“Knowledge is power.”
We’ve all heard someone say it or read the quote on the internet. It’s a cliché, but for good reason.
With organizations generating a crazy amount of data—training videos, company documents, customer information, online help center articles—on a daily basis, keeping this information organized and readily available is crucial.
In the current knowledge-based economy, understanding how to streamline and put the information at your disposal to good use is true power.
Yet, organizations often leave money on the table, by not having the right tools or processes in place to create, manage, and share organizational knowledge with their customers and employees.
Enter knowledge base software!
What is Knowledge Base Software?
Knowledge base software is a tool that pools all your company knowledge and project-related information in a centralized hub for easy storage and management.
This way, all the relevant parties can access and share any information they need easily and conveniently.
Both your employees and customers can use the knowledge management system. New employees can use the repository to learn more about your organization and its products (internal knowledge base) while new customers can use it to find quick solutions to their queries without having to call customer support (external knowledge base).
Here’s a piece of research that’s sure to blow your mind:
44% of employees are poor or very poor or transferring knowledge, according to Ernst & Young.
That’s not even the worst part. Employees spend 7-20% of their work hours replicating existing solutions for others.
If these statistics are anything to go by, then it’s crystal clear organizations are in great need of tools that can help them better manage their time and ever-growing data, as well as eliminate process redundancies.
A quick Google search about the best knowledge base software will unearth tens, possibly hundreds of results. How are you supposed to determine which is the right knowledge base software for your team?
We’re here to help. We’ve scoured the internet, turned it upside-down (literally!), and selected 10 of the best knowledge base tools you can use in 2024.
10 Best Knowledge Base Software Tools in 2024
1. ClickUp
Well, you’d be surprised if we didn’t rank ourselves as the #1 knowledge base software, right?
ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform with all the essentials an in-house or a remote team needs to store, visualize, and organize their work.
It’s the hub where teams come together to plan, organize, and collaborate on work using tasks, ClickUp Docs, Chat, Goals, Whiteboards, and more.
So, yes, ClickUp isn’t just a leading project management tool; it’s also a knowledge base tool worth its weight in gold.
The best part is, you can use it as searchable internal and external knowledge bases, or you can use it to replace all of your team’s productivity tools!
ClickUp key features
- Store Docs in the same place as your work. As each of these Docs is stored alongside their relevant projects, they’re easily accessible to all
- Leverage ClickUp AI for streamlined knowledge management. With ClickUp Brain, you can effortlessly optimize your knowledge base by automatically categorizing, tagging, and organizing information.
- Link anything together with the Relationships feature. Link to Docs and tasks from inside another Doc to help you cross-reference resources anywhere you need them
- Add nesting pages in Docs to organize content. Instead of fitting everything into one Doc, just break it into smaller sub-pages nested within your parent document
- Archive Docs instead of deleting them. While archived Docs will be hidden automatically, they are still saved so you can find them at a later date
- Use rich text formatting: organize large blocks of texts with formattings like toggle lists, colored backgrounds, and Columns
- Customize access rights to a Doc. Enhance security measures by protecting your Docs from unwanted edits. Simply turn on the Protect this page option and add context for your audience
- Pre-built knowledge base templates. Use ClickUp’s Knowledge Base Template to get started.
ClickUp pros
- Flexible and customizable
- User-friendly interface with online and offline mode
- Assign comments within Docs to make sure team members don’t miss action items
- Manage your knowledge base using our mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Apply tags to filter and find the Docs you’re looking for even faster
- Integrates with several third-party software like Microsoft Teams, Jira, Slack, Zoho, and more
ClickUp cons
- Learning curve due to the number of available features and level of customizability
- Not all views are available on the mobile app (yet!)
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7 per user per month
- Business: $12 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact ClickUp for custom pricing
- ClickUp Brain is available on all paid plans for $5 per Workspace member per month
ClickUp customer ratings
- G2: 4.7/5 (4,800+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,100+ reviews)
2. Document360
Document360 is a powerful knowledge base software suitable for startups, growing teams, and enterprise businesses.
While simple and intuitive to get started with, Document360 offers a broad range of features to allow you to create a knowledge base with simple steps.
Overall, if you can get your head wrapped around the price tag and don’t need a customer service solution, then this would be a great option for your team.
