18 Best Knowledge Management Software [+ Free Options]

As a freelance writer specializing in B2B SaaS content, I find myself constantly diving into knowledge bases and exploring knowledge management software. I remember the first time I came across a well-organized knowledge base for a complex project management tool. It was like stumbling upon a hidden library filled with answers to questions I didn't even know I had.

Equipping customers with product knowledge not only ensures they return for new offerings but also satisfies their innate desire for information. As a customer myself, I can attest to the fact that I want to know as much as possible about the products or services I'm using, and clear answers make it easier for me to continue using the product.

But identifying this knowledge is only half the battle. Once you collect information, you need a way to distill it into a consumable format as well as organize, share, and analyze it. Without these steps, your newfound knowledge won't have much power at all. The good news is that there are many knowledge management systems available today to help you with these steps.

In this blog post, here‘s what we’ll review:

• Best Knowledge Management Software
• What Is Knowledge Management Software?
• Types of Knowledge Management Software
• Transform Your Business With Knowledge Management

Let's get started.

What Is Knowledge Management Software?

Knowledge management software organizes information so that employees and customers can quickly access and distribute it. This technology pools data into one collective resource, preventing data silos and making it easier to find information. By having all knowledge in one location, stakeholders know exactly where to go when they have questions about your business.

Knowledge management software also includes options for content creation such as a knowledge base which can be used by both your customers and your employees. These customer self-service options improve the customer experience because users can find quick and simple solutions without calling support.

Benefits of Knowledge Management Software

Knowledge management software provides a wide range of benefits, including:

1. Personalized Customer Service Interactions

When customer data is readily available, service agents can use this information to personalize the customer experience.

For example, if your team uses a CRM, you can store data about past interactions with your customers. Then, you can recall that information the next time the customer reaches out to your business. This builds a long-term relationship with your customers, which improves service experiences and prevents churn.

2. Faster Support Solutions

The purpose of knowledge management software is to centralize information. When that happens, both employees and customers can solve problems faster.

Employees know where to find important resources, and customers can use self-service solutions to overcome common roadblocks. And, when your team provides faster solutions, you can expect an increase in customer satisfaction.

3. Reduced Service Volume

I’ve found adding a knowledge base to your website is a major advantage for your customer service team. Common and simple customer problems no longer require an agent to solve them.

Instead, customers can seek out their own solutions without picking up the phone or writing an email. When you remove these simple cases from your support queue, your service team can spend more time focusing on complex and urgent issues.

Next, I’ll share what an open source knowledge base is, what makes this type of knowledge base unique, and why you'd want to use one.

Types of Knowledge Management Software

There are multiple types of knowledge management software, including open source and proprietary.

Open Source Knowledge Base

An open source knowledge base is a platform that is typically built by software engineers who work for the company that needs the knowledge base. Open source knowledge bases are highly customizable which makes them applicable in virtually any business or industry.

Proprietary Knowledge Base

Proprietary knowledge base software is owned and controlled by a single organization. Companies use it to store and organize confidential information, processes, and best practices. Proprietary knowledge base software is not publicly accessible and gives the owning organization a competitive advantage.

1. HubSpot Knowledge Base Software

Price: $360 per month for Professional Service Hub

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HubSpot‘s Knowledge Base Software is a powerful tool that saves your team valuable time when building your knowledge base. I like that it integrates with other channels that are used for rep-to-customer interaction such as email and chat — this helps users find your knowledge base and the most relevant content to them within it. You’ll also get an in-depth view of powerful metrics including: engagement, sentiment, search, tickets and conversations, ticket deflection, and maintenance suggestions.

Pro tip: Pair the Knowledge Base software with our free Guide Creator to create easy how-to guides in just a few clicks.

Key Features

• Quick set-up time.
• SEO capability.
• Engaging user experience.
• Performance insights tools.

2. Guru

Pricing: Free Starter Plan

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Guru is a platform that pulls your company’s data together and uses AI to deliver real-time information to your team, so they can focus more on helping customers than searching for answers. Over time, it learns from your team’s workflow and gets smarter through machine learning.

When I tried it out, setting up knowledge cards was pretty straightforward, and it helped keep everything organized. The task management features made it easy to track progress, which really boosted my productivity.

