- Best for existing Microsoft product users: Microsoft SharePoint
- Best wiki for internal knowledge base: Nuclino
- Best for technical documentation: Document360
- Best for affordability and customization: ClickUp
- Best for Google Docs users: You need a wiki (YNAW)
- Best for communication and collaboration: Google Workspace
- Best for combination of task and document management: Notion
- Best for ease of use: Trello
- Best for workflow and task management: Asana
- Best for sales teams: Quip
- : Confluence
Confluence is a collaboration tool developed by Atlassian that is commonly used for creating and organizing content within teams. However, different teams have varying needs, and some may be looking for Confluence competitors or alternatives that better suit their requirements.
We analyzed the top Confluence alternatives in this guide. These alternatives offer similar or additional features that enhance team collaboration, content creation and knowledge sharing.
Top 10 Confluence competitors and alternatives: Comparison table
| Software | Best for | Page versioning | Collaborative whiteboard | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confluence | Versatile wiki software | Yes | Yes | $5.75/user/month |
| SharePoint | Existing Microsoft product users | Yes | Yes, through separate app | $5/user/month |
| Nuclino | Internal knowledge base | Yes | Yes, through third-party integrations | $5/user/month |
| Document360 | Technical documentation | Yes | No | $149/project/month |
| ClickUp | Affordability and customization | Yes | Yes | $5/user/month |
| You need a wiki | Google Docs users | Yes | No | $19/month |
| Google Workspace | Communication and collaboration | Yes | Yes, through third-party integrations | $6/user/month |
| Notion | Combination of task and document management | Yes | Yes, through third-party integrations | $8/user/month |
| Trello | Ease of use | Limited | Yes, through third-party integrations | $5/user/month |
| Asana | Workflow and task management | Yes | Yes, through third-party integrations | $10.99/User/month |
| Quip | Sales teams | Yes | No | $10/user/month |
Microsoft SharePoint: Best for existing Microsoft product users
SharePoint is a collaborative platform developed by Microsoft. It is primarily used by organizations for document and content management, as well as intranet and team collaboration. SharePoint allows users to store and share documents, manage workflows and collaborate on projects. It also offers features such as document versioning, access and permission controls, search functionality and integration with other Microsoft products.
Pricing
- SharePoint (Plan 1): $5 per user per month, billed annually.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user per month, billed annually.
Features
- 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user.
- Automation, file and content management (Figure A).
- Video conferencing and custom email.
Pros
- Mobile and remote access.
- Centralized document management.
- Workflow automation.
Cons
- SharePoint can be complex to set up as it requires technical expertise.
- Customization complexity.
Top integrations
SharePoint integrates seamlessly with a wide range of Microsoft products, including Microsoft Teams, Power BI, OneDrive, Outlook and Yammer.
Why we picked SharePoint
We chose SharePoint for its deep integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, which makes it an easy choice for teams already subscribed to Microsoft products. It offers robust document management, and its collaboration features are a good fit for enterprise-level project management.
Nuclino: Best wiki for internal knowledge base
As a collaborative knowledge management and documentation tool, Nuclino provides a centralized space for teams to create, edit and collaborate on documents, as well as to store and retrieve information quickly.
With Nuclino, you can create a workspace for your team or project, and within that workspace, you can create different items. Items are collaborative documents in Nuclino. These items can contain various types of information, including how-to guides, meeting notes and ideas. Aside from text, you can also add images, tasks, files, videos and code blocks to your items.
Pricing
- Free: Offers basic features at no cost.
- Standard: $5 per user per month when billed annually or $6 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Premium: $10 per user per month when billed annually or $12 per user per month when billed monthly.
Features
- Real-time collaboration capability.
- List, board, table and graph views (Figure B).
- Unlimited version history.
Pros
- Comments and mentions.
- Integrates with over 40 third-party applications, including Slack and Google Drive.
- Permissions and access rights management.
Cons
- Limited storage capability.
- The free plan lacks version history features.
Top integrations
Nuclino offers integrations with essential productivity tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Jira, GitHub and Trello.
Why we picked Nuclino
Nuclino is easy to use. Right from signing up, there’s no fuss and no hassle — just a straightforward process. This simplicity and ease of use continue through its interface and real-time collaboration features, making it a lightweight and intuitive knowledge base solution.
