Top 10 Enterprise Search Software in 2024

Enterprise search solutions are incredibly useful in 2024.

The evolution and importance of enterprise search technology have become pivotal in enhancing business workflow and decision-making processes. For the first time in corporate history, you can talk to your company knowledge like chatGPT to ask questions and get direct answers. Earlier iterations of Enterprise search software used to look like a search engine result page and had a wonky search capability at best.

Key Features of Enterprise Search Technology Platforms

With time, all the leading best Enterprise search software have added these must-have features:

1. Unified Search: With teams using dozens of apps, workers need a single search interface to find information across different tools.
2. Search analytics: What’s your team searching? Which questions are going unanswered? Analytics help you answer questions like these and accordingly clean up your Knowledge Base.
3. Ability to process unstructured data: Most company information like Slack messages, meeting notes, etc. are examples of unstructured data sources carrying important information. Structured and unstructured data indexing is the one of the biggest challenges that only a few Enterprise search tools do well.
4. Personalized search experience: Incorporating advanced search capabilities, including Cognitive Search capabilities, now commonplace with AI tools, leverages natural language processing to improve search results significantly. This enhancement allows employees to enjoy the convenience and speed of conversational search for their day-to-day work, understanding user intent more accurately and providing relevant search results.

With the key features in mind, here’s the 10 best Enterprise search software in 2024:

1. Slite
2. Google Cloud Search
3. Guru
4. Glean
5. Elastic
6. Microsoft Graph and Copilot
7. Lucidworks
8. Coveo
9. Pinecone
10. GoLinks

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#1 Slite

Slite isn’t just Enterprise Search. It’s the one source for unifying, searching, and managing all your company’s information.

Key Features:

• Collaborative Knowledge Creation: The heart of Slite is its powerful document editor. It allows teams to draft notes, craft in-depth guides, outline procedures, and build their knowledge base directly within the platform.
• AI-Powered Search: As a leading AI enterprise search software, Slite leverages natural language understanding to improve search results significantly. It goes beyond finding relevant documents by digging deep into the content with AI, surfacing the specific answers you need and understanding the intent behind your queries.
• Integrations: Slite connects with many of the tools you likely already use – Slack, Google Drive, Github, and more. This brings external knowledge directly into your central Slite search experience.
• Ease of Use: Slite strikes a great balance between powerful features and a user-friendly interface. This means your team is less likely to resist adoption, which is a major hurdle with many enterprise tools.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• All-in-one knowledge solution: Slite excels for teams that need both robust content creation and powerful search capabilities.
• Intuitive to learn: Non-technical teams will appreciate Slite’s streamlined interface.

Limitations:

• Pricing: No free plan available, creating a barrier for smaller teams to try before buying.
• Search customization: Offers less granular search customization compared to some open-source solutions.

Who is Slite best for?

Slite is an excellent fit for teams that:

• Want a tool to both create and search through company knowledge.
• Need a structured way to organize information beyond simple search.
• Prefer a user-friendly experience over advanced customization.

#2 Google Cloud Search

#2 Google Cloud Search: The Power of Google, Tailored to Your Team

As you'd expect from Google, Google Cloud Search brings their renowned search capabilities directly to your company's data. It's particularly strong if you're already deeply invested in Google Workspace.

Key Features:

• Google-grade Search Experience: Google Cloud Search builds upon the search technology that powers everyday Google searches, delivering fast and accurate results.
• Workspace Integration: It works seamlessly with Google Drive, Gmail, Docs, and other Workspace tools. If your team lives in these apps, search results will feel familiar and intuitive.
• AI-Powered Understanding: The search engine utilizes Google's AI prowess to understand the meaning behind your queries, not just match keywords.
• Customization: Administrators have some control over search ranking, result display, and can utilize Google's APIs for tighter integration with other systems.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Familiar interface: Google Workspace users will have no learning curve with search functionality, promoting adoption.
• Leverages Google AI: Expect Google-level search intelligence for your internal knowledge base.

Limitations:

• Workspace-centric: Its strength lies in its tight Google Workspace integration. Teams heavily relying on non-Google tools won't see the same benefits.
• Limited 3rd-party Integrations: While some integrations exist, the connector ecosystem is currently not as extensive as other specialized enterprise search solutions.

Who is Google Cloud Search best for?

Google Cloud Search excels for teams that:

• Are heavily invested in the Google Workspace ecosystem.
• Want best-in-class search accuracy and speed.
• Don't require extensive integrations with other non-Google tools.

#3 Guru

Guru focuses on turning knowledge capture and discovery into a seamless part of your team's existing workflow. It cleverly integrates with the tools you already use, minimizing the need to switch between apps.