That said, the search function wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped — I sometimes struggled to find specific info. Organizing content could also feel a bit clunky at times.

Key Features

• Automated onboarding for employees.
• Microsoft Teams Integration.
• Knowledge Alerts for real-time learning updates.

3. Document360

Pricing: $99 for the Startup plan

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Document360 is a knowledge management tool designed to help you quickly build knowledge bases for product documentation, user manuals, FAQs, and more for your customers and internal teams. I like that it offers a highly customizable platform with features like a rich editor and real-time search to streamline the content creation process.

It was quite easy to import and manage content, which saved me a lot of time compared to other methods. The SEO features were a nice bonus and can help your knowledge base gain more visibility.

However, some of the settings felt a bit complicated, and I had trouble remembering how to navigate certain features at times.

Key Features

• Product documentation support.
• User manuals.
• Rich editor.
• Real-time search engine.

4. KnowledgeBase

Price: $59 per month for One Plan

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KnowledgeBase is a user-friendly software designed to organize and share knowledge resources both internally and with customers. It enables you to create a branded help center packed with articles, GIFs, videos, and more, improving customer support efficiency.

I liked how easy KnowledgeBase was to customize so I could match my brand. The AI features saved me time by automatically generating articles and tags, which helped speed up the content creation process.

With data from Insights, you can also better understand how customers interact with your information and fill the knowledge gaps as needed.

Key Features

• LiveChat widget and integration with help resources.
• Rich text editor with engaging and helpful articles.
• Customizable help center.
• Article, topic, keywords, and visibility management.

5. Helpjuice

Price: 14-day free trial

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Helpjuice is a knowledge base platform with robust customization tools that allow you to design every aspect of your knowledge base and create user-friendly layouts. It offers collaborative features for authors, including shared page previews and version control for easy mistake correction.

I found Helpjuice pretty easy to use, kind of like working in Google Docs. Setting it up was quick, and I could manage content without much hassle. I liked how I could build a big library of resources for self-service support.

The feedback system was cool, too — it let me see what readers thought about the content. One thing that bugged me was the lack of integrations with popular CRM tools, which might be a problem if you rely on those for your business.

Key Features

• User-friendly style options.
• Unlimited text formatting.
• Easy team collaboration on content.
• Ability to revert to past versions.

6. ClickUp

Pricing: Free

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ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform with a feature-rich Free Forever Plan, including ClickUp Docs for knowledge management. It offers a dynamic document editor where you can create beautifully formatted knowledge bases connected to workflows, with collaborative editing and customizable visual hierarchies.

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I tried ClickUp and found it packed with features for task management and document creation. I liked how I could customize my workspace to fit my team's needs. Working together on docs was smooth, and we could edit stuff at the same time.

But if you‘re after a dedicated knowledge base, you might find it lacking. The search isn’t as good as specialized tools, and organizing docs could be better.

Key Features

• All-in-one productivity platform.
• Task management features.
• Document creation.
• Dynamic editor.

7. Hiver

Pricing: $15 per month for the Lite Plan

Hiver is a knowledge base solution that works with your customer service software, helping teams build a centralized repository of support articles and host them on your website. It offers features like categorization, search functionality, and third-party app integration to simplify customer resources and improve self-service.

I found Hiver pretty handy since it works right inside Gmail. Assigning emails as tasks to my team was easy, which helped us stay organized.

I liked the analytics — it gave me useful insights to improve our service. The mobile app was okay, but it felt a bit limited compared to using it on my computer.

One thing that made me a bit uneasy was storing customer data with Google. It‘s worth considering if you’re dealing with sensitive information.

Key Features

• Self-service knowledge base with easy implementation.
• Centralized hosting for all articles, guides, and other resources.
• Tons of integrations, including Gmail, live chat, and more.

8. Scribe

Pricing: Free

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Scribe is a knowledge management platform that automatically creates step-by-step guides by capturing your screen as you work with the Chrome extension or desktop app. It can be used standalone or integrated with other tools for internal and external knowledge management, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and technical documentation.

Scribe captures your screen while you complete a process, then turns your work into a step-by-step guide. You can share those Scribes with a link or embed them within an existing knowledge base. You can also access shared Scribes in folders, or multiple Scribes can be combined with other content into larger Pages.

