Have you been investigating software solutions to improve your customer support efforts? Specifically, have you been looking at knowledge base solutions? If so, you’ve probably come across KnowledgeOwl.

While it is popular among users for its clean, intuitive interface, WYSIWYG-editor, and simple-to-use themes, it isn’t without a few drawbacks. Some users have found the document collaboration and reporting features lacking, while others miss multi-lingual features.

Additionally, pricing for KnowledgeOwl can add up fast. While the initial Flex and Business plans start at 79$ and 299$ per month. These sums may sound reasonable — but they include only one user and one knowledge base. Want more? Then you’re paying $20 per user and 40$ per knowledge base.

To get the most out of a knowledge base, you’ll want to use it for document collaboration, not just for storage. That means more users, and with KnowledgeOwl, additional users and knowledge bases quickly add up.

While we always want to focus on value rather than price, there are plenty of alternatives that may provide more value than KnowledgeOwl at the same price level — or for even less.

So, what other KnowledgeOwl alternatives are worth considering?

The Best KnowledgeOwl Alternatives and Competitors

Let’s take a look at some of the best alternatives to KnowledgeOwl so you can make the right choice for your business.

1. Helpjuice

Yup, we placed ourselves first, but hear us out.

We could tell you all about how the knowledge base is as easy to use as Microsoft Word, how the search function rivals Google’s, and how two or more users can edit posts simultaneously like in Google Docs…

But instead, let’s hear what Will S., software engineer at Teem, has to say about his Helpjuice experience:

“We have found Helpjuice to have more features than we expected, important reporting, wonderful customizability, and great customer support.” 

Thanks, Will.

Then, we have the matter of pricing. The pricing plans at Helpjuice go from 120$ per month for four users, 200$ for up to 16 users, and 289$ for up to 60 users (let’s have a chat if you need more than that). Those plans are “unlimited” — you get unlimited features, knowledge bases, and pages — on ALL plans.

Here’s what Jacob E., client support manager at State Farm, had to say about that: 

“Best available Knowledge Base for the money.” Enough said.

2. Confluence

Confluence is part of Atlassian’s product suite, with other tools including Jira, Trello, and Bitbucket. If you’re already an Atlassian customer, Confluence could be a good knowledge base option as it integrates well with the other tools. 

Confluence is particularly suitable for businesses looking for a knowledge base with project collaboration features, as you can add and track tasks inside the document collaboration space.

Pros

  • Choose between over 75 convenient templates for quicker document creation.
  • Add additional features and integrations through apps in the Add-in Marketplace.
  • Analyze usage with site, space, and page-level analytics.
  • Test product updates and other changes in a safe sandbox environment.
  • Use it for free with limited features with up to 10 users.


Cons

  • Can be difficult for sporadic users to navigate the project trees.
  • Exporting or copying data can be an issue. For example, if you want to copy and paste text to another place, you may need to reformat the text.
  • Comes with a learning curve.


3. Guru

Guru aims its wiki tool mainly at SaaS and B2B tech companies, which shows in its features for capturing information directly in Slack. However, it is helpful for any team that wants a sleek knowledge base with good helpdesk integrations. 

Guru is free for up to three users, with paid plans starting at $5-20 per month per user (paid annually), depending on the features you need. An enterprise solution is available on request.

Pros

  • Intuitive and straightforward WYSIWYG-editor for content creation.
  • Features for detecting duplicating content and suggesting experts for writing new content.
  • AI-powered tagging suggests appropriate tags for your content based on other content and how your team works with it.
  • Advanced features for managing content access based on role.
  • Integrations include Slack, Google Workspace, and various helpdesk solutions.


Cons

  • Content organization into collections, boards, groups, and cards can take a while to set up and be a bit overwhelming for new or sporadic users.
  • Export feature from card to pdf is a great idea but needs improvements as the cards can lose some of their design when exported.


4. Bloomfire

Bloomfire focuses on knowledge engagement by helping users to retrieve specific bits of information. These features make the tool particularly useful for companies that rely on and share video content, such as tutorials or speeches. 

Pricing starts at $25 per user per month, paid annually. Pricing for the enterprise solution with additional features is available on request. Bloomfire is less useful as a self-service portal for customers unless you choose the Enterprise plan.

Pros

  • Video transcription features make even video content searchable, letting you skip straight to where the keyword appears.
  • Custom categories help users to navigate to the correct information.
  • Features for AI-generated tagging improve search performance.
  • Post flagging facilitates reviews for quality improvement.
  • Integrations include Salesforce, Zendesk, and Google Drive.


Cons

  • Limited editing capabilities make the collaboration process cumbersome.
  • Users have reported difficulties separating old and new articles in search results, which may be an issue if you have many versions of the same type of reports or articles.


5. Elevio

While Elevio enables internal document collaboration, the focus is on customer and support teams’ knowledge bases. As Elevio recently joined Dixa’s portfolio of tools focused on customer support, the focus will likely become even stronger. If you are looking for a knowledge base mainly for customer support, Elevio could be a good fit. 

Elevio’s pricing costs a monthly $79 for 3, $119 for 5, and $249 for ten team members (paid yearly). It comes with additional features at each price point, with an enterprise plan available on request.

Pros

  • Point-and-click tool or embedded code allows you to add knowledge base content anywhere on the site.
  • Auto-suggest content and offer related content based on the user’s current activity. The answer-assist feature suggests helpful articles as users type into a contact form with their support questions.
  • In-app support creates a seamless experience without clicking over to a separate knowledge base.
  • Integrations include various chatbots and helpdesks such as Zendesk, Groove, and Helpscout.


