Looking for the best alternative to Confluence?
In this article, we’ll give you the top three Confluence alternatives to help solve your documentation and collaboration needs.
Here’s what we’ll cover. (click on the links below to jump to a particular section)
Limitations of Confluence
5 Great Confluence Alternatives (including features, pros, cons and user ratings)
Why Wiki Tools Aren’t Great For Project Management
Why You Should Use ClickUp For Project Management
Limitations of Confluence
Most companies are familiar with the Confluence Cloud – Atlassian’s wiki collaborative tool. It allows your team to build a knowledge base that’s available to everyone in your organization.
However, Confluence isn’t perfect.
Confluence becomes bloated and nobody’s ever called it user-friendly. Add a steep price tag for big teams and you have a tool that’s hard to justify for most users and businesses.
Additionally, Confluence is another separated work tool that doesn’t allow you to share docs publicly!
So what can you use instead? Let’s explore…
5 Great Confluence Alternatives
1. ClickUp Docs
ClickUp is a powerful productivity platform that’s used by companies like Airbnb, Apple, and Uber. Its kickass ‘Docs’ feature makes it the perfect knowledge management software for your team.
Here’s why ClickUp should be your No. 1 choice for your Docs and Wiki software.
A) Docs are in the same place your work
ClickUp allows you to store documents alongside everything else you work on! Create docs for each project or group of tasks to keep everything organized.
Each document lives with its relevant tasks at any level of your organization. This keeps docs from crowding up your screen or becoming cluttered.
It’s organization at it’s finest!
B) Nested Pages
Nested pages are essentially subsections in your docs. You’re no longer working with one endless document – you’ve broken it down into bite-sized chunks!
You ‘nest’ documents inside other larger ones to create separations in your docs. This makes your docs way more organized and easier to manage.
Sure, most wiki collaborative tools allow you to create nested pages for your docs. But they make it ridiculously hard to do so. You’d rather just create a separate doc!
However, ClickUp makes it unbelievably easy to manage nested docs.
Users can add as many nested subsections to a document as they want to add a level of organization to it. Want to move a sub-section to a different page? Just drag and drop it to wherever you want!
And that’s not all!
You can label them and they’ll show up in your sidebar under each document!
This helps you identify and manage these subsections directly!
C) Rich Editing
What’s the point of a document you can’t edit just the way you want?
Sadly, that’s what you’re going to get with most Confluence alternatives.
You’ll get next to no text formatting options and be stuck with a rigid, impractical doc.
And with ClickUp?
You get loads of customizability in your docs.
Here are just some of the formatting options you get with ClickUp Docs.
- Multiple text style options such as Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on
- Text Alignment options
- Ability to add images to your text
- Ability to add links to your text
- Numbered, Bulleted, and Checked Lists
- Ability to add dividers to your document to separate sections
- A WYSIWYG editor that can create printable documents
Yup – nearly as great as Google Docs!
D) Customizable Access Rights
Wiki tools are great places to store sensitive information – provided it’s in the right hands. You can’t just let anyone see these docs, right?
ClickUp gives you customizable access rights to help keep your docs safe. You can share a document with everyone in your organization or share it with only a few team members.
You get complete control over who gets to see these documents!
ClickUp gives you numerous sharing options…
1. Shareable links (Anyone with the link can access)
You can create a public URL to your document that allows anyone to access your doc. As this is a public link, anyone can access your doc – even those who aren’t part of your ClickUp team.
Note – creating a public link doesn’t mean your document can be indexed by Google. You’ll have to choose that option separately.
2. Private Sharing
Alternatively, you can choose to share your document only with select individuals in your business. This helps when your document contains sensitive information that you don’t want everyone seeing.
3. Public with Search engines (anyone can access your docs)
ClickUp also allows you to share a business doc with search engines like Google. This allows Google to index your doc and it’ll show up in Google searches!
Cool, right?
4. Private Documents
You can make a Doc completely private. This helps when you’re drafting a strategy or idea and you don’t want anyone seeing it yet. Once you feel your drafts are ready, you can easily share files with everyone in your organization!
E) Conversations
Most wiki tools are a mess when it comes to collaboration on docs. There’s no organization to it and you’ll have comments strewn all over your page!
Not ideal right?
Luckily, ClickUp keeps conversations organized and straightforward. Your team can add comments to parts of your doc or just add them to your whole doc instead!
