Wiki Software

There's a productivity app for everything nowadays - for taking stretch breaks, to giving 1:1 feedback. Tools for workflow can get overcomplicated, taking up more time than they give back. Taken in by promises of endless productivity, we miss the point that software should make work calmer and happier, not noisier and busier. This is especially true for wiki software.

As we said in Chapter 2 of this guide, a wiki is a communication tool. The aim of wiki software is to collect and clarify information, not spread it around. In this chapter, we'll discuss the best wiki software tools and key features of those tools. But first, a quick note about what wiki software is, and what it is not: 

Even though we believe the best wiki is a simple one, there are many tools out there that have different advantages. Whether you're looking for a traditional wiki software or a solution with more diverse applications, there's something for you in this list.

Your wiki software should be simple. Try Slite for free-->

The uses of wiki software

All wiki software is powered by a similar technology: a wiki engine. But that engine can serve many different types of wiki sites. In a business, wiki pages are created for three main purposes:

• Learning – Your company wiki is your team's go-to source for basic and complex information relevant to the company, its departments and roles. Learning documents include onboarding instructions, company handbooks, process guides, tool guides, and upskilling resources.
• Communication – Wiki software is also a powerful communication tool for real-time updates. Share company-wide announcements, updates, and meeting minutes in your wiki so everyone stays on the same page.
• Project management – A wiki stores all project documentation in one place, giving project managers and stakeholders a birds' eye view of the project. It also allows for contextual communication on specific tasks.

As you start out on your wiki journey, keep these functions top of mind and look out for wiki software with features to fulfill them.

What should I look for in wiki software?

Based on the purposes above, we've broken down tool features by category. See how wiki software can aid your goals for each.

Learning features

Some examples of wiki software features that aid the learning process include:

• Rich text editor with ability to insert visual content (images, tables, sketches, code snippets)
• Record a video
• Organize documents into folders or channels
• Comments within documents (also a communication feature)
• Tag teammates (also a communication feature)
• Integrate with specialized tools such as Github, Google Sheets, Dropbox, Figma
• Summary of activity in your most-viewed docs
• Download as PDF

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Communication features

Having important discussions directly in your wiki helps you gain context and clarity

Wiki software should also reduce friction in communication. Here are some communication features to look out for:

• Ability to collaborate on a document in real-time
• In-line comments in documents
• Global discussions around documents or projects
• Automate new documents for recurring meetings
• Tag teammates in documents
• Integration with Slack
• Notifications on docs you've created or been tagged in
• Record a video

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Project features

Project documents help you collaborate in real-time

Wikis are also great places to store project information and reports. Here are some key project features that you can find in wiki software:

• Tables to manage budget, timeline, etc
• Templates for project briefs, plans, and reports
• Integration with project management tools such as Asana, Trello, and Jira
• Versioning and archives to save document history

Slite has all these features and more. But there are lots of other great tools that offer different and exciting options. Next we'll look at 7 of the top-rated wiki software tools to compare.

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Search features

For effective information discovery, a modern wiki software should offer these search features:

• AI-assisted search: Understands natural language and suggests relevant content beyond exact keyword matches.
• Filtering options: Narrow results by date, author, type of content, or specific tags/categories.
• Search within attachments: Finds relevant text within PDFs, images, and other attached documents.
• Integrations: Seamlessly searches content stored in connected tools (e.g., Slack, Google Drive) for a unified view.

With these features, finding what you need within your wiki's vast knowledge base becomes significantly easier and more efficient.

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Knowledge Management features

To maintain a healthy and reliable knowledge base, look for knowledge management features that offer:

• Expiry and Emptiness Indicators: Visual cues or reports highlighting documents that have passed their validity period or lack substantial content.
• Metrics and Activity Tracking: Reports on most-read documents, identifying valuable knowledge and potential areas for improvement.
• Bulk Archiving/Updating Actions: Options to efficiently archive outdated content or initiate updates on multiple documents simultaneously.
• Centralized Management Dashboard: A single location to see these metrics, alerts, and perform necessary actions on your knowledge base.

These features empower you to proactively address knowledge gaps, streamline updating processes, and ensure the ongoing quality of your wiki resources.

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Wiki Product Comparison

While no list of software tools will ever be completely objective, it's even less so coming from a brand - we know! We've grounded our research in ratings and reviews from G2, Capterra, and Wikipedia. And at the end of the day, even if we're opinionated about wiki software, we hope it's helpful.  

What are the best enterprise wiki software tools out there?

Without further ado, here's our list.

1.Slite

Slite is the wiki tool for thousands of growing companies around the world, and of course, it's our #1. With a clean and clutter-free interface, and features built specifically for remote communication, Slite is the best place to share knowledge with your team.

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Some of our favorite Slite wiki features:

• Writing stays simple - you don't need a tutorial to get started. Just create a doc and go.
• Powerful editor - format, draw, highlight, and embed to your heart's content
• Simultaneous editing - unlimited team members can edit docs at the same time.
• Personal welcome screen - the "Good morning" screen highlights wiki content that's relevant to you
• Smart search - it learns which docs you use most, and features recently-used docs
• Template library - we include 80+ wiki templates you can use for free
• Tons of Integrations - connects with all your favorite tools for embeds and easy linking
• Flexible pricing - great for teams of any size, especially ones that are growing

Pricing

You can get started for free. No strings attached. After that, if you're feeling the love, you can upgrade to our standard plan for just $8 per member, per month. Plus, you only pay for the folks using it in the last 30 days. That plan comes with unlimited docs, read-only permissions, and all the works.

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But wait, there's more. If you’re serious about implementing it across your enterprise, we've got enterprise plans with all the bells and whistles. Think account managers, openID SSO, custom contracts, and more. Just shoot us a message, and we'll set something up.

