What company wiki software tools are available on the market, what are their advantages, and when should you use which solution?
Many of our customers use FlowShare to fill their company wiki with useful step-by-step guides. For some applications, there’s even a direct export from FlowShare: this means you can export your step-by-step guides directly from FlowShare into your wiki with just one click.
Through the close connection between FlowShare guides and company wikis, we receive a lot of wiki input. That’s why we decided to gather all the information into a detailed and independent overview of the best software providers for enterprise wikis.
What is a company wiki and why is it important?
A company wiki is a collaboration platform that functions as an internal knowledge base for employees. It allows all employees of a company to access information, documents, data, and resources in one central location. A wiki promotes collaboration between teams and departments by providing a space where they can share their knowledge with each other—as an archive or in real time.
A wiki is so important because it provides central guidance for a company and its employees. By centralizing information, company wikis make it easier for everyone to stay up to date and learn about the latest developments. They can also help prevent errors, as employees have access to accurate data, documents, and instructions. Finally, company wikis enable teams to work more effectively and efficiently, as they can easily access the information they need and quickly find the answers they’re looking for.
In short, a company wiki is an invaluable tool that enables companies to maintain efficient operations and drive innovation by sharing knowledge in one central location. By using wikis, companies can ensure that their teams are equipped with the information they need to succeed.
Before You Buy: What Are Your Requirements for a Company Wiki?
Before you buy any software, we always recommend carefully identifying your company’s needs. This includes the software’s use case and its target audience. Ask yourself what gap the knowledge management platform should fill: is it a central, company-wide knowledge repository or more of a live collaboration platform? Also consider who will use the software. Because only when the software is accepted and adopted by users can a company wiki truly help you.
In any case, it’s the software’s job to make knowledge management as easy as possible for you. In general, wiki software should meet a range of requirements. Reliability, development, customizability, compatibility, functionality, and user-friendliness are crucial. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the software established in the market?
- Are there regular updates?
- Can the company wiki be customized to your corporate identity?
- What integrations does the software offer?
- What can the software be used for? What should it be used for?
- Is it easy for authors to create content? Is the content accessible to users?
Other points to consider are support options, language availability, and costs.
- What support options are available? To what extent?
- Are multiple languages supported?
- Are there one-time or monthly costs, or is it open-source software?
Once you’ve clarified these questions, you can familiarize yourself with the software landscape. Here’s our tool comparison.
The 12 Most Popular Wiki Software Tools
1. The Data Manager: Microsoft SharePoint
MS SharePoint is not a classic wiki tool, but it works very well for document management—centrally storing and editing data. Especially if your company already uses Microsoft functions extensively, using SharePoint for a wiki can make sense. SharePoint is Microsoft’s web application for creating websites, as well as storing, structuring, sharing, and retrieving information. This can also include wiki entries. SharePoint is a very comprehensive tool and also functions as a social network; it’s possible to create groups and departments. The program can be installed locally or used in the cloud, and there’s also an app. The latest version is SharePoint 2019, for which comprehensive support exists.
According to Microsoft, more than 200,000 companies already use the tool. Some of our customers also use SharePoint for their company wiki—and have built a clever connection to the documentation software FlowShare: for example, Bauvista uploads FlowShare guides in HTML format directly to the SharePoint wiki. This way, employees no longer have to laboriously create wiki entries. Instead, entire click sequences are online within seconds.
Microsoft SharePoint is available from €4.70 per user per month, but with limited functionality. There’s also a slightly more expensive Business version of SharePoint. You can get more information here.
2. The Classic: MediaWiki and BlueSpice
MediaWiki is a widely used open-source software that also forms the basis for Wikipedia. It’s free, multilingual, and individually customizable—more information about the download is available here.
BlueSpice is the enterprise development of this software and is used by companies like HAVI Logistics, TenneT, and Asis. The tool offers structured document management, search and navigation, personalization, export to various formats, and is mobile-optimized. BlueSpice also enables central management of categories and saving templates. BlueSpice itself comes in two versions: a cloud version available for 25 users starting at €117 per month. Additional services like support or monthly cancellation options cost extra. There’s also an on-premise version of the wiki available from €333 per year for 50 users. BlueSpice can be tested free for 30 days. More information about BlueSpice can be found here.
3. The Market Leader: Confluence
Confluence by Atlassian is considered the market leader among company wikis and describes itself as “an open and shared workspace.” The tool includes hierarchical content creation, a clear search and comment function, templates, flexible access rights, and the integration of various formats like videos, images, or GIFs.
Confluence can be hosted either in the cloud or in the company’s own infrastructure. Integration of other tools like Trello or Jira—or FlowShare—into Confluence is also possible. Since summer 2023, FlowShare has offered direct export to Confluence in its export formats. So you hardly have to do anything to share all your FlowShare guides with employees in the Confluence wiki. More about how this export works can be found here.