Document360 key features
- Choose between a Markdown and a WYSIWYG editor
- Powerful search function that matches terms with previous incidents for better results
- Multilingual support to provide relevant information to your global clients
- Configure your knowledge base in public, private, or mixed mode
- Customize landing pages to reflect your brand guidelines
Document360 pros
- Intuitive, user-friendly interface
- Integrates with powerful team collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Intercom
- Works for both internal and external knowledge bases
- Excellent reporting and analytics
- View history between multiple article versions or roll back to a prior version with zero fuss
Document360 cons
- Quite pricey
- Search functions could be improved
Document360 pricing
- Startup: $119/month(if billed monthly)
- Business: $299/month (if billed monthly)
- Enterprise: $599/month(if billed monthly)
Document360 customer ratings
- G2: 4.7/5 (200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (11+ reviews)
Check out these Document360 alternatives!
3. Helpjuice
Helpjuice is a free knowledge management software used by thousands of companies to create and organize support articles. It supports multilingual business needs and comes with a variety of reporting and analytics options. It’s also a bit pricier than other tools on this rundown, so you might not get a sweet deal with Helpjuice.
Helpjuice key features
- Get advanced analytics about each team in your internal knowledge base
- Brand your knowledge base articles any way you want
- Interactive troubleshooting content based on multiple questions
- Advanced real-time collaboration, including the ability to copy-paste from MS Word
- Integrations such as Slack, Olark, and Zapier for unlimited connections with other tools
Helpjuice pros
- Powerful, Google-like search functionality
- Ease-to-use editor with WYSIWYG and markdown options
- Integrates with a range of tools like Slack, Zapier, and Teams
- Collaborating features, including a live commenting feature
- Localization/multiple languages
Helpjuice cons
- No option for importing word docs, PDFs, XLS, or PPTs files
- Does not provide multibranding
- No folder system or file manager for images and other media files
Helpjuice pricing
- Starter: $120 (up to 4 users)
- Run-Up: $200 (up to 16 users)
- Premium Limited: $289 (up to 60 users)
- Premium Unlimited: $499 (unlimited users)
Helpjuice customer ratings
- G2: 4.2/5 (9 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (80+ reviews)
Check out these Helpjuice alternatives!
4. ProProfs Knowledge Base
One of the best knowledge base software you can get your hands on right now is ProProfs Knowledge Base.
Other than the fact that it’s free, it’s also quite stacked in the functionality department. Plus, you don’t need any coding skills to use the tool. And yes, it does what real professors do: grade stuff!
Oh, and did I mention that ProProfs Knowledge Base comes with over 40 different templates that you can use at your convenience?
ProProfs Knowledge Base key features
- Customizable access rights
- Password and privacy controls to keep your content secure
- Has loads of integrations for additional functionality
- Detailed insights, including readability scores for your content
- Supports over 90 languages
ProProfs Knowledge Base pros
- MS Word-like editor to help you write and edit the content on the go
- Customizations to tailor the knowledge base or wiki to your specific needs
- A robust reporting system that shares useful insights into article performance and author activities
- Works across multiple devices and browsers
- Can be used by both beginners and experts
ProProfs Knowledge Base cons
- Not the best choice for teams looking for co-editing options
- Most useful features are not available in the free plan
- Full range of features requires more time to learn
ProProfs Knowledge Base pricing
- Free
- Essentials: $30/author per month (billed annually)
- Premium: $40/author per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: Contact ProProfs for custom pricing
ProProfs Knowledge Base customer ratings
- G2: 4.6/5 (20+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (20+ reviews)
5. Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a leading customer support tool with powerful knowledge management software functionality.
If you have a large team, you can use the tool’s approval workflows to build top-quality content that’s devoid of errors.
However, since Freshdesk it’s geared towards customer support, its internal knowledge base features might not be so useful.
So, can this tool really breathe some fresh air into your knowledge base?