Key Features:

• Browser extension: Guru's browser extension is its secret weapon. It lets you capture notes, snippets, and relevant information directly from the web or within the tools you use daily.
• Knowledge Verification: Guru emphasizes keeping your knowledge base accurate and up-to-date. It includes built-in tools for scheduling information reviews and flags outdated content.
• Slack Integration: Guru connects deeply with Slack, letting you search for knowledge and get answers right within your conversations.
• AI-Powered Search: Guru utilizes AI to understand the nuances of your questions and surface the most relevant information.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Workflow Integration: Guru excels at reducing friction, letting you capture and find knowledge without disrupting your workflow.
• Focus on Accuracy: If your team struggles with outdated wikis or conflicting information, Guru's verification features are a major plus.

Limitations:

• Structured Knowledge: Guru works well for defined knowledge bases, but might feel less suited to teams with a large volume of unstructured data (like open-ended chat logs).
• Learning Curve: Guru has numerous features, which can sometimes make the initial set-up and onboarding a bit overwhelming.

Who is Guru best for?

Guru is a great fit for teams that:

• Want to capture knowledge directly within the tools they use throughout the day (web, Slack, etc.).
• Prioritize maintaining a highly accurate and up-to-date knowledge base.
• Want to minimize the disruption of switching between apps to find information.

#4 Glean

Glean stands out with its powerful AI capabilities aimed at uncovering insights hidden within your company’s data. It excels at connecting to disparate sources and making sense of unstructured information.

Key Features:

• Intelligent Search: Glean goes beyond keyword matching. Its AI engine understands the context of your queries, the nuances of language, and even relationships between team members. Additionally, its semantic search capabilities ensure that related search queries are efficiently connected to relevant results, enhancing the user's ability to find what they need quickly.
• Wide Integrations: With connectors for popular tools like Slack, Jira, Salesforce, and more, Glean casts a wide net over your company’s knowledge.
• Custom Chatbots: Glean’s AI can be used to build question-answering chatbots that can be deployed within tools like Slack, providing quick answers on demand.
• Developer-Friendly: Glean’s API and SDK provide significant customization potential for building unique knowledge experiences.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Powerful AI Search: If your team needs to dig into complex information or ask nuanced questions, Glean’s AI search shines.
• Customization Potential: Glean is a strong choice for teams with in-house developers looking to build tailored knowledge solutions.

Limitations:

• Focus on Search: Glean doesn’t include robust document creation features you’d find in tools like Slite or Guru.
• Evolving AI: While powerful, Glean’s AI is still under development and may encounter challenges with very niche or specialized knowledge.

Who is Glean best for?

Glean is ideal for teams that:

• Struggle to find information scattered across various platforms and tools.
• Have a large amount of unstructured knowledge like emails, chat logs, and meeting notes.
• Have developers who can leverage Glean’s API for custom integrations and experiences.

#5 Elastic

Elastic (the company behind Elasticsearch) provides the technology that often powers other enterprise search solutions. Its approach emphasizes flexibility and customization, requiring some technical expertise to unlock its full potential.

Key Features:

• Open-Source Foundations: Elastic is built on open-source technology, giving you granular control over its configuration and deployment.
• Scalability: Elastic is known for handling extremely large datasets, making it suitable for enterprises with massive amounts of knowledge to index.
• Advanced Customization: Fine-tune search relevance, build custom dashboards, and integrate with virtually any system using Elastic's extensive APIs.
• Speed: Elastic delivers lightning-fast search performance even across complex datasets.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Ultimate flexibility: If your team needs a search solution tailored specifically to your unique knowledge structure and workflows, Elastic provides the building blocks.
• Large-scale data handling: Elastic is a top choice for very large enterprises with complex knowledge needs.

Limitations:

• Technical expertise required: Implementing and fully leveraging Elastic often requires developers and IT support. It's not a plug-and-play solution.
• Steeper learning curve: Due to its open-source nature and advanced features, there's a steeper learning curve compared to some more user-friendly tools.

Who is Elastic best for?

Elastic is best for teams that:

• Have in-house developers and IT resources to manage the solution.
• Need a highly customizable search solution for unique use cases.
• Manage vast amounts of complex and unstructured data.
• Prioritize full control over their search infrastructure.

#6 Microsoft Search

Microsoft Search leverages the company's vast ecosystem, bringing together your files, emails, and even insights from tools like Teams and SharePoint. It's a powerful option for organizations heavily invested in Microsoft 365.