This way, your comments are in relevant places and you’re not scratching your head trying to figure out what’s going on!
Pros –
- User-friendly interface with search functionality.
- Easy to manage nested pages for each document.
- Rich editing capabilities.
- Customizable access rights.
- Supports real-time content collaboration on documents.
- Multiple service integrations such as with Dropbox and Google Docs.
- Feature-rich free version.
- Fully functional mobile app for Apple and Android.
Cons –
- No Slack integration
User Reviews (of ClickUp) –
Capterra – 4.5/5 (1253 reviews)
G2Crowd – 4.6/5 (733 reviews)
2. Documize
Documize is a great knowledge sharing platform for your team. Here are a few collaboration features that make it one of the best open source alternatives to Confluence.
A) Good Organizational Capabilities
The Documize platform gives you loads of functionality to categorize your documents.
Users can file each document into its own category and group related files together easily. Therefore, if you’re looking for resources on a particular topic, they’ll all be stored together.
You can also add labels to documents to make the categorization even simpler.
For example, you may have a category dedicated to company HR policies that have a large set of documents ranging from performance appraisals to diversity policies.
With labels, you can add further categorize these documents by adding tags such as “getting started” or “editorial” to make sure people know which documents are relevant to them.
You can always use Documize’s search functionality to search for these tags and the relevant docs will pop up!
B) Customizable Access Rights
Like ClickUp, Documize allows you to customize access rights every time you share files.
This is important as some documents may contain sensitive information that you don’t want everyone knowing about.
With Documize’s customizable access rights, you can select who gets access to each document with the click of a button.
This solution has two benefits:
- You won’t have to worry about everyone in your company having access to sensitive business documents and any unauthorized file sharing taking place.
- By limiting what each employee can see, you’re giving them a cleaner interface to work with – it won’t be populated by documents that are irrelevant to them.
C) Usage Insights
Another powerful Documize feature is insights you get about documents you’ve uploaded.
Users have access to loads of insights – ranging from which documents are used most often, which ones are barely touched and who’s been contributing to these documents.
This feature is important, especially if your docs contain SOPs and training material. It gives you an idea of what your team is struggling with.
If several team members keep revisiting a training doc, it indicates they’re struggling with the process and you might need to find a solution to make the process clearer.
Pros –
- Good organization capabilities with powerful search functionality.
- Support for real-time content collaboration on documents.
- Detailed document insights.
- Customizable usage rights when you share files.
- Open source software unlike Confluence, which is proprietary software.
Cons –
- Expensive – starts at $50/ month per user.
- Initial walkthroughs need work as onboarding is difficult.
- Developers may find it slightly hard to add a plugin to this open source framework.
User Reviews
Capterra – 4.5/5 (7 reviews)
G2Crowd – 4.6/5 (5 reviews)
3. Friyay.io
Friyay.io is another knowledge management software that you can check out. Here a few reasons why it’s on this list.
A) Beautiful Interface
The best thing about the Friyay app is how good it looks. It adopts a clean, minimalist approach to displaying your notes that works incredibly well.
Each document is stored as a card on your dashboard that’s easily accessible. This eliminates any navigation difficulties in finding your notes and file sharing.
Additionally, you can color coordinate your notes for easy identification. For example, web development notes can be tagged with the color blue, while HR documents can be tagged with yellow.
B) Smart Cards
Another great thing about the Friyay platform is how powerful each card can be.
Unlike many other tools that require you to store information in a standard blank page, Friyay gives you multiple templates to choose from.
You have over 25 different templates to choose from so that you find the perfect template for your information.
It can support templates such as –
- Sheets – for statistical data tables like an Excel Sheet
- Schedules – to organize events and deadlines in a calendar format
- Message Boards – for collaborative documents with employee insights
C) Customized Views
When it comes to organizing things, everyone has their preferences. A structure that suits one person may not be ideal when compared to someone else’s workflow.
That’s why Friyay allows you to customize your dashboard and cards to suit your preferences.
You can move the cards around and create your own subsections to change how you view your dashboard.
The best part about this is that it’s your custom view – only you get to view it like this. Your teammates’ dashboards won’t be affected by all this customization!
Pros
- Beautiful and user-friendly interface.
- Customized views to suit personal preferences.