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2. Zendesk: ​​The old faithful customer service tool​​​

ZenDesk is a popular customer support and knowledge base solution known for its effectiveness and comprehensiveness.

Key features

Unique integrations

• Chat features
• Import files from Google Docs
• Provides multilingual content
• Has content restoring capabilities
• Offers AI Answer Bot to help automatically respond to emails
• Robust knowledge management solution

Customer support

• Set up a help center or a community forum
• Utilize knowledge base systems
• Many integrations to choose from, both externally and with other products

Pricing

ZenDesk's pricing is complex, and its paid plans range from 49 EUR to 99 EUR per agent per month. Its basic plan includes industry-leading ticketing, various support channels, automated answers, reporting, and onboarding guidance. If your business needs basic support, ZenDesk has less expensive plans starting at 19 EUR per agent per month.

Pros

• A wide range of customer service & customer experience features
• A well-established, well-tested software
• Can be used for internal & external knowledge bases
• Unique integrations

Cons

• Expensive
• Not the best choice if you’re solely looking for an internal knowledge base software
• Some reported issues with customer support
• Not suitable for small businesses or start-ups
• Can be clunky to use

3. HelpJuice

HelpJuice is cloud-based knowledge management software with a wide range of tools and high customizability. It features integrated knowledge-based systems for efficient information retrieval and sharing.

Key features

• First, HelpJuice is beginner-friendly and doesn't have a steep learning curve.
• It's designed to be easy to use and its interface is highly intuitive.
• If you still have trouble despite that, they also have impressive customer care.
• They'll even help you with your initial set up, making it a perfect solution for those who are new to help desk knowledge base software.
• HelpJuice knowledge sharing software also has rich reporting and analytical capabilities.
• Their wide variety of charts, graphs, charts, metrics, notes, and more help you and your team measure productivity and constantly aim to improve.
• It's easy to determine what processes should be automated, what workflows should be changed, and how to work smarter and not harder.
• HelpJuice's biggest negative is the price.
• As one of the industry's most popular platforms, it doesn't come cheap.

Pricing

HelpJuice has a high price point, with basic paid plans at $120/month and the most expensive plan at $368/month. The limited integrations are a drawback.

Pros

• Useful for both internal and external self-service knowledge bases
• Elegant, modern interface
• Intuitive to navigate
• Great customer care
• Easy to customize
• Impressive reporting & analytical features
• Great search engines functionalities

Cons

• Expensive
• Limited integrations
• Some features are clunky and need improvements
• New users will face a learning curve

4. Confluence: A solutions for teams who love Atlassian products

Atlassian, the company behind Jira, has internal knowledge base software called Confluence. It's not fancy or suitable for customer service but could be perfect for teams seeking a simple knowledge management system.

Key features

• Template variety:some text
  • Confluence offers a wide range of templates for starting a professional knowledge base management system from scratch.
• Scale your business safely:some text
  • Atlassian is suitable for fast-growing businesses because its features allow scaling while maintaining organized and secure information storage.
• Privacy, encryption & compliance:some text
  • Confluence is GDPR and Privacy Shield compliant.
  • They have a thorough risk management program.
  • Users can verify security with SOC2, SOC3, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, PCI DSS, and more.
• Administration & security features:some text
  • Administration and security features like SAML SSO, 2-step verification, and automated user provisioning ensure safe access for team members.
• Grow your business without any hassle:some text
  • Confluence offers robust insights, advanced administrative controls, unlimited storage, a 99.9% uptime SLA, and 24/7 customer support.

Pricing

Confluence offers a free plan for up to 10 users, and paid plans range from $5 to $10 per user per month.

Pros

• Extremely straightforward and easy to use
• Budget-friendly
• Good internal knowledge base solution
• A wide range of ready-to-use templates available
• Great for small teams
• Robust security features

Cons

• Doesn’t work as an external knowledge base solution
• Simple software with limited features
• The app runs a bit slowly
• Search functionalities need improvement
• Bugs with page formatting

5. HelpCrunch: An affordable, all-around knowledge base solution

HelpCrunch is a comprehensive customer communication and knowledge management software for small businesses, offering ticketing, email marketing, live chat, and pop-ups. It's easy to use with customizable features, addressing common customer service concerns. Its basic knowledge base functionality is suitable for smaller enterprises.

Key Features

• SEO customizablesome text
  • Customize the SEO settings of all the articles and other content in your knowledge base.
  • Easy to categorize and has additional access control features.
• Email marketing capabilitiessome text
  • Send out manual and automatic email communications.
  • Integrates with chats.
  • Pre-made email templates.
• Unique email features:some text
  • Live audience segments
  • Custom user attributes
  • Delayed and auto messages
  • Advanced formatting and editing capabilities
  • Chat transcript

Pricing

HelpCrunch lacks a free plan but offers a 14-day trial. Its paid plans range between 15 and 25 EUR per month per team member and offer unlimited contacts and free platform migration. Custom enterprise plans are also available.

Pros

• Affordable
• A great all-around customer care solution
• Customizable appearance
• Perfect for small & medium-sized businesses
• Impressive external knowledge base capabilities, while also working for internal knowledge bases.
• Email marketing capabilities
• SEO customization

Cons

• Not an ideal solution for larger organizations
• Fairly basic knowledge base capabilities, especially internal ones
• Still some missing features & bugs
• Mobile apps still need improvement
• Reporting features could be more robust

Look for a solution that grows as you learn, and learns as you grow

The best wiki software is an agile solution: something that will evolve as your company inevitably undergoes changes, challenges, and growth. Choose the software that will meet you where you are now, and is building features to get you where you want to be in the future.