Document360: Best for technical documentation
Document360 allows you to create an external and internal knowledge base, as well as documents, user guides, user manuals and more. The tool provides dedicated private hosting for isolation, control and security for mission-critical content delivery.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for up to two team accounts. You can create up to 50 articles with this plan, and it has 1 GB of storage.
- Standard: $149 per project per month when billed annually or $199 per project per month when billed monthly. For up to three team accounts.
- Professional: $299 per project per month when billed annually or $399 per project per month when billed monthly. It is available for up to five team accounts and charges $19 per month for additional team accounts. There’s also a $99 charge per month per workspace.
- Business: $399 per project per month when billed annually or $529 per project per month when billed monthly. It’s available for up to five team accounts and charges $19 per month for additional team accounts. There’s also a $99 charge per month per workspace.
- Enterprise: $599 per project per month, billed annually. It is available for up to 10 team accounts and charges $29 per month for additional team accounts. There’s also a $199 charge per month per workspace.
Features
- Supports Markdown and WYSIWYG editors for structured writing (Figure C).
- Self-service knowledge center.
- Articles bulk actions.
- Private hosting and custom domain mapping.
Pros
- IP address restriction.
- Online user guides and FAQs.
- Very intuitive user interface.
Cons
- Add-ons cost an extra fee.
- Expensive for small businesses.
- Basic features for the Standard plan.
Top integrations
Document360 integrates with key tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, Drift, Segment and Crowdin.
Why we picked Document360
Document360 makes this list for its specialized focus on knowledge base management, with a wide catalog of features for creating, managing and optimizing help documentation. Its integrations also underpin its flexibility for teams looking to enhance their support and documentation efforts.
ClickUp: Best for affordability and customization
ClickUp is a project management platform that helps teams collaborate on tasks and projects efficiently. It allows users to create, assign and manage tasks and also track progress and communicate with each other in real time. ClickUp’s free plan has the necessary features most small teams need to run a project. It actually ranks among our top picks for the best free project management software.
Pricing
- Free: Available at no cost to unlimited users.
- Unlimited: $7 per user per month when billed annually or $10 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Business: $12 per user per month when billed annually or $19 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Business Plus: $19 per user per month when billed annually or $29 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Custom quote.
Features
- Resource management.
- Time tracking.
- Over 15 project view options (Figure D).
Pros
- 24/7 support.
- Highly customizable.
- Generous free plan.
Cons
- Steep learning curve due to its extensive features.
- File storage for the free plan is limited to 100 MB.
Top integrations
ClickUp’s versatility is enhanced by its integration with tools like Slack, HubSpot, Make (formerly Integromat), Gmail and Zoom.
Why we picked ClickUp
We picked ClickUp for its all-in-one platform capability as it combines task management, document sharing, goal setting and more into a single app. Its wide range of integrations and customizable features make it adaptable for teams of all sizes and a vast variety of industries.
For more information, check out our full ClickUp review.
You need a wiki (YNAW): Best for Google Docs users
You need a wiki is best for Google Docs users. It connects your Google Docs and helps you build a wiki out of them. With YNAW, you can easily create and edit pages, manage content and collaborate with others on your wiki. It provides a simple and intuitive interface for organizing and navigating your wiki.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for one user.
- For up to 10 users: $19 per month.
- For up to 25 users: $49 per month.
- For up to 75 users: $99 per month.
- Above 75 users: Custom quotes.
Features
- Private team wiki pages.
- Custom domain alias.
- Search, share and collaboration functionalities (Figure E).
Pros
- Live collaboration.
- Free for registered nonprofit organizations for their first year and 50% off for the following year.
- Read-only mode to prevent accidental updates.
Cons
- Confusing pricing plan.
- Lacks in-built storage and saves your files to Google Drive.
Top integrations
You need a wiki that primarily integrates with Google Drive and Google Docs, transforming your Google documents into a searchable and organized wiki.
Why we picked You need a wiki
We picked You need a wiki simply for its seamless integration with Google Docs. It offers an intuitive way for teams to convert their existing documents into a structured and easily navigable wiki.
Google Workspace: Best for communication and collaboration
Google Workspace was previously known as G Suite until it was rebranded in October 2020. It’s a cloud-based productivity and collaboration suite with a collection of web-based applications enabling individuals and teams to create, edit, store and share files and documents in real time.
