The free wiki software market is one of the latest trends on the Internet. Wiki software, once only available to large corporations, is now in reach for anyone who wants it. This is a great opportunity to expand your business idea or move it forward. You just need to choose the best open source wiki software among a number of alternatives. Basically, the choice depends on what type of interaction you need between your users and the platform.
As business comes to rely more and more on documentation, it is becoming critically important for a business to choose the best possible software for their documentation needs. While there are many options available in the market, these days it is open source wiki software that is preferred by the users and companies.
Anyone who has been an information manager for more than a few years knows that the most effective way to communicate information is to write it down—preferably in a document available to the people to whom it belongs.
Open-source wikis are useful for creating a number of resources that involve collaboration between users. Some examples are general knowledge bases, company or personal resource guides, project management and development workflow, and much more.
What is wiki software?
Wiki software is used to host a collaborative working environment where anyone can create, share and edit content on the platform.
“A wiki invites all users—not just experts—to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site, using only a standard “plain-vanilla” Web browser without any extra add-ons.”
– Ward Cunningham and co-author Bo Leuf.
Wiki software is sometimes also called a wiki engine. A single page in the wiki is called a “wiki page” and the entire collection of pages, interconnected by hyperlinks, is called “the wiki”.
Wikis can be public or private. Many companies choose private wikis that require authentication before a user can access the content. This prevents unauthorized edits or malicious attacks from occurring, which would require you to undo the changes made to the content.
They allow the experts in your company to come together and share their knowledge in a way that benefits the business as a whole.
List of Best Software Documentation Tools Out There
To make the process of software documentation as easy for you as possible, we have curated a list of some of the best software documentation tools on the market.
These tools will not only provide you with all the tools needed for faster software documentation but will also make this seemingly boring process, a bit more fun! Let’s dive in, shall we?
1. Whatfix
Whatfix is a Digital Adoption Platform that allows you to create step-by-step walkthroughs that act as real-time software documentation by guiding employees through your software. If you already have a knowledge base, you can display your documentation in a self-help widget.
Whatfix is redefining how software documentation is displayed and consumed, with new content embedded directly within your software applications in forms such as interactive guidance, contextual walkthroughs, self-help FAQs, popup notifications and beacons, and more. The platform also allows you to measure the usage and effectiveness of your documentation with user analytics.
2. Bit.ai
Bit.ai is a documentation collaboration platform that allows you to manage all of your documents in one place. It allows you to create notes, documents, and wikis, and you can manage your company’s documentation across teams or departments.
3. ProProfs
ProProfs knowledge base software is a knowledge management tool that lets you create searchable online FAQs and help docs. In addition, you can add videos, audio, images, and infographics to your documentation to make your software documentation more interactive and compelling.
4. Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is an online document workspace that lets you organize and display text, media, and files all in one place. It’s a web-based tool, so it’s accessible as long as you have an internet connection. If you’re already a Dropbox user, you can create and edit documents without leaving Dropbox.
5. Tettra
Tettra is a tool for internal company use. It’s a wiki and knowledge management system that lets teams create content other employees can read and comment on. This tool is specifically built to work with Slack and features integrations with several other tools, including GSuite, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, and Zapier.
6. Tallyfy
Tallyfy is workflow and process management software that lets you capture and automate your company’s knowledge. This software offers the ability to see the status of your tasks, and it is built to integrate into many other systems like Slack or Gmail. It also automates the process of tracking document changes.
7. Scribe
Scribe is tool that automatically creates software documentation. It’s a Chrome extension and desktop application that captures a process you complete in a software tool, then turns your actions into instructions and screenshots in seconds.
Users can then modify instructions, edit screenshots, redact sensitive information, and more. Scribes can be shared to select people or teams, or be made available publicly. They can be embedded in a CMS, knowledge base, wiki, help center, or other platforms.
BEST DEVELOPER DOCUMENTATION TOOLS
8. GitHub
GitHub is a cloud-based website and service that stores code and helps developers control and track changes through a version control system called GIT to host and review code. In addition to their repository, they offer GitHub Pages, a website hosting service that takes files directly from a GitHub repository and runs the files through a process that creates a website. This feature gives developers an easy way to create software documentation in plain text or Markdown.
9. Apiary
Apiary by Oracle is a dedicated host for Application Programming Interface (API) documentation that lets you design, prototype, document, and test APIs. One helpful feature is the ability to prototype an API without written code.
10. Read the Docs
Read the Docs is open-source documentation software that helps developers build and host documents. It can also build multiple versions of your documents by creating a separate branch or tag in your version control system, which is helpful for making sure your documents stay up to date.