- Multiple card templates for different notes.
- Flexible pricing.
Cons
- The Friyay service isn’t built for higher-order tasks.
- Not too many categorization options.
User Reviews
Capterra – N/A
G2Crowd – N/A
4. Slite
Slite is a good knowledge base software geared towards active team collaboration. Here’s why it’s on our list.
A) Easy Setup
One of the best things about Slite is that it’s easy to set up. No complicated setup procedures or manual adjustments – you’ll be up and running in no time!
B) Active Team Collaboration
Slite’s team collaboration capabilities are its main calling card. Your team can easily communicate and share ideas on your docs.
You can…
- Add comments to any part of your document in a designated comment section to share ideas and information.
- Tag team members using their ‘Mentions’ feature to notify them of something important.
- See who’s active and collaborate with them on the document in real time.
C) Custom Permissions
Another great thing about Slite is that it allows you to choose who gets access to what.
You can control who has edit and view access to each of your documents. You can keep a document private or keep it entirely public – it’s up to you!
Slite can’t let Google index your documents though. So you won’t be able to rank on Google as a result.
Pros
- Easy to setup
- User-friendly interface
- Active team collaboration capabilities
- Custom access rights
Cons
- No mobile version
- No Google indexation.
User Reviews
Capterra – 5/5 (25 reviews)
G2Crowd – 4.7/5 (11 reviews)
5. Helpjuice
Helpjuice is a popular knowledge management solution. With advanced features like branding and analytics, it’s no surprise that its one of the best-known tools on the market.
Let’s take a closer look at it.
A) Branding
Helpjuice is one of the few wiki tools that allow you to brand your documents. You can add your company name and logo to each doc. This makes your docs look far more professional!
Branding is important when your docs are publicly available. If your docs are branded, people will instantly recognize your company when they open any of your documents.
B) Analytics
Helpjuice offers you tons of helpful analytics to understand how your docs are being used.
You can analyze who’s viewing your docs, who is contributing to them, which docs are being viewed more often – the list goes on!
This analytics data can help you craft better documents. For example, if your team keeps revisiting a training doc – they might be struggling with that process. You can use this information to either craft a better training doc or perhaps even schedule a training session.
C) Organizational Capabilities
Helpjuice does a great job of organizing all your docs. You can easily label and find them using the search feature.
One of the best things about Helpjuice is that you can keep a document in multiple folders at the same time. For example, a document on social media marketing can be placed in your marketing and PR folders!
You won’t have to keep shuffling between folders to find relevant docs!
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Good organization capabilities
- Powerful analytics
- Branding options
Cons
- Limited integrations
- Initial setup is complicated
User Reviews
Capterra – 4.5/5 (55 reviews)
G2Crowd – 4.4/5 (5 reviews)
Why Wiki Tools Are Horrible For Planning and Project Management
Many companies use collaboration tools like Atlassian Confluence for action plans like project strategy planning, product launches, meeting notes and file sharing.
Image Source: Confluence Website
The problem with this strategy is that your team can’t map these action plans within Confluence itself.
Confluence only serves as a reference point – they’ll have to use another dedicated project management software to map out these actions.
Think about it…
- Project management is a complex process that involves lots of overlaps. No single document can handle everything a project needs. Your team will have to switch between multiple docs on your wiki to try and piece things together!
- You’ll have tons of reference docs stored on your knowledge management software that will be useless once you’ve finished a project or product launch.
- All these project and product docs will add up and eat into your storage space – creating large, stagnant content silos.
- They’ll clog up your collaboration tool’s interface – making it harder for people to reach any other documents they need.
Why You Should Use ClickUp For Project Management
Using a dedicated project management tool like ClickUp is a far smarter choice compared to using wiki tools for handling projects.
Here are a few reasons why.
1. Task Descriptions With Super Rich Editing
Wiki Tool Limitation: Too Many Tools
A wiki tool will never be powerful enough to manage a project. Your employees will have to go into your wiki tool, check what needs to be done, and then use another project management tool to manage their to-dos!
Having to toggle between multiple tools is an unnecessary pain that will slow down your team’s workflow.
ClickUp Advantage – Unified Workspaces
ClickUp gives you unified workspaces for all project and task-related activities. You can note down task descriptions with great detail – outlining exactly what needs to be done.