Overall, the software offers very comprehensive possibilities, is individually customizable as desired, and can be extended with additional add-ons. On the other hand, due to this scope, it may take a bit more time to implement. Confluence is available from $5.75 per month. There’s a free basic version where you can familiarize yourself with the tool. More information can be found here.
4. The Professional: ProProfs
ProProfs Knowledge Base is powerful and easy-to-use software that allows companies to create, customize, edit, and manage their own company wiki. The features are suitable for both technical experts and beginners. Thanks to over 40 professionally designed templates, anyone can create a wiki with ProProfs.
The tool offers reliable reports, intuitive search functions, customization options, and integrations with leading tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, Wufoo, and Google Analytics. Users can assign roles and responsibilities within the system and create workflows to better monitor the company’s knowledge and processes.
ProProfs Knowledge Base is trusted by some of the world’s leading companies like Zoho Corporation, Adobe, Acer, and Nissan, making it the top choice for companies looking to manage their enterprise knowledge. The Knowledge Base can also be used in combination with other ProProfs software products like ProProfs Chat and Help Desk to achieve even better results.
A ProProfs Essentials subscription costs from $19.99 per user per month when purchased annually. ProProfs offers a 15-day money-back guarantee as well as a free basic version, so you can try out whether the tool is right for you. More about ProProfs can be found here.
5. The Trustworthy: Guru
Trustworthy knowledge created in collaboration with your team along the workflow—that’s what Guru enables with its company wiki. Thanks to an expert verification feature and a current change status, users of the Guru knowledge base always know whether a piece of knowledge is still current and trustworthy.
Guru allows you to capture relevant information exactly when you find it: you can export knowledge from websites and applications directly as cards in Guru. There, Guru makes intelligent suggestions for structuring and maintaining the information. Through a browser add-on and custom knowledge triggers, the captured information is always made available wherever and whenever it’s needed.
Thanks to a variety of integrations, including Google, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zendesk, Guru’s potential for use is enormous and can be leveraged in all common digital environments. By the way: Guru can also be integrated into FlowShare, just like Confluence!
Guru offers a free starter plan for teams with three or fewer members. For more than 3 members, the starter plan costs $10 per user per month. The plans can be tested for free. More information about Guru’s plans can be found on the website.
6. The Workflow Manager: Process Street
You may know Process Street as a tool for creating workflows and SOPs from our blog post about process documentation software. Process Street not only enables the creation of workflows but also their management, making it essentially a knowledge base with a workflow-oriented structure.
With Process Street, you can capture process knowledge as workflows, then create multiple instances of them and assign them to team members. This way, knowledge is transformed into concrete, instructive tasks whose progress can be tracked centrally. Workflows can be assigned, and for more complex processes, conditional workflows and approval points can be created to improve process monitoring.
With over 3,000 integrations, Process Street is a truly versatile tool that’s ideal when processes form the core of company knowledge.
Process Street can be tested for free. The company has a special offer for startups starting at $100 per month (or $1,000 with annual billing). For larger companies, the Pro plan costs $415 per month/$5,000 per year. You can learn about the software here.
7. The Think Collective: Nuclino
Direct collaboration capabilities are Nuclino’s great strengths. The tool allows you to create a comprehensive platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration that’s simple and intuitive to use and updates in real time. This means team members can watch live as someone creates content on the platform.
In addition to real-time collaboration, Nuclino enables its users to instantly link and search content, as well as visualize knowledge and its connections according to individual preferences. Nuclino integrates seamlessly with over 40 apps like Slack, Lucidchart, Jira, and others. The mobile version is compatible with iOS and Android, the desktop version with macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Nuclino offers a 7-day free trial, a free basic plan, and paid plans from €5-10 per user per month. More about Nuclino can be found here.
8. The Platform: Tiki-Wiki
Tiki Wiki is an open-source wiki software and platform. It offers the ability to create image galleries, blogs, FAQs, live support, newsletters, or surveys, among other things.
The platform is modular and, according to the website, has 20,000 registered users. They can store information in a database and then manage individual access permissions. The platform supports numerous different languages but isn’t always entirely clear in use at first. Overall, a classic among wikis, but only conditionally suitable for company wikis. More about Tiki Wiki can be found here.
9. The File Storage I: Google Workspace
It probably doesn’t need much explanation, as it’s already well known: Google Workspace is Google’s all-around online office for creating and sharing text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. These can be edited online, and just like other document types, can be uploaded and shared. Content is organized classically into folders and subdirectories, and then users can be granted either read or access permissions.