The auto-capture feature saved me a ton of time — no more manual screenshots and typing out every step. Scribe also offers over 100 customizable SOP templates, which made it easy for me to create consistent documentation tailored to different needs.

The screenshots weren't always perfect, though, and I had to tweak them sometimes. Finding features like custom annotations or advanced sharing options was also a bit tricky — they were kind of buried in the interface.

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Key Features

• Free Chrome extension with unlimited document creation and users.
• Automatic screenshots, screen capturing, and written instructions.
• Suggested Scribes that recommend the most popular guides for different software and tools.

9. ProProfs Knowledge Base

Pricing: $30 per month for the Essentials Plan

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ProProfs Knowledge Base is a tool that helps businesses provide instant self-help support to customers and employees through easily created and published knowledge base articles. It offers professionally designed templates for knowledge base examples, import options for existing documents, and built-in reporting for insights on user queries and content gaps.

Users report that ProProfs is pretty straightforward to use. Writing articles from scratch is easy, and importing Word docs or PDFs takes just a single click.

What really stands out is the search feature — you can find information quickly using keywords or tags. The reporting system is also robust and shows you what people were searching for and where you need to add more info. This helps you keep your content relevant and up-to-date.

ProProfs does have fewer integration options compared to competitors though, which could restrict its functionality within existing workflows.

Key Features

• Import existing Word documents and PDFs.
• Built-in templates and analytics reporting.
• Private knowledge base access available.

10. Bitrix 24

Price: Free

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Bitrix24 is a free, open-source knowledge base platform that allows businesses to organize and share information easily. It offers document creation within the platform, customizable code, and the ability to integrate various apps to enhance its capabilities.

The editing and expansion features are pretty handy. I could easily update and add to the knowledge base, which kept our info current.

I‘ll admit it took me a while to get the hang of all the features. There’s definitely a learning curve involved. Another thing that bugged me was using it on my phone. The mobile experience wasn't great, which was a pain when I needed to access info on the go.

Key Features

• Free software with unlimited users.
• Six collaboration tools.
• Built-in CRM and website builder.

11. Sabio

Price: $8 for Sabio Team

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Sabio positions itself as a “serviceware solution” that‘s designed to get you the best return from your company’s data.

When I tried Sabio, I found the intuitive design really helpful. Navigating through info was a breeze, which saved me time when looking for stuff.

The “Tree” tool was a standout feature — I could quickly browse through related articles, which made finding what I needed super easy. I also loved the smart search function. It learned from my queries and offered helpful suggestions, even finding stuff I hadn't directly searched for.

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But setting it all up was a bit of a pain. It took a good chunk of time to get everything populated and organized just right.

Key Features

• Password protection and Serviceware monitoring.
• Filtered search results ranked according to five factors.
• Pre-set automated workflows.

12. Quip

Price: $10 per user/month for the Starter Plan

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Quip is a powerful document tool that allows you to create, upload, and store various types of content in one place, including knowledge base articles, spreadsheets, and slideshows. It also features an internal chat function for real-time team collaboration during content creation.

I found Quip pretty handy for note-taking and team collaboration. The minimal interface was a breath of fresh air — I could focus on my work without getting distracted by cluttered design.

I really enjoyed the extensive formatting options for my notes, which made it easy to create polished, professional-looking documents.

I did find the search function a bit limited, which sometimes made it tricky to find specific information in larger documents. Also, compared to other tools, Quip felt a bit pricey for what it offered.

Key Features

• Flexible templates.
• Unlimited documents.
• Mobile-ready spreadsheets.
• Team chat rooms.

13. Knowmax

Price: Contact for Pricing

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Knowmax is an AI-powered knowledge management software that allows you to create, manage, and distribute knowledge across various touchpoints for improved customer experience. It's a no-code platform that integrates with existing customer service tools and provides insights into content usage and user engagement.

Knowmax is only available to try if you book a demo. Users are usually impressed by its interactive decision trees and AI-powered search.

These features make it easy to find and share information quickly. You can also customize the platform to fit your specific needs.

The variety of content formats is great, too. Create FAQs, how-to guides, and troubleshooting articles all in one place, which is super handy for diverse customer bases. But the initial setup can be pretty time-consuming — it could take a while to get everything just right, which might be tough for smaller teams without dedicated IT folks.

