The best knowledge management software and tools
Knowledge management tools help companies organize data into a supercenter of communication and information. Find the right knowledge management software to improve employee performance and customer experience (CX).
A guide to the 15 best knowledge management software
Last updated January 22, 2024
Ensuring everyone in your company is on the same page is a monumental task in the digital world. With hundreds of employees and a growing customer base, it’s easy for information to get lost in the cracks.
The difference between these successful businesses and their underperforming counterparts is proper knowledge management. With the right knowledge management software, you can boost performance, encourage innovation, and enable organizational learning.
What is knowledge management software?
Knowledge management (KM) software provides companies with the tools to effectively gather and distribute internal and external knowledge. While knowledge management software bundles features like help centers and AI, you can purchase many knowledge management features individually.
Knowledge management, in a nutshell, is the method of gathering, organizing, and sharing information with the people who need it. The software helps consolidate information so your customers and employees can access it easily. By systematically organizing company information, you ensure all departments are aligned, and customers receive consistent instruction.
Knowledge management software comparison chart
| Software | Starting price | Free trial | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Zendesk |
$55 per agent/month (billed annually) |
14 days |
|
|
HubSpot Service Hub |
$450 per month (billed annually) |
Unavailable |
|
|
Guru |
Free for up to 3 users (billed annually) |
30 days |
|
|
Document360 |
$149 per project/month (billed annually) |
14 days |
|
|
Bloomfire |
$25 per user/month |
Unavailable |
|
|
Helpjuice |
$120 per month |
14 days |
|
|
Happeo |
Contact sales |
Unavailable |
|
|
Confluence |
Free for up to 10 users |
7 days |
|
|
SharePoint |
$5 per user/month (billed annually) |
30 days |
|
|
Notion |
Free for individuals (billed annually) |
Available for Business and Enterprise plans |
|
|
ClickUp |
Free plan available (billed annually) |
Unavailable |
|
|
Slite |
Free plan available (billed annually) |
Unavailable |
|
|
Trainual |
$8 per person/month (10 seats included) |
7 days |
|
|
ServiceNow |
Contact sales |
Unavailable |
|
|
Bitrix24 |
Free tools available (billed annually) |
Unavailable |
|
*Feature not included in the free plan.
The 15 best knowledge management software
The best knowledge management software contains several features at various price points to help their customers achieve what they need. Here’s a rundown of the leading platforms on the market.
1. Zendesk
Zendesk knowledge base software offers a seamless experience for agents to assist customers swiftly and accurately, which is one reason why over 100,000 businesses trust it. It simplifies finding information for customers who prefer to find solutions independently. It empowers support teams with resources to tackle intricate issues, ensuring everyone's problems get addressed promptly, regardless of complexity.
Your team members can collaborate to create valuable knowledge bases with the most up-to-date information. You can build a great help center and customize the look of it to be consistent with your brand. And AI can recommend relevant knowledge base articles within support tickets and identify content that’s out of date.
Zendesk includes live chat, SMS messaging, CRM integration, and other customer-centric functionalities. By providing omnichannel communication support and advanced business tools and automations, Zendesk enables teams to deliver personalized experiences to every customer.
Features:
Robust search engine
Collaboration capabilities
Help center
Pricing:
Suite Team: $49 per agent/month
Suite Growth: $79 per agent/month
Suite Professional: $99 per agent/month
Suite Enterprise: $150 per agent/month
Additional custom plans available for enterprises starting at $215 per agent/month
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
14 days
2. HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub provides multiple knowledge management tools to its users. The knowledge base supports an FAQ library that provides customers with articles, videos, and documents; it also comes with a search function.
HubSpot allows users to track key metrics and create reports. The knowledge base and custom reporting capabilities are not available in the Starter plan, so users must opt for the Professional or Enterprise plan to get these features. HubSpot offers some free customer service tools, including bots, a mobile app, and user permissions.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Professional: $450 per month
Enterprise: $1,200 per month
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
Unavailable
Learn more about the HubSpot app for Zendesk.
3. Guru
Guru is a stand-alone knowledge base platform that integrates with your existing CRM or customer service platform. It captures data from multiple integrated channels and compiles it into a single knowledge source. It then organizes that knowledge and deletes duplicates while suggesting further organizational tags.
