portal and forms management are two advantages it has over Confluence. On the other hand, it lacks content management, document management, and search filters.
Pros:
- Supports forums
- In person and live online training
Cons:
- No document management
- Lacks content management and filtering function
Cost
Starts at $15/agent per month
19. Document360
A standalone knowledge base tool, Document360 is designed for creating internal knowledge bases or self-service bases. It prides itself on its user-friendly interface and easy to use search.
Notable features include IP address restriction, localization, and in-depth analytics. However, the pricing is quite expensive since it’s charged per knowledge base.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface and search
- Robust security features
Cons:
- Lacking in integrations
- Expensive
Cost
- Starts at $99/month for 2 team accounts and 1 knowledge base
- Additional $19/month for each team account, and $39/month for additional knowledge bases
20. Livepro
This KMS is meant for customer experience-heavy applications that require knowledge on demand for multiple channels. Unlike Confluence, it includes decision support, in person and live online training, and support for Chromebook OS.
As a customer-centric tool, it excels in engagement by making it easy for users to utilize the KMS by a wall of text, clunky UI, or difficult search functions. However, it can be a little challenging to set up roles and scopes.
Pros:
- Engaging UI
- Seamless integrations with customer channels like CRM and phone systems
Cons:
- Hard to set up roles, scopes, or users
- Editing functions are quite limited
- Lacks reporting outputs
Are There Any Free Confluence Alternatives?
Speaking of cost: yes, free alternatives to Confluence exist. These are useful for businesses on a tight budget, or if you simply want to test out a platform first before committing to a KMS for your organization.
Here are six free alternatives to Confluence, including their entry level plans.
| Vendor | Free Plan | Entry Level Plan for Teams |
| Wiki.js | No limit | n/a |
| Tettra | Up to 10 users | $8.33 / user / month |
| Guru | Up to 3 users | $5 / user / month |
| Notion | For personal use only | $8 / user / month |
| Slab | Up to 10 users | $8 / user / month |
| Slite | Unlimited users, but limited to 50 docs | $6.67 / user / month |
| Zoho Wiki | 2 Wikis, 3 users, 50mb attachment space | $3 / user + $5 / additional wiki |
Should You Consider a Confluence Alternative?
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.
As of 2023, Confluence has four price tiers: free, standard, premium, and enterprise.
Problem 1: Unnecessary features
One of Confluence’s greatest strengths may also be its biggest drawback: too many features. Not all companies require the tools included in the suite, making it an expensive waste of resources, particularly for smaller to medium enterprises.
Problem 2: Steep learning curve
While Confluence’s UI may be familiar to IT professionals and users of Atlassian’s other products like JIRA, new users or non-technical people may find the interface and navigation a challenge.
Problem 3: No real-time view
When more than one person works on the same document or ticket, progress may be lost unless one user refreshes the page before contributing their own content. This lack of a real-time tracker or auto refresh function have resulted in loss of edits or work progress.
Problem 4: Lack of formatting features
Confluence’s word processor is severely limited. Complaints from users include poor page and column layouts, lack of styling options, bad implementation of numbered lists.
Problem 5: Cost
In 2021, Atlassian dropped support for customized solutions, forcing companies to purchase their all-in-one cloud solution. Confluence has four price tiers: free, standard, premium, and enterprise.
Finding the Right Confluence Alternative for You
When choosing a KMS solution, don’t just look at the top brands. It pays to do your homework, determine what your needs are, and which vendor best fits your requirements. Do you need an internal knowledge base, a customer self-help portal, or an all-around KMS suite? How large is your team, and how much of the budget can you devote to knowledge management? And finally, which product possesses the functions and integrations that are critical for your business?
Hopefully, our comprehensive list of Confluence alternatives can help you choose the right solution for your organization.