Time to find out…
Freshdesk key features
- User-friendly interface
- Built-in SEO capabilities
- Unlimited storage, even in the free version
- Create and manage multiple versions of the same document on your knowledge base
- Publish content in the form of images, videos, or any other format
Freshdesk pros
- AI-powered bots recommend the right articles for quick assistance
- A community forum where customers can discuss problems and get instant solutions
- Multilingual capabilities so that you can cater to a global audience
- Proactive help widget that automatically shows FAQs and contact forms
Freshdesk cons
- Advanced features like workflows and versioning are only available in the premium plans
- Offered as part of the customer support suite, which means you have to pay more, even if all you want is a knowledge management solution
Freshdesk pricing
- Free (up to 10 agents)
- Growth: $15/agent per month (billed annually)
- Pro: $49/agent per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $79/agent per month (billed annually)
Freshdesk customer ratings
- G2: 4.4/5 (2,600+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,500+ reviews)
Related: 10 Best Freshdesk Alternatives and Competitors
6. Zendesk
Zendesk? Freshdesk?
Does anyone else get that “spider man looks at himself in the mirror” vibe, or it’s just me?
That aside, Zendesk is a popular knowledge management software that’s been around since 2007. With this tool, customers can conveniently solve their queries by accessing the database of frequently asked questions whenever they want.
Like Freshdesk, Zendesk offers its knowledge management system as part of its customer support suite.
Since it’s an old-timer, it might not be as chic as other new knowledge base tools.
However, here are a few classic features that make it stand among the best knowledge base software today.
Zendesk key features
- Customizable themes
- Clean, user-friendly interface
- Translate your knowledge base into over 40 different languages
- Manage reusable content and update it across articles
- Let agents keep your help center updated with team publishing options
- Full integration with the Zendesk suite of tools, such as live chat and help desk (check out ServiceNow alternatives)
Zendesk pros
- AI-powered suggestions to check what’s working well and what’s not
- You can preview the customizations before final publishing
- It comes with a built-in chatbot called Answer Bot to help with finding the correct answers in a live chat
Zendesk cons
- You can only create one help center in its basic plan
- They don’t offer a standalone knowledge management solution
Zendesk pricing
- Team: $49/agent per month (billed annually)
- Growth: $79/agent per month (billed annually)
- Professional: $99/agent per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $150/agent per month (billed annually)
Zendesk customer ratings
- G2: 4.3/5 (5,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (3,100+ reviews)
7. Hubspot
Hubspot is another excellent tool for a knowledge base system. The beauty of using this tool is that it lets you build a robust library of information and help center articles based on your customers’ most frequently asked questions.
Since it’s optimized for advanced searches, Hubspot helps you and your support agents reach the correct answer quickly and efficiently.
Hubspot key features
- Built-in reporting dashboard for measuring the impact of your pages
- Multiple branding and customization options
- CRM tool that automatically marks which support articles have been viewed or opened by customers
Hubspot pros
- Powerful Hubspot integrations
- Scalable for growing businesses
- Intuitive, user-friendly interface
Hubspot cons
- Customizability is not as flexible as other options on this list
- Users have recently reported instances of bugs and/or crashes
- Quite pricey considering it’s limited feature-wise
Hubspot pricing
- Starter: $45 per month (2 paid users included)
- Professional: $450 per month (5 paid users included)
- Enterprise: $1200 per month (10 paid users included)
Hubspot customer ratings
- G2: 4.4/5 (1,400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (3,000+ reviews)
Check out these Hubspot alternatives!
8. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is essentially a help desk solution that also offers self-service capabilities. As one of the best knowledge base software around, the tool lets you tailor every element of your help center to your taste using HTML and CSS.
The best part?
Zoho Desk supports forums and communities, giving your audience a centralized platform to share ideas and ask questions.
Zoho Desk key features
- Productivity booster for support agents
- Company-wide collaboration
- Use meta titles and keywords for search engine optimization
- Allow users to submit tickets from within the knowledge base system
- Control user access to your help center and ensure top-notch security
- Set up a custom domain for your help center
- Auto-suggest relevant articles and help agents resolve tickets faster.
Zoho Desk pros
- Integrates well with Jira, Slack, G-Suite, and many more
- Prebuilt templates and layouts allow you to easily customize your help center
- Its AI-powered assistant is capable of sentiment detection to help agents with easy and appropriate ticket management
Zoho Desk cons
- Limited storage per user even in the premium plan
- It’s not ideal for large teams
Zoho Desk pricing
- Free (for up to 3 agents)
- Standard: $14/agent per month (billed annually)
- Professional: $23/agent per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $40/agent per month (billed annually)
Zoho Desk customer ratings
- G2: 4.4/5 (4,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (1,700+ reviews)
9. Confluence
Existing as part of the Atlassian Suite of SaaS (Software as a Service), Confluence is a very popular searchable knowledge management platform.