Key Features:

• Microsoft Ecosystem Integration: The core strength of Microsoft Search is its deep connection to tools like Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.
• AI-Powered Insights: Microsoft Search utilizes AI to suggest relevant information, personalize results, and anticipate your needs.
• OpenAI Integration: Microsoft is integrating ChatGPT-like capabilities into Search, promising new ways to interact with your knowledge base.
• Familiar Interface: Microsoft 365 users will find the search experience familiar and straightforward.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Seamless Microsoft experience: If your team lives in Microsoft 365, the search functionality extends naturally to your workflow.
• Cutting-Edge AI: The upcoming integration with OpenAI's language models could significantly enhance Microsoft Search's capabilities.

Limitations:

• Microsoft-centric: Microsoft Search is most powerful when you primarily use their tools. It has less reach into external systems or non-Microsoft file formats.
• Limited Connector Ecosystem: While some third-party integrations exist, the connector selection isn't as robust as competitors specializing in enterprise search.

Who is Microsoft Search best for?

Microsoft Search is a strong contender for teams that:

• Are heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint, etc.).
• Want a familiar and accessible search experience for employees accustomed to Microsoft tools.
• Are excited by the potential of Microsoft's OpenAI integration to transform knowledge discovery.

#7 Lucidworks

Lucidworks Fusion is a mature enterprise search platform emphasizing customization and the ability to handle complex data scenarios. It provides the building blocks for creating bespoke search experiences.

Key Features:

• Flexible Deployment: Lucidworks Fusion can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid setup, adapting to your infrastructure needs.
• Advanced Search Tuning: Fine-tune search relevance, boost specific content types, and create custom search pipelines for specific datasets.
• Signal Processing: Lucidworks incorporates signals (like clicks, views, likes) to improve result ranking and personalization over time.
• AI and Machine Learning: Utilize pre-built or custom machine learning models to further enhance search results and personalize the experience.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Granular Control: Lucidworks is ideal for teams that want maximum control over how their search functions, from indexing to result display.
• Complex Data Handling: Fusion excels in scenarios where you need to combine structured and unstructured data sources or apply specialized search techniques.

Limitations:

• Cost: Due to its customizable nature and potential complexity, Lucidworks Fusion can be more expensive than simpler out-of-the-box solutions.
• Technical Expertise: Like Elastic, fully utilizing Lucidworks often requires technical knowledge or the support of a solutions provider.

Who is Lucidworks Fusion best for?

Lucidworks Fusion is a good fit for teams that:

• Have unique search requirements beyond what off-the-shelf solutions can easily provide.
• Need to manage large amounts of diverse and complex data.
• Value the flexibility of both cloud and on-premises deployment options.
• Have access to developers or are comfortable working with a solution provider for implementation.

#8 Coveo

Coveo stands out with its ability to unify search across your company's knowledge base, customer support channels, and even external websites. This makes it a compelling option if you want a consistent search experience for both internal and external use cases.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel Search: Coveo can index content from websites, help centers, internal knowledge bases, and other sources, providing a unified search interface for your users.
• Machine Learning Relevance: Coveo's AI models continuously learn from user behavior and interactions to improve search result accuracy and personalization.
• Case Deflection: For customer support use cases, Coveo can suggest relevant solutions directly from your knowledge base, reducing the volume of support tickets.
• Analytics and Insights: Coveo provides detailed dashboards to track search usage, identify gaps in your knowledge, and optimize the experience over time.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Unified Customer and Employee Search: Coveo's omnichannel approach is unique for bridging the gap between internal knowledge and customer-facing search.
• Support Optimization: Coveo's potential for case deflection and self-service makes it attractive for customer support teams.

Limitations:

• Complex Setup: Implementing Coveo's multi-channel search can be more complex than an internal-only focused solution.
• Learning Curve: Coveo has a wider range of features and settings, which can increase the learning curve for administrators.

Who is Coveo best for?

Coveo is worth considering for teams that:

• Want to provide a consistent search experience for both internal employees and external customers.
• Have a large knowledge base that supports customer-facing help centers or websites.
• Need detailed search analytics and self-service optimization for customer support.

#9 Pinecone

Pinecone differs somewhat from the other options we've discussed. It's a vector database technology – the core technology that powers the AI capabilities in many modern search solutions. It’s used by companies like Notion, ClickUp, and HubSpot for building AI features.

Key Features:

• Vector Embeddings: Pinecone excels at understanding the semantic meaning behind text and data. It converts information into numerical representations (vectors) for efficient comparison.
• Speed and Low Latency: Pinecone is optimized for lightning-fast similarity searches, essential for real-time AI-powered search experiences.
• Scalability: Pinecone can handle massive datasets as your knowledge base expands, ensuring search performance remains snappy.
• Developer-focused: Pinecone provides APIs and SDKs to power your search applications or integrate it into existing ones.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Cutting-Edge AI Search: Pinecone is at the forefront of technology enabling semantic search and knowledge discovery.
• Performance and Scalability: Pinecone ensures your AI search can process large amounts of data quickly.