Some core applications included in Google Workspace are Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Meet, Google Slides and Google Calendar. In addition to these core applications, Google Workspace offers several other tools and services, including Google Forms, Google Sites and Google Keep.
Pricing
- Business Starter: $6 per user per month when billed yearly or $7.20 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Business Standard: $12 per user per month when billed yearly or $14.40 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Business Plus: $18 per user per month when billed yearly or $21.60 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Custom quote.
Features
- Google Meet video and voice conferencing.
- Custom email for your business.
- Dozens of Google apps (Figure F).
- Digital whiteboarding.
Pros
- Collaboration and real-time editing.
- Accessibility.
- Regular updates and improvements.
Cons
- Limited offline functionality.
- Customization limitations.
Top integrations
Google Workspace’s top integrations are across its own suite of applications like Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets and Google Slides.
Why we picked Google Workspace
How Google apps work together is one of its greatest strengths. Google Workspace exemplifies this, as its vast suite of productivity tools seamlessly work together to provide an integrated experience for communication, collaboration and content creation. Google apps are also very familiar, which makes the workspace easy to use.
Notion: Best for combination of task and document management
Notion is a versatile productivity application that allows users to create and organize various types of content, including notes, documents, databases, wikis, project boards and more. It features a block-based system that allows users to easily move and rearrange content, as well as integrate with other popular productivity tools. Notion supports both individual use and team collaboration.
SEE: Confluence vs Notion: Which tool is better for your team?
Pricing
- Free: Available at no cost, with the ability to add up to 10 guest collaborators.
- Plus: $8 per user per month when billed annually or $10 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Business: $15 per user per month when billed annually or $18 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Custom quotes.
Features
- Custom notion.site domain with public home page for paid users.
- Allow users to share pages or databases with team members or external collaborators.
- Real-time editing and commenting (Figure G).
Pros
- Search functionality that makes it easy to locate specific information.
- Collaboration-friendly.
- Cross-platform support.
Cons
- Limited version history for low-tier plan users.
- Limited offline access.
Top integrations
Notion’s top integrations include Everhour, Jira, Asana, Slack and Zapier.
Why we picked Notion
We chose Notion for its unparalleled adaptability and all-in-one workspace capability, which allows for seamless integration of notes, tasks, wikis and databases. It provides a unified space for project management and collaboration thanks to a wide range of integrations with productivity and communication tools.
For more information, check out our full Notion review.
Trello: Best for ease of use
Like Confluence, Trello is a product of Atlassian. This project management tool is based on the Kanban board system; tasks are represented as cards that can be moved between columns to indicate their status (To Do, In Progress or Done). You can create boards for different projects, add team members, assign tasks, attach files and add labels and comments to cards.
Pricing
- Free: Available at no cost to unlimited team members.
- Standard: $5 per user per month when billed annually or $6 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Premium: $10 per user per month when billed annually or $12.50 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month for a team of 50 to 250.
Features
- Multiple view options, including board, calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map (Figure H).
- Integrate with over 200 apps, including Slack, Google Drive and Salesforce.
- Mobile device management capability.
Pros
- Easy to learn and use.
- Unlimited storage for all user types.
- Offers nonprofit community discount as well as an education discount.
- Has a Kanban board layout that provides a visual representation of tasks and their progress.
Cons
- Limited support for premium, standard and free plan users.
- Lacks advanced project management features.
Top integrations
Trello’s top integrations include Slack, Google Drive, Jira, Dropbox and Confluence.
Why we picked Trello
Trello has intuitive and user-friendly Kanban boards. Its Kanban approach to projects plus a straightforward interface make it easy for teams to organize tasks and workflows visually.
For more information, check out our full Trello review.
Asana: Best for workflow and task management
Asana helps teams and individuals stay organized, collaborate and easily manage their tasks and projects. With Asana, tasks can be organized into projects and sub-projects, making it easier to manage larger initiatives with multiple moving parts.
Asana enables users to leave comments, mention and tag team members and have discussions within tasks, providing a space for collaboration, feedback and clarification. This eliminates the need for lengthy email chains or separate communication channels and keeps all relevant discussions within the context of the tasks and projects.
Pricing
- Basic: Free for teams with up to 15 users.
