Best Help Documentation Authoring Software

Let's be honest, writing help documentation isn't always the most thrilling task on your to-do list. It can feel like a battle against confusing instructions, disorganized content, and clunky software. But what if it didn't have to be that way?

The right help documentation authoring software can make a world of difference. It streamlines the process, lets you easily create beautiful and helpful guides, and helps you deliver exactly the information your users need. Think of it as your trusty sidekick in the fight against user frustration.
The Top Ten
MadCap Flare MadCap Flare is a versatile content authoring tool that enables technical writers to produce dynamic technical communication, eLearning courses, and interactive help systems. It offers single-source XML authoring and multi-channel publishing across web, print, desktop, and mobile platforms.

Built as a multi-channel tool from the ground up, MadCap Flare is replacing RoboHelp as the "industry standard."

Another product very similar to RoboHelp.

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RoboHelp RoboHelp is an authoring tool designed to improve productivity and compliance for creating online help, policy and procedure, knowledge base, and self-service content. It supports HTML5 and CSS3 authoring and allows for easy content reuse across channels and formats.

Great software to author help documentation and publish to multiple output formats. I like its ease of use and publishing capabilities.

The best help authoring tool for user assistance professionals. Highly recommended and the industry standard tool.

I have been using this tool for years. I highly recommend it. - Lead Information Developer

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ProProfs Knowledge Base ProProfs Knowledge Base is a knowledge base software that helps create a collaborative and insightful knowledge base for both customers and employees. It offers an AI-powered text editor and a variety of templates for user manuals and documentation.

ProProfs Knowledge Base puts knowledge at your fingertips. It allows for easy sharing of knowledge, solutions, and workarounds both internally and externally.

The software comes with easy-to-use, flexible access control capabilities that allow users to take complete charge of who views what in the knowledge base. If you offer multiple products, ProProfs' knowledge base will let you design product-focused help desks.

I use ProProfs Knowledge Base to manage all my documents. With its WYSIWYG editor, updating, editing, or accessing information becomes very easy. Using it is always an incredible experience.

I recently learned that they have acquired HelpIQ, which is even better because now I am getting the service of two of the best knowledge bases combined into one!

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ClickHelp ClickHelp is an all-in-one documentation tool that allows authors to create, host, and deliver technical documentation within a single portal. It supports a variety of use cases including policies and procedures, training documentation, and API documentation.

I am working at a startup, and we have recently started developing user documentation. (Yes, I know - we should have started earlier.) ClickHelp has been a real time-saver! We got our portal up and running on the same day and immediately began creating content.

We do short iterations in our development cycles, and now we're doing the same for documentation. We use the Topic Status feature a lot to see what's ready, and we update the docs every two weeks with new content. It's nice to be able to work in a browser. I sometimes work from home, and this is a great convenience. The tech support is amazing. Kudos!

HelpServer HelpServer is a documentation server that hosts help or manuals files, providing a platform for installing and setting up comprehensive help systems. It is used to manage documentation content and support searches within a company's documentation collection.

HelpServer is web-based and excels at providing up-to-date content to your target audience. When your documentation needs to change, it suffices to re-publish only the changed content objects.

Your target audience will by default see the latest published version in a web portal and can print this version of the documentation to PDF.

HelpServer is a web-based Help authoring CMS that allows for real-time collaboration on help and documentation content. It is cross-platform compatible and increases content reuse. Content can be made available to your target audience via the web or can be exported to files.

Dr. Explain Dr. Explain is a software that assists in creating end-user documentation such as help files, online manuals, and user guides. It features a unique interface analysis and screen capture system to automate the documentation process.

Dr. Explain produces help documentation in different formats and includes a screenshot capturing tool that automatically annotates software screens.

I regularly used it during the creation of my app's documentation. It's a good choice for quick online manuals that include several screenshots.

The interface is pretty simple. It's good for creating online manuals and PDF user guides that include screenshots.

ScreenSteps ScreenSteps is a knowledge base software that enhances employee training and performance through its Find & Follow Framework. It provides tools, frameworks, and coaching services to create confident, independent, and productive employees.

Designed to place visual documentation wherever you want it, ScreenSteps has a desktop editor for capturing and annotating multiple screenshots, adding titles, and including paragraph text. It also has a web component for collaborating with team members and posting articles to the web.

You can post articles directly to Zendesk, WordPress, and Desk, or copy the HTML code and paste it into a knowledge base such as Salesforce Knowledge.

Helpinator Helpinator is a help authoring tool that focuses on rapid documentation creation without compromising quality. It is suitable for creating user manuals, online documentation, and technical books across various platforms.

Very easy to use but with advanced features like a screenshot library, image annotations, and a built-in tutorial maker.

The Step-by-Step feature is great!

HelpConsole HelpConsole is a web-based help authoring and knowledgebase software that offers powerful collaboration features. It allows any team member to update the help system at any time using a standard browser.

HelpConsole is a powerful web help publishing suite with an intuitive editing environment. It is extremely easy to install, learn, and use. It runs in a browser, so you can use it from anywhere.

The software offers great team management and workflow features, allowing me to create a comprehensive and accessible help system for my web application. It can also be embedded in software.

Doc-To-Help Doc-To-Help is a tool that integrates with Microsoft Word to create searchable online help, policies & procedures, and other documentation. It allows for single-source publishing to multiple outputs including web, PDF, and ePub.

Doc-To-Help offers rapid authoring and publishing capabilities. It uses Microsoft Word to create online help, policy and procedure guides, eBooks, and more.

The Newcomers

? Document360 Document360 is a knowledge base software that enables the creation of help documentation, product documentation, and FAQs. It offers multilingual support and integrates with various apps for comprehensive documentation management.
? HelpNDoc HelpNDoc is an easy-to-use yet powerful help authoring tool which can generate various documentation formats from a single source. It is particularly user-friendly for creating help files and manuals.
The Contenders
Doxter Doxter is a documentation tool designed for software teams to create and maintain project documentation. It simplifies the process of organizing and sharing knowledge within teams and with end-users.

Doxter is a simple tool for creating documentation as a team and for publishing it into a nice-looking knowledge base. It supports different levels of access, team comments (which are not viewed in the published docs), and version control.

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