Key Features

• Omnichannel-ready knowledge base.
• Cognitive decision trees to organize complex SOPs.
• Visual how-to guides for immersive customer experiences.
• Micro-segmented analytics to track knowledge base health.

14. ServiceNow

Price: Contact for Pricing

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ServiceNow offers knowledge management solutions for both internal and customer-facing use, with a focus on helping IT teams manage service requests and create knowledge base articles from common employee problems. The platform integrates various aspects of IT service management into a central database.

ServiceNow’s comprehensive approach to IT management is really impressive. The way it integrates incident, problem, and change management makes handling our IT services much smoother.

Users also love the reporting features — the visuals are great, and you can pull detailed data for making decisions.

However, the learning curve is pretty steep. Even simple tasks sometimes can have you digging through documentation. Also, while the customization options are extensive, you have to be careful not to go overboard. Over-customizing can make upgrades tricky down the line.

Key Features

• Machine learning capabilities.
• Feedback management.
• KCS v6 verification.

15. Bloomfire

Price: $25 for the Basic Plan

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Bloomfire is a cloud-based knowledge management software that uses AI-generated tags to categorize information, making it easier for employees and customers to access data. It supports various integrations and allows you to connect tools like Slack and Google Drive to their central database.

Bloomfire’s search function stands out. Find information, documents, and even multimedia content quickly, which is a huge time-saver. It’s also flexible with different content types — you can upload videos, images, and documents all in one place.

The community features are also quite useful. Being able to comment and “like” content makes your knowledge base feel more interactive and encourages everyone to share what they know.

However, users wish for more real-time collaboration options. While the community features are nice, they could benefit from more robust tools for working together on documents.

Key Features

• Automated content tagging.
• Unlimited storage.
• Usage reporting insights.

16. Tettra

Price: Free to start

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Tettra is a knowledge management solution designed for internal teams, featuring an intuitive interface and a notable Slack integration that allows users to search and share answers from the knowledge base directly within their messaging tool. I could ask questions and get answers right in Slack, which saved me a ton of time switching between apps.

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I also appreciated the granular control over permissions. As an admin, I could make sure sensitive info was only seen by the right people. The AI features were pretty cool, too, automatically flagging outdated content and providing quick answers in Slack.

I did find the formatting options a bit limited, though. I wished for more advanced options like tables or custom fonts.

Key Features

• 30-day version history.
• Slack Q&A.
• Google Groups integration.

17. IntelligenceBank

Price: Contact for pricing

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IntelligenceBank is an all-in-one tool that aligns service teams with sales and marketing efforts, offering features like sales enablement to ensure sales teams have current customer data and can customize proposals.

Users find the intuitive design really helpful. Whether you‘re new to the platform or an old hand, it’s easy to navigate. The tool also centralizes all your digital assets in one place — no more digging through scattered files. This makes communication more consistent and saves you tons of time.

However, users say the search function sometimes misses files or folders, which is frustrating when you need to find something quickly. Also, while generally user-friendly, new updates could be a bit tricky to adapt to.

Key Features

• 250+ GB of data storage.
• Project calendar and planner.
• Online document management with advanced search.

18. OpenKM

Price: Contact for pricing

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OpenKM is an open-source knowledge base and content management system that helps organize, share, and evaluate information. It allows users to create multiple content libraries and provide access to both website visitors and internal organizations.

The wide range of functions, from document management to workflow automation, really help streamline operations.

Some users did find the user interface a bit outdated. It worked fine, but it wasn't as sleek or intuitive as some newer platforms.

Key Features

• Open-source knowledge base.
• Review, approval, and validation workflows.
• Task management.

Transform Your Business With Knowledge Management

I've come to appreciate the transformative power of knowledge management software for businesses. These tools streamline information sharing, reduce redundancy, and enable faster decision-making, all of which are essential for scaling efficiently.

What surprised me most was how many tools are out there. Each one has its own special features to make sharing and organizing information easier. Some tools offer AI-powered categorization, while others provide real-time collaboration.

Personally, I found platforms with powerful search options and easy-to-adjust designs particularly impressive. The ability to quickly locate specific documents and customize the interface streamlines daily tasks.

Think about trying these tools before you bring on new team members or customers. It could make a huge difference, no matter who‘s using them. As knowledge management software evolves, now’s the time to explore the right tool for your business to stay competitive.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.