Guru’s Starter plan gives access to up to three users for free. This base plan lacks core features like analytics and advanced content sharing. Ticket linking and AI-powered suggestions are only available in the Enterprise plan.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Starter: $5 per user/month (free for up to 3 users)
Builder: $10 per user/month
Enterprise: Contact sales
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
30 days
Learn more about the Guru app for Zendesk.
4. Document360
Document360’s software generates and organizes a knowledge base with customizable options. Like Guru, it’s stand-alone software that requires integration with your existing tech stack. Document360 focuses primarily on branding and content with a built-in editor and document and page templates.
Users should note that rather than charging by the number of agents per month (as most software do), Document360 charges by the number of projects. Pricing tiers limit the number of contributing roles or team accounts, but add-ons are available for paid plans.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Standard: $149 per project/month
Professional: $299 per project/month
Business: $399 per project/month
Enterprise: $599 per project/month
Private hosting: Contact sales
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
14 days
Learn more about the Document360 app for Zendesk.
5. Bloomfire
Bloomfire is a simple cloud-based knowledge management tool with unlimited storage to curate a knowledge base. Its AI tool tags and organizes knowledge, making it accessible to employees and customers. You can also use the cloud-based software from anywhere.
The platform has flexible access controls so users know who can access which documents, and it can integrate with many other tools to fill performance gaps. Bloomfire is also HIPAA-ready and GDPR-compliant.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Starting at $25 per user/month (scaled by volume and model)
Free trial:
Unavailable
Learn more about the Bloomfire app for Zendesk.
6. Helpjuice
Helpjuice is a cloud-based KM tool that lets companies build internal and external knowledge bases. Its search engine is capable of identifying information within PDFs and images. It integrates with platforms like Zendesk, Slack, and Google Chrome.
The Starter and Run-Up plans offer the same features, but the Starter plan only supports four users. The Run-Up plan taps out at 16 users. The Premium Limited plan supports up to 60 users and adds the auto-translation feature.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Starter: $120 per month
Run-Up: $200 per month
Premium Limited: $289 per month
Premium Unlimited: $499 per month
Free trial:
14 days
Learn more about the Helpjuice app for Zendesk.
7. Happeo
Happeo provides a centralized hub for companies to organize and share knowledge. The search engine can locate keywords spread across a company's different platforms, like Slack and Jira. You can control user access for each page and assign roles.
Happeo has drag-and-drop templates capable of custom branding and can support multiple languages. Analytics can help managers determine the return on investment (ROI) of their initiatives, including engagement and user adoption.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Contact sales
Free trial:
Unavailable
8. Confluence
Confluence by Atlassian provides a digital hub for businesses to create and share knowledge. The free plan allows for the creation of unlimited spaces and pages. Users can access a template library and track changes to each page.
The Standard plan gives users control over page permissions and archiving, and it allows for external collaboration. The Premium and Enterprise plans unlock advanced features like analytics, automation, and team calendars.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Free (up to 10 users)
Standard: $5.75 per user/month
Premium: $11 per user/month
Enterprise: Contact sales
Free trial:
7 days
9. SharePoint
SharePoint is the knowledge management software included in the Microsoft 365 suite, but it is available on a stand-alone basis. With SharePoint, teams can upload files, share news, and locate resources. The platform allows collaboration between internal and external team members.
The first plan is geared toward small and midsize businesses. It provides one terabyte of storage per user and allows coauthoring, access control, and versioning. The second plan offers unlimited storage and customizable search functions. The Office 365 E3 plan adds other Microsoft 365 applications, including Microsoft Teams.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Plan 1: $5 per user/month
Plan 2: $10 per user/month
Office 365 E3: $23 per user/month
*Prices are billed annually
Free trial:
30 days
10. Notion
Notion is a cloud-based workspace that lets users manage projects and internal wikis. It has a free plan for individuals that provides basic page analytics and a seven-day page history. It also has the option to invite up to 10 guests.