Cons

  • Strong customer support focus limits the use as an internal knowledge base for document collaboration.
  • Limited layout customization, such as for the start page.
  • Some users lack customizability and more advanced features.


6. Groove

Just as Elevio, Groove focuses on customer service. The difference is that Groove not only offers a knowledge base but an inboxing system as well. The additional support features make it valuable for companies looking for an all-in-one solution for their customer service needs. 

Pricing ranges from $5 to $35 per month (paid annually), with features and storage varying with the plan. A startup and an enterprise plan are available on request.

Pros

  • Fully responsive, customizable knowledge base themes.
  • Useful analytics shows you how self-service content performs, with AI suggestions for new articles to create.
  • Seamless integration with an inboxing tool for a smooth customer service experience and advanced customer success tracking.
  • 40+ integrations include Github, Salesforce, and Hubspot.


Cons

  • Knowledge base lacks advanced features.
  • Limited usability as an internal knowledge base for document collaboration.


7. Document360

Document360 focuses on serving growing companies such as SaaS businesses and startups. The tool aims to reduce overwhelming knowledge base users by dividing its tool into a portal for content creation and a site for content consumption. 

Pricing is per project (or knowledge base) per month. When paid annually, the pricing starts at $49 for the startup plan with two users, $149 for the business plan with five users, and $249 for the enterprise plan with up to fifteen users. If you need additional storage or users, the cost varies depending on the plan. Document360 also offers an “Enterprise plus”-plan, available on request.

Pros

  • AI-powered knowledge base assistant suggests helpful articles based on the user’s activity.
  • Markdown or WYSIWYG-editor for easy content editing.
  • AI-machine translation and third-party integration to translation services for multi-lingual support sites.
  • Organization features allow you to drag-and-drop content in six different category levels.
  • Integrations include Olark, Intercom, and Google Analytics.


Cons

  • Limited integrations outside of support tools.
  • Can become expensive if you have multiple projects and need a knowledge base for each one.


8. Elium

Elium focuses on internal knowledge sharing, sporting features such as @mentioning in commenting, notifications, and digest. For companies with a lot of business with Europe, Elium is an attractive choice, as it is GDPR-compliant and offers the option of EU-only hosting.

Pricing starts at €4-€8 per user per month (paid annually), with a minimum of ten users — email Elium for pricing information of the enterprise plan.

Pros

  • Bulk import features make it easy to import large amounts of files.
  • Preview feature supports over 200 content types.
  • Team-specific templates for quick document creation.
  • Plugins for Google, Microsoft, and Workspace for a smoother workflow. GraphQL API for third-party integrations.


Cons

  • Document editor lacks advanced features.
  • Custom branding and domain are only available for the more expensive enterprise plan.


9. MindTouch

MindTouch styles itself as the enterprise-grade knowledge management platform, although many customers are small-to-mid-sized. While the Touchpoints are an attractive feature, this solution needs an upgrade with more features to fully compete with the rest of the options on this list. Pricing is available on request.

Pros

  • MindTouch Touchpoints allow you to add content on other parts of your website or in applications.
  • Integrations include Salesforce, Zendesk, and Google Analytics, with MindTouch API for further integrations.
  • Site health reports make it easy to identify issues with the content and improve the user experience.


Cons

  • Limited customization options.
  • Interface design and looks could be more attractive.


10. Caspio

Caspio allows you to create custom web applications without coding, using point-and-click tools for designing and customizing your knowledge base. The flexibility makes it useful for companies with limited IT resources.

The focus on information security and policy features makes it ideal for businesses with high compliance demands, such as HIPAA, FERPA, and GDPR requirements. 

Caspio offers a limited free plan, with paid plans ranging from $100 to $400 per month with various features. A corporate plan includes advanced features for regulatory compliance.

Pros

  • Intuitive interface gives a low learning curve for getting started and creating custom, scalable apps.
  • Embedding features allow you to add a knowledge base to your website, portal, intranet, or CMS.
  • Optional advanced features include a private cloud environment, point-in-time recovery with snapshots every five minutes, and 2nd layer encryption.
  • Integrations include Zapier, Google Drive, and Stripe.


Cons

  • Storing large amounts of data in the knowledge base can become expensive.
  • Code is still necessary for some crucial features, and it lacks advanced customization for tailoring the interface.


How to Choose the Right KnowledgeOwl Alternative 

KnowledgeOwl has some useful features for any business looking to scale their customer support and improve their internal processes, however, with so many alternatives, you may be wondering how to choose the best solution for your organization. 

So, how do you choose the best alternative from this list? A few of the features to look out for include:

  • User-friendly design. Can the less tech-savvy team member use it, too?
  • Editing and collaboration features. Can you work together in real-time? How easy is it to edit, format, and export the content?
  • Interactive features. Can you communicate easily with colleagues as you collaborate on content? Can users comment on or rate the finished content?
  • Integrations. Can you integrate the knowledge base with tools you already rely on, such as Slack?
  • Analytics functionality. Can you see how users interact with the content and if the content is good or needs improvement?
  • Search functionality and content navigation. Is the search function good? How easy is it to navigate?
  • Access management. Can you easily decide who can read or edit the content? Can you share the content with selected individuals, groups or make it public?


When deciding on the right KnowledgeOwl alternative, you should realize that the objective value of each solution that we discussed doesn't matter as much as the value each will bring to your organization. That is, while some may be looking for an all-in-one customer support tool, others may be looking for a more simple and straightforward option to accomplish a specific task.

With that in mind, take another look through this guide as you begin to narrow down your choices. Your best bet? Don’t opt for a more advanced tool because you “might” use the more advanced features at some point in the future. Rather, go with the tool that will help you solve your most pressing issues now, while keeping the door open for other options in the future.