Limitations:

• Not an Out-of-the-Box Solution: Pinecone is a powerful building block, but requires development expertise to implement as a search solution.
• Focus on Vectors: While great at handling vector data, it's less suited for traditional keyword-based search scenarios.

Who is Pinecone best for?

Pinecone is a compelling choice for teams that:

• Want to build custom AI-powered search experiences with cutting-edge capabilities.
• Have developers comfortable working with vector databases and machine learning concepts.
• Need a highly performant and scalable solution to handle enormous volumes of data.

#10 GoSearch

GoSearch brings a fresh focus to enterprise knowledge discovery. Built on a multimodal AI foundation, it lets you search across work apps using text, images, URLs, or even a chat-like query. It eliminates the time wasted switching apps and sifting through disorganized data.

Key Features:

• Search Across Everything: GoSearch integrates with the tools you already use (Google Docs, Notion, Slack, etc.), creating a unified search experience. No more bouncing between apps!
• Multimodal Search: Go beyond a simple search box. Find information by describing it, uploading an image, sharing a link, or having a conversation with the GoSearch AI assistant.
• AI-Powered Insights: GoSearch leverages AI to summarize long documents, understand the context of your queries, and generate answers that directly address your question. This includes enhancing search engines with AI and machine learning to provide relevant and insightful answers, improving business workflow and ensuring fast access to all relevant business information.
• Custom Enterprise ChatGPT: Build your own ChatGPT-like experience specifically for your company’s knowledge. Streamline workflows and automate tasks guided by your own data.
• Security and Privacy: GoSearch prioritizes security by letting you bring your own LLM API key and manage your data in your preferred cloud environment.
• Selecting Leading Enterprise Search Software: It's crucial to choose leading enterprise search software that offers robust security and compliance features, along with a diverse range of pricing options and features to meet your business needs.

Unique Selling Points (USPs):

• Speed and Efficiency: Find answers instantly with a search method that matches the way you think.
• Innovative AI: Get summarized answers, image-based search, and a conversational AI assistant for a transformative search experience.

Limitations:

• Response Quality: As a developing AI solution, response quality might vary depending on the complexity of your questions.
• Limited Analytics: GoSearch currently lacks the in-depth analytics found in some other enterprise search tools.

Who is GoSearch best for?

GoSearch is ideal for teams that:

• Struggle with knowledge scattered across different tools and apps.
• Want a fast, intuitive, multimodal search experience that goes beyond basic keyword matching.
• Value AI-powered answers and insights to save time on finding information.
• Prioritize control over their data and flexibility to build tailored AI experiences.

How to choose the Best Enterprise Search for your team?

Here are the key questions to guide your decision:

Size and Complexity

How large is your organization, and how intricate is your knowledge structure? Fast moving teams might thrive with a streamlined solution like Slite. Larger enterprises with strict data/security policies could benefit from the scalability and customization of Elastic or Lucidworks.

Existing Tech Stack

What tools do you already use extensively? The best enterprise search solution will integrate seamlessly with your existing apps like Slack, Google Workspace, or project management software. Look for a platform with robust connectors to minimize friction for your team.

Knowledge Structure

Is your knowledge primarily in neatly organized documents and wikis, or is there a lot of unstructured data like meeting notes, emails, and chat logs? Some solutions excel with structured content (Coveo, Guru), while others are better equipped to handle the messiness of less formal data (Elastic, Pinecone, Glean).

Technical Expertise

Do you have in-house developers or IT support teams? Solutions like Pinecone, Elastic, and Lucidworks offer extensive customization, but it comes at the cost of needing technical knowledge for setup and maintenance.

Focus on Search

Does your team need a robust platform for creating and managing knowledge alongside search capabilities? Slite excels in this area. If your primary pain point is finding existing knowledge, Glean or GoSearch might be a better fit.

Budget

Enterprise search solutions come with varying price tags. Options like Slite offer free trials for you to test the waters, while more complex solutions often come with higher costs. Be upfront about your budget to quickly narrow down suitable options.

AI Capabilities

How important are cutting-edge AI features like conversational search, summarization, and image search? If you see significant benefits from AI-powered tools, you’ll love Slite, Glean, and Guru the most. They’re the simplest in terms of connecting 3rd party tools and give Slack/Chrome extensions to invoke AI Search anywhere.

Conclusion

The ideal enterprise search solution becomes an extension of your team's collective brain. It eliminates the frustration of digging through scattered information and frees up time for strategic work.

Finding the right enterprise search tool is an investment that pays dividends in productivity and informed decision-making. While they vary in features, selecting either of them will definitively improve your team’s productivity. All you need to consider is - what are the must-haves for your team?

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