The Plus plan offers unlimited file uploads and blocks for teams to work in, with a 30-day page history. The Business plan unlocks private team spaces, bulk exporting, and advanced analytics. The Enterprise plan provides advanced security and controls, an audit log, and workspace analytics.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Free (for individuals)
Plus: $8 per user/month
Business: $15 per user/month
Enterprise: Contact sales
*Prices are billed annually
Free trial:
Available for Business and Enterprise plans
11. ClickUp
ClickUp is a knowledge management app that centralizes resources, communication, and team management into a single platform. The Free plan provides 100MB of storage for unlimited team members but is intended for individuals. It has two-factor authentication, video recording, and time tracking.
The Unlimited plan is ideal for small teams, providing unlimited storage, integrations, and dashboards. The Business plan is suitable for midsize teams, delivering single sign-on (SSO), custom exporting, and advanced automations. Business Plus enables custom permissions, team sharing, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Enterprise unlocks white labeling, advanced permissions, and unlimited custom roles.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Free (limited features available)
Unlimited: $5 per member/month
Business: $12 per member/month
Business Plus: $19 per member/month
Enterprise: Contact sales
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
Unavailable
Learn more about the ClickUp app for Zendesk.
12. Slite
Slite is a knowledge management tool designed to help remote teams collaborate. It allows companies to create onboarding guides and manage content libraries and projects. The Free plan works with unlimited members and can house up to 50 documents and discussions.
The Standard plan unlocks unlimited documents and discussions. Users can control permissions and gain usage analytics. The Premium plan adds an audit log, user provisioning, and priority support. The Enterprise plan includes service level agreements, an account manager, and custom invoicing.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Free (limited features available)
Standard: $8 per member/month
Premium: $12.50 per member/month
Enterprise: Contact sales
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
Unavailable
13. Trainual
Trainual is a knowledge management software specializing in organizing the internal information businesses need to onboard and train employees. Train, the entry-level plan, lets businesses create unlimited documentation using customizable templates. Companies can also test, track, and create reports on employee performance. The plan has built-in screen recording and can embed hundreds of content types.
The Scale plan adds personalized setup support, e-signatures, and automatic time estimates. Users can also access premium integrations, unlimited chat and email support, and a custom domain. Businesses can change or cancel their plan at any time.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Train: $8 per person/month (10 seats included, scales in increments of 5 users)
Scale: $12 per person/month (10 seats included, scales in increments of 5 users)
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
7 days
14. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a knowledge management platform that assists businesses with internal and external solutions. The Virtual Agent is an AI-powered chatbot that facilitates self-service by delivering relevant information to customers in the knowledge base. Contextual search functions help employees and customers find precise information with machine learning that adjusts with every query.
ServiceNow provides real-time analytics regarding how users engage with your business’s site. You can monitor trends, build scorecards, and track key performance indicators (KPIs). Its security operations help businesses identify threats within the software and fix them.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Security
Pricing:
Contact sales
Free trial:
Unavailable
15. Bitrix24
Bitrix24 is an open-source knowledge management software that specializes in project management. The Free plan supports unlimited users with up to 5GB of storage. It has limited collaboration features but provides a knowledge base, chat, and calendar.
The Basic plan supports five users and 24GB of storage. It integrates with Google Docs and Microsoft 365. The Standard plan introduces collaborative document editing and segment-based marketing. The Professional plan adds workflow and process automation options. The Enterprise plan has access to all of the Bitrix24 features including tools to manage offices at the regional level.
Features:
Knowledge base
Robust search engine
Integrations with third-party tools
Analytics reporting
Collaboration capabilities
Security
Pricing:
Free plan (limited features available)
Basic: $49 per month for up to 5 users
Standard: $99 per month for up to 50 users
Professional: $199 per month for up to 100 users
Enterprise: Pricing depends on the number of users. See website for details
*Plans are billed annually.
Free trial:
Unavailable
Features of knowledge management tools
Knowledge management software can have a variety of KM tools. While free knowledge base software options are inexpensive, they likely have limited features. The best knowledge management software delivers as many features as possible but should provide the following features at a minimum.
Knowledge base
Knowledge base software serves as a searchable repository of content housing valuable information about your products and their usage. It can include technical details for troubleshooting your software, frequently asked questions, and other relevant information that enhances the customer experience.
Since it’s a centralized hub of product, process, and training information, a knowledge base holds significant importance for employees and customers. It offers convenient access to resources that aid in problem-solving and gathering information.