- Premium: $10.99 per user per month when billed annually or $13.49 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Business: $24.99 per user per month when billed annually or $30.49 per user per month when billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Custom quote.
Features
- Multiple views: list, board, calendar, timeline, portfolios and goals views (Figure I).
- Integrates with over 100 third-party apps, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Slack.
- Resource management capability.
Pros
- Unlimited storage for all pricing tiers.
- Project and portfolio view options.
- Advanced reporting capability.
Cons
- Limited support for lower pricing tiers.
- Basic security features for the free plan.
Top integrations
Asana’s integrations include Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Dropbox and Zoom.
Why we picked Asana
Asana has rich task and project management features catered to improving team collaboration and workflow efficiency. It can scale with growing teams and integrate seamlessly with many tools in addition to its suitability for managing complex projects.
For more information, check out our full Asana review.
Quip: Best for sales teams
Quip has been a Salesforce company since 2016. The platform enables teams to collaborate and work together on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It combines the functionality of a word processor, spreadsheets and presentation software with built-in collaboration tools, messaging and file sharing.
Pricing
- Quip Starter: $10 per user per month when billed annually or $12 per user per month with a monthly commitment.
- Quip Plus: $25 per user per month, billed annually.
- Quip Advanced: $100 per user per month, billed annually.
Features
- Offline working capability.
- Group chat and direct messaging.
- Live document edits on Salesforce.
- Easily accessible template library (Figure J).
Pros
- Support documents and spreadsheets.
- Integrated chat inside Salesforce.
Cons
- Quip Starter’s features are limited.
- Spreadsheets with live Salesforce data are only available to Quip Advanced users.
Top integrations
Quip’s integrations include the broader Salesforce ecosystem, Slack, Dropbox and various other Salesforce AppExchange apps.
Why we picked Quip
Quip combines document creation, spreadsheets and chat within a single app. It’s worth considering for teams that collaborate closely on documents and projects. Plus, its deep integration with Salesforce makes it more worthy of consideration by sales and marketing teams looking to establish seamless workflows between their documents and CRM.
What is the best free Confluence alternative?
From my experience, Nuclino is the best free Confluence alternative. It has a clean, distraction-free interface, intuitive navigation and frictionless experience, right from signing up and setting up workspaces, making it a modern and easy-to-use option. Nuclino focuses on essential functionalities like search, content organization and collaborative editing, which takes away much of the learning curve new users would experience with other tools like Confluence.
It also offers Sidekick, a helpful AI-powered assistant that simplifies and enhances the writing and editing process by drafting emails, translating languages, composing blogs and more, generally offering valuable support for content creation. However, this add-on is only available for purchase.
Is Confluence worth it?
Whether Confluence is worth it for you depends on your unique needs, preferences and use cases. Generally, Confluence is a user-friendly text editor that allows users to create documents in a centralized location. It is widely used by businesses and teams to create and maintain knowledge bases, project documentation and internal wikis.
Confluence is worth it if you need:
- A knowledge base.
- A place to centralize and organize all customer-facing (or employee-facing) FAQs and documentation.
- A private workspace where your team can share best practices and institutional knowledge.
Confluence pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Page version history. | Limited support for the free and standard plans. |
| Mobile device management capability. | Data and insight features are only available for Enterprise plan users. |
| Prebuilt template library and template customization. | Customization is limited. |
Do you need an alternative to Confluence?
Although Confluence is a solid team collaboration tool, it may not be the best option for all types of users, or there may be specific features and functionalities that you’re looking for that Confluence doesn’t provide. Confluence’s steep learning curve for new users and slow and complex editing experience may also make it a poor fit for your team.
Individuals or teams on a budget may opt for cheaper alternatives like Nuclino, ClickUp, Trello or SharePoint. Sales teams may find Quip more beneficial, while software developers or technical writers may fare best with Document360. The best alternative for you depends on your knowledge base needs and team preferences.
Review methodology
To determine the best alternatives for Confluence, we researched why Confluence users may seek alternative tools. We then created our top product list based on each software’s ability to meet different types of users’ needs. We analyzed each Confluence alternative’s features to ensure it has relevant capabilities and pricing to determine its affordability. We also reviewed their strengths and weaknesses, plus users’ feedback on review sites to learn about user experiences.