It offers a remote-friendly team workspace where your employees can manage information, collaborate on projects, and stay connected with their colleagues. Teams can pick from the many templates available and start creating internal knowledge bases immediately!
However, to make the most of Confluence, you’ll need to use other suite tools; and that can be a bit too much to ask.
Confluence key features
- Advanced search system
- Advanced roles and permissions
- Send real-time notifications to keep teams updated
- Document categorization to help you group related documents together for easy access
- Best-practice templates to help you kick-start knowledge management processes with ease
Confluence pros
- Integrates well with the rest of Atlassian suite tools, such as Jira and Trello
- Free plan for up to 10 users
Confluence cons
- Some users report issues with data migration and backups
- Although the navigation is flexible, it’s not always intuitive
- A large number of options can be overwhelming for new users
Confluence pricing
- Free (for up to 10 users)
- Standard: $5.5/user per month
- Premium: $10.50/user per month
Confluence customer ratings
- G2: 4.1/5 (3,400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (2,300+ reviews)
Check out these Confluence alternatives!
10. HappyFox
HappyFox is a user-friendly knowledge base software that acts as a single platform for all your omnichannel customer requests. You can easily convert email, phone, chat, social media, and web requests into tickets and keep them organized in a single place.
HappyFox is known for its multilingual capabilities that allow you to support your customers from across the globe. Users can easily create support base articles in multiple languages and offer round-the-clock assistance.
HappyFox key features
- Create and manage any type of content using the built-in content management system
- Keep every team member notified with automated notifications
- Leverage AI-powered chatbots to deflect support tickets
- Organize tickets better with pre-defined ticket categories
- Create canned responses to reply to customers with a single click
HappyFox pros
- Auto-generated search suggestions
- It’s fully optimized for mobile devices (iOS and Android)
HappyFox cons
- Phone support is available only with the Enterprise Plus plan
- Basic plans lack even email support
HappyFox pricing
- Mighty: $26/agent per month
- Fantastic: $39/agent per month
- Enterprise: $52/agent per month
- Enterprise Plus: $64/agent per month
HappyFox customer ratings
- G2: 4.5/5 (3 reviews)
- Capterra: N/A
How to Choose the Right Knowledge Base Software Solutions
Choosing the best knowledge base software means being uncompromising about the features you want.
A solid tool incorporates all the features of a standard knowledge base tool. But for it to make your top 3 list, it needs to go the extra mile.
Avoiding archaic design, adding new features every so often, and sticking to our values have allowed ClickUp to excel in a highly competitive market.
For example, any real contenders for the No. 1 spot on your list will need to have:
- An easy online editor for hassle-free writing, editing, and styling
- Access control system and role management capabilities
- Searchable internal and external knowledge bases
- A simple, highly-intuitive design
- A robust reporting system
- A convenient mobile app
- Third-party integrations
- Reasonable pricing
- Data security
Are we asking too much of one knowledge base tool?
Give into your spidey senses and just settle for the #1 tool on this list. Thank us later!
Types of Knowledge Management Software
Internal Knowledge Bases
Internal knowledge bases are repositories of company information that only employees have access to. They’re used for employee onboarding, training, and as a reference tool.
External Knowledge Bases
External knowledge bases refer to the database of company information that’s available to customers or clients. By providing an external knowledge base, companies can reduce customer service costs and improve customer satisfaction by allowing clients to self-serve their issues.
Public Knowledge Bases
Public knowledge bases are free-to-access knowledge base systems that don’t require login credentials. They’re an excellent resource for people looking for information on a particular topic but aren’t necessarily customers or employees of the company.
Take Your Knowledge Base to the Next Level
Your knowledge base should reduce training times, supplement your service desk, and safely store company information for future use.
And while knowledge base software can help you build your dream repository, it’s no use getting a tool that will further complicate the process.
That’s why you need ClickUp.
With detailed organizational capabilities, next-level document formatting features, and advanced knowledge sharing options, ClickUp has everything you need for a knowledge base solution.
Get ClickUp for free today to achieve all your knowledge base management goals!
Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.