Robust search engine
The more time a worker spends searching for internal information, the less time they dedicate to accomplishing their tasks. Knowledge management tools help organize your internal documents so employees can quickly find them. A good search engine simplifies the search process using deep-indexing solutions that tag content with searchable keywords.
Integration with third-party tools
Integrating your various apps and software isn’t just convenient, it also saves an enormous amount of time. Rather than jumping between multiple platforms and needing to constantly refocus, your employees can stay task-oriented thanks to platform integrations. This also increases accuracy, as documents and knowledge no longer need to be manually transferred between different software platforms.
Analytics reporting
Without reporting features, shaping raw data into information that will determine company strategy and decisions can be a monumental challenge. Reporting can also help inspire future training. If multiple workers are constantly searching for the same keywords, it could indicate that your team needs more development.
Collaboration capabilities
Providing a centralized platform for sharing and accessing information promotes communication and collaboration among team members. Features like document sharing, version control, and real-time editing enable teams to work together more efficiently on projects and tasks. These tools also facilitate knowledge sharing and transfer, allowing employees to tap into the expertise and insights of their colleagues, regardless of their physical location.
Security
Strong security software means your data stays safe in one system—not exposed to hackers in Google Drive. Knowledge management software's robust security measures, such as encryption and user authentication, safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access and potential breaches.
Knowledge management solutions provide a centralized repository where users can securely store and protect valuable data and documents. Additionally, they offer features like audit logs and activity tracking, letting you monitor and track user actions to detect and prevent any potential security risks.
Benefits of knowledge management tools
Knowledge management software is essential to any company’s success. The invaluable tools it provides work across your company to improve the customer experience. Here are some of the primary benefits of KM tools.
Keep knowledge fresh and up to date
Centralized, cloud-based systems ensure all team members have the same reference point. A manager can update an internal process or upload new data, and all departments within your organization will have access. Even if employees work from the field, they won’t have to rely on outdated PDFs downloaded to their devices because everything is accessible in the cloud.
Improve team alignment
When all your data is in one central system, your employees can work from the same information, so no wires get crossed when speaking with customers. Coffee company Dutch Bros Coffee uses an internal help center as a single point of truth for agents to access customer information. The agents can see the company's communication with the customer over various channels and provide personalized support.
Increase team productivity
Since knowledge management platforms improve organization and provide a robust search engine, employees spend less time seeking information. Having helpful documents at their fingertips means they can act quickly, reducing the number of times they need to reach out to a coworker and sit idly waiting for a response.
Greater ability to improve self-service offerings
Accurate customer feedback means your company can quickly improve self-service resources to give customers what they truly want. Knowledge management analytics can reveal the most common customer questions by showing which knowledge base articles get the most traffic. Your agents can use these reports to build articles that more precisely address the issues customers encounter.
Reduce support cost
An external knowledge base and AI chatbots can significantly reduce operational costs, as fewer agents are required to resolve issues. Manufacturer MOO uses self-service tools to reduce live chat volume and provide 24/7 support in the client portal. Thanks to these solutions, MOO has a one-touch ticket rate of 81 percent.
What are the different types of knowledge management tools?
As the saying goes: Any job worth doing is worth doing right. And for your team to perform their jobs right, they need the right tools. Here are the top tools that knowledge management platforms add to your arsenal.
Help center
Help centers are where employees and customers can find answers to their questions. Help centers can be either internal or external. External help centers serve customers, while internal help centers serve employees. They have similar resources—like a knowledge base, live chat, and problem report form—but an employee help center usually contains an internal knowledge base that includes in-house information, like IT and HR resources.
AI
AI has far-reaching applications to improve knowledge management. Chatbots are the most easily recognizable form, where a person can have a human-like conversation and receive instant answers to simple queries without the assistance of a human agent. Game producer KRAFTON reduced the cost of hiring agents by 15 percent by using chatbots.
In addition to handling questions, AI assists in improving the customer and employee experience in multiple ways:
Personalized recommendations: AI algorithms can analyze user behavior and suggest resources from your FAQ software that are most applicable.
Predictive analytics: AI can use historical patterns to predict what might be needed in the future, helping companies anticipate knowledge gaps and proactively address them.
Intelligent search and retrieval: AI can level up search capabilities using machine learning to understand user queries better and provide more useful results.