As everything is in one place, your employees won’t have to look at other workspaces or wiki docs to refer to detailed notes, plans and instructions They can carry out all their project-related activities inside ClickUp!
2. Clear Status Updates
Wiki Software Limitation: Unclear Statuses
Most wiki tools don’t support status updates. It’s one of the reasons tools like Confluence need to be used with project management tools like Jira or Trello.
Without project management integration, there’s no way to know the status of your action plan.
Not great, right?
ClickUp Advantage: Custom Statuses
In ClickUp, you can set custom statuses for your projects. Be as detailed as you want here and use statuses like “Editorial Process” or “Client Review.”
Custom statuses make it super easy to keep up with your projects and check whether tasks are on track to meet deadlines.
3. Commenting On Tasks
Wiki Software Limitation: No Separate Comment Section
Most modern wiki tools allow team members to contribute to a document. Great.
However, there’s no separate section for these comments, so they’re all over your document instead. Not so great.
As you have comments all over the place, your doc will be incredibly messy!
Trying to work with such an impractical document isn’t a smart approach to task management.
ClickUp Advantage: Separate Comment Sections
ClickUp gives you a separate comment section for each task and subtask for easy employee communication. Your comments can include text, pictures, links, videos – it’s up to you!
Take a look at the screenshot below. All the comments on a task are beautifully organized in their dedicated communication space on the right.
Looks great, right?
Your project description and task list will be neat and legible – making task management a breeze!
4. Mentions And Assigned Comments
Wiki Software Limitation: Cannot Address Individuals
Contrary to what you may think, wiki software isn’t great for communication.
Why?
There’s no way to address people individually. Most wiki tools can’t send notifications to people if you’ve mentioned them in document conversations. You’ll have to notify them on your own.
However, that isn’t all. Even after notifying them, your team still has to go through long documents to find out where you’ve asked them a question or needed their insights.
ClickUp Advantage: Mentions
With ClickUp’s Mentions feature, you can tag a team member in a comment or subtask in your project space. The ClickUp app will send them notifications and take them to where they’ve been tagged.
For example, if you want a team member’s opinion on some conversations – just tag them in a comment and they’ll be able to see it.
They won’t be spending precious time searching for conversations related to them – ClickUp’s notifications show them exactly where to go!
Wiki Software Limitation: Cannot Assign Actions
Wiki app templates cannot assign actions to team members. This is a massive problem when dealing with action plans.
If you can’t assign actions to people based on these plans, nothing will get done! You’ll have to individually notify each team member of what needs to be done and then follow-up to see if they’ve finished it.
Why go through all that trouble?
ClickUp Advantage: Assigned Comments
ClickUp lets you assign comments to team members. This a great way to assign individual tasks to people without worrying about bothering anyone else. The concerned person will receive notifications about these tasks and can take action on them right away!.
As the assigned comments service functions as a task assignment of sorts, your team can mark a comment as resolved. This reduces the need of following up on anything – it’s task management at it’s finest!
5. Subtasks With Their Own Comments
Wiki Software Limitation: No Space For Subtasks
Trying to juggle subtasks is impossible on wiki collaboration software. That’s because these subtasks are often complex enough to need their own documents.
Unfortunately, you’ll overcrowd your workspace if you create separate docs for each subtask! Your team members are then forced to collaborate on large, impractical and confusing project documents instead.
Not great right?
ClickUp Advantage: Detailed Subtask Sections
ClickUp allows you to be as detailed as you want with each subtask. You can add assignees, detailed task descriptions, due dates and priorities to each subtask in your project.
Every subtask also has its own comment section for your assignees to discuss ideas and collaborate over objectives!
This way, each subtask has the individual space it deserves – making it far easier for your team to collaborate over them and get things done quickly!
Conclusion
While Confluence is still a good wiki solution, it’s far from perfect.
ClickUp, Documize, and Friyay are all great Confluence alternatives that bring something unique to the table.
While Documize and Friyay can bring an additional layer of customizability to your wiki workflow, ClickUp can offer you the perfect project management solution.
With ClickUp, you’ll have a powerful wiki tool and a bonafide project management solution. This way, you won’t have to use other tools like Jira for project management – ClickUp has everything you need!
In case you’re still on the fence about ClickUp, why not sign up for the free version and experience it for yourself?
Faisal Malas
Client Success Champion