11. MarkdownPad
MarkdownPad is a full-featured Markdown editor for Windows. This tool allows you to create text-based web content, blog posts, websites, articles, READMEs, and software documentation.
12. Typora
Typora is a simple document reader and writer that provides support for Markdown — a plain text format that’s easy to read and write. This software appeals to developers who want to remove distractions by hiding unwanted elements, like preview windows. It also has a live preview feature to allow you to focus on your content.
13. Doxygen
Doxygen is a top-rated tool for generating documentation from annotated C++ sources, and it supports other programming languages. It can generate online documentation and offline reference manuals from specific source files by extracting information directly from the source, creating continuity between your documentation and source code.
14. Document360
Document360 is our very own knowledge base software that you can use to create a wiki for your company. Get started right away with the intuitive WYSIWYG editor that also supports Markdown.
Document360 allows you to control who has access to your content down to the granular level. Choose who has editing rights, writing access, and review access. You can also easily view the version history of any article and roll back to a previous version in case you don’t like the changes that have been made.
You can create a public or private wiki site and control who has access to your content. Document360 has extensive analytics that you can take advantage of to keep track of the health of your content, and work out which of your articles is most popular.
Document360 integrates with some of the most widely used apps out there today, including Drift, Intercom, Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Document360 is $99 per project per month.
15. Nuclino
Nuclino is a modern, simple, and blazingly fast wiki that allows teams to organize information and collaborate in real time. It comes with a minimal learning curve, making it easy for anyone – including non-technical users – to quickly get the hang of it.
Unlike traditional wiki software, which often tends to be complex, slow, and clunky, Nuclino is exceptionally lightweight. It doesn’t try to clutter its interface with every possible feature and option, and instead focuses on the essentials – distraction-free interface, intuitive navigation, fast search, and seamless real-time collaboration.
While Nuclino can be used exclusively as a wiki, it’s a versatile tool that is capable of a lot more. It’s a unified workspace where your team can organize knowledge, manage projects, share ideas, and bring all your work together in one place.
Nuclino is free for up to 50 items.
Types of Wiki Software
Hosted – wiki software can be hosted by the software provider, so companies don’t need to install the software on their own servers in order to take advantage of its capabilities. SaaS wiki providers make all the updates and development work on the software and take care of matters like security so you don’t have to worry.
Self-hosted – wiki software can be hosted on the user’s own servers, especially the free and open source wiki software like MediaWiki. The advantage of self-hosted wiki solutions is that you own the code and are in charge of making any changes to the environment. On the down side, you will need development resources to opt for a self-hosted wiki.
Why is wiki important to business?
A centralized hub for company information
A wiki allows you to bring all your company information together in one place where it can be easily accessed by all employees. An internal wiki can be your company handbook for HR policies, project management, meeting minutes, and more.
Team collaboration
A wiki is a way for your team to work together more effectively because they have a platform in which to share their knowledge. Users can quickly update and edit articles, ensuring that information is accurate and timely.
Save time in search of information
Employees likely spend a lot of their time searching for information, through Slack channels, in email chains, in Google Drive – 19% of their time, in fact, according to Mckinsey. Having a well-run wiki which is the ultimate resource for company knowledge cuts down the amount of time employees need to spend searching, and instead all they need to do is type what they’re looking for into the search bar.
Onboard new employees faster
When new hires start at your company, they have a lot of questions they need to ask but they might not always feel comfortable requiring coworkers to take time out of their busy day. An internal wiki is a resource they can consult to get up to speed more quickly, and learn the ins and outs of the company. This vastly improves new employee onboarding.
Provide product documentation
When using your product users are likely to have lots of questions about how and why it works. A wiki can be a hub for product documentation where you document the most likely use cases, host troubleshooting articles, and reference materials for your product.
Employee Knowledge Management
When employees leave the company, they take a lot of valuable knowledge with them if they haven’t taken the time to document it. Internal wikis are a powerful way for employees to record essential knowledge and ensure that the company retains the business benefits even if that employee leaves the business.
Customer Self-Service
When customers face issues or problems they immediately seek self-help at product websites, FAQ pages, or customer knowledge base. Having a public wiki helps customers to reach answers and information quickly. Commonly used public wiki are Wikipedia and other encyclopedias.
Conclusion
The best wiki software for your needs might depend on several factors such as whether you need commercial support, installation flexibility, customization options or simply a wiki to run your business documentation. That is why it is important to compare these features and choose the best document management systems that meet requirements of your business.
There are many wiki software applications out there. Some are free and some are premium. If you have ever used a software application for creating documentation, then you know how convenient it is to have a single library of content that is accessible from anywhere, can be created and changed by anyone on the team, integrates with other systems such as a ticketing or project management system, allows multiple levels of permissions and can have contributions from users all over the globe.