AI automates many knowledge management tasks and enhances the efficiency with which everyone can complete their tasks.
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management systems help sales, marketing, and customer service departments track prospect and customer information throughout the buying cycle. CRM systems help you understand how customers found you and what information they’ve consumed on your website. You can then track your sales team’s interactions with them throughout the buyer’s journey.
By storing all customer data within a knowledge management tool, your team gains a comprehensive understanding of the customer relationship, allowing for well-informed responses to their issues. Additionally, utilizing a CRM system enables you to identify and track the most common problems, empowering you to develop a targeted plan to address them effectively.
Learning management systems
Companies commonly leverage learning management systems (LMS) to oversee employee training and education. With LMS technology, companies can effortlessly distribute online training modules and job-specific educational materials, empowering their teams to enhance processes and elevate performance.
LMS courses often tackle compliance matters, ensuring employees stay informed about regulation changes that might influence their job responsibilities. It's important to note that LMS systems do not replace verbal communication or meetings. Still, they serve as a reliable tool to ensure consistent understanding among employees regarding company policies and guidelines.
Content repository
A content repository stores organizational data, documents, and digital assets. Sometimes, a content repository is synonymous with a content management system, but it can also refer to separate file servers. A content repository’s primary benefit is providing a centralized and secure location for all company content.
Companies have control over how the content gets organized and can develop a structure that works best for their team. When a team properly utilizes a content repository, it provides them with a reliable record of company data and helps them efficiently locate what they need.
How to choose the right knowledge management platform
Companies need to consider multiple factors when comparing the various KM tools on the market. Here are some key considerations to help inform your decision.
Ease of use and maintenance
Knowledge management tools should make everyone’s lives easier. If the tools complicate processes or create barriers between departments, they aren’t doing their job. The tools should also be easy to maintain and quickly update information while staying operational.
Low total cost of ownership
Not all costs are presented in the monthly price of a KM tool. Training, maintenance, and add-ons must be accounted for to determine how much the service costs. Finding knowledge tools with a low cost of ownership will significantly impact your long-term bottom line.
Fast time to value and ROI
Time to value refers to how quickly the KM tool will solve your issue. Think about the greatest priorities you hope knowledge management software will solve. If it requires extensive team training or technical development to accomplish these goals, it will take you much longer to recoup your investment.
Integrations with other services
One of the benefits of knowledge management software is that it acts as a central hub that can connect information across your other tools, increasing team member efficiency. This can be accomplished when KM software is integrated with:
Customer service software: Agents can contribute to knowledge base articles within tickets.
Order management systems: Customers can track their orders in the customer portal.
Chatbots: Bots can directly offer help center articles to customers.
If the KM tool you’re evaluating doesn’t integrate with the other services your team uses, this can ultimately create information silos and complicate processes. On the other hand, software that supports many integrations has improved functionality. For example, if it can connect to your partner portal software, your team can collaborate with business partners more easily. Integrations also give you the ability to enhance and customize the software to fit your unique needs.
Scalability
Think about what features your team needs right now and what they might need in the future. A platform that can expand with your company will help you avoid the growing pains other companies experience jumping from one service to another in order to find the right fit. Scalability optimizes team performance every step of the way.
Knowledge management solutions FAQ
Here’s some additional information to help you search for a knowledge management solution.
HotDoc tames fast ticket growth with self service strategy
"Without the help of a really seamless tool and product like Zendesk, we wouldn't have been able to create a whole support strategy in 48 hours for 150 customers for a brand new product that we’ve only just built, while working remotely in the middle of a pandemic."
Agnes So
Support, Knowledge and Content Manager
Read customer storyTry a knowledge management tool for free
Choosing the right knowledge management tool is an important decision. That’s why we offer a free trial of Zendesk. With rich features in an easy-to-use platform, Zendesk will be your company's ideal knowledge management platform.
If you're already a Zendesk customer, the Support Suite integrates seamlessly with our other tools, adding more possibilities to your customer service operation. The Support Suite provides ease and simplicity for handling customer needs. Adding a knowledge base to existing Zendesk software can lift team productivity to the next level.
Tap into more knowledge
Knowledge management is a living piece of technology, so there’s always room for improvement. Learn more now.