All of this is probably not particularly new—but you can also use these functions for your company wiki. You should pay attention to a clear structure and the separation between non-wiki documents and your wiki articles in Workspace. The advantage of Google Docs is its universal usability: probably everyone can use it without a long introduction. However, the service is not specialized in creating wikis but includes the all-around package, including calendar, emails, chat, etc.
Costs for Workspace start at €5.75 per user per month, learn more here.
10. The File Storage II: Dropbox Paper
Dropbox is also more of a classic cloud storage service but can likewise be used for the company wiki. For this, Dropbox has created the new document type Dropbox Paper, which is meant to provide a “flexible workspace.” The whole thing is somewhat reminiscent of Google Docs; files are also stored online in the cloud, read or edit access is possible from various devices, and different media like images, audio, or video files can be embedded in the documents.
Dropbox offers translations in numerous languages and allows comments and discussions. Overall, this makes Dropbox a solid tool for a wiki that, while lacking many extra features, can be operated relatively intuitively. However, Paper documents can only be viewed online. The software’s price depends on factors like team members and number of features and starts at €9.99 per user per month. The classic cloud services are then naturally included. Dropbox can be tested free for two weeks, learn more here.
11. The Community Company Wiki: DokuWiki
DokuWiki, like Tiki Wiki, is open-source software, which means: everyone is invited to contribute and improve the software. The software is relatively basic to quickly and easily set up a wiki. It supports over 50 languages and allows customization through various layouts, as well as regulation of access permissions to existing wiki entries.
Due to its open-source nature, professionals can customize the tool entirely to their needs. For extending the basic functions, there are also templates and add-ons. Nevertheless, the software is probably more for IT experts and developer teams—who can then really go wild with DokuWiki.
You can download DokuWiki for free here.
12. The SME Company Wiki: DrupalWiki
DrupalWiki is comprehensive wiki software that’s particularly well suited for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The software was awarded “Best Of” solution by Initiative Mittelstand and is used by companies like WDR, TÜV-Süd, and Frosta, among others.
DrupalWiki also offers numerous features: from clear category management and import from Office including formatting, to customization options for the wiki to match the company’s corporate identity, to a good search function and discussion options in blogs or forums. Additional functions like usage statistics or Office integration are optional, and customized extensions can be purchased for the software.
DrupalWiki can be tested free for 30 days and then costs €75 for 25 users per month. As a second option, the software can also be purchased as an unlimited license starting at 100 users and then costs €1,950. Read more about this here.
After You Buy: How to Get the Most Out of Your Company Wiki Software
Once you’ve chosen software, it’s time to put it into operation. Roles and responsibilities must be assigned and tasks for creating and maintaining the wiki must be clearly distributed.
- Who is responsible for which aspects of the wiki and how are entries created?
- Can everyone contribute to the wiki or are there only a few authors?
- How is the quality of knowledge in the wiki ensured?
- Is there a clearly defined process for keeping the wiki up to date?
Some answers can already be covered by the software itself; for others, an external strategy must be developed. In any case, it’s crucial for a successful company wiki that these questions are raised and properly addressed.
Fill Your Company Wiki with FlowShare Guides
Of course, a company wiki must be filled with material. This includes documents and documentation, references, process guidelines, and all types of data. Step-by-step guides that you create with FlowShare are one way to fill your wiki with productive company knowledge. FlowShare is well compatible with many wiki tools thanks to its various export formats and integrations. This way, you can provide your colleagues with useful guides and store them centrally so everyone can easily access them!
Simply document your processes, export them in your favorite format, and upload them to your wiki! Learn more about FlowShare here.
Conclusion
The software solutions suggested here are a selection from a multitude of tools. Regardless of whether your preferred wiki is among them or not, you ultimately need to find a wiki that creators and users of wiki entries can work well with. Everything else is secondary.
What’s important is that when acquiring wiki software, the following considerations are made:
- what requirements your wiki must meet
- which of these are most important, and
- which software best meets these requirements.
Wiki software takes a great burden off your shoulders, but it won’t maintain itself. Make sure wiki-specific responsibilities are established in your team and that you have an easy way to fill your wiki with productive knowledge!
FAQs
What is a company wiki?
A shared, editable knowledge platform for the entire company, with access management, versioning, and search. Company wiki and enterprise wiki refer to the same tool, just with different terminology.
Which wiki software fits our company?
Three points are decisive: where the data may be stored, how good the search is with several thousand pages, and how easily existing content can be adopted. Test with your own content, not with the demo dataset.
Why is no one using our wiki after three months?
Because writing is seen as a separate task alongside work. Wikis stay alive when content emerges from the process itself, such as an exported guide from a recording, rather than depending on someone remembering to update.
How do we quickly fill a new company wiki with content?
With the processes that generate the most questions. FlowShare guides can be exported as Word or PDF files and adopted into SharePoint, Confluence, and comparable systems without anyone having to type articles by hand.
