10 Best Helpdesk Knowledge Base Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
With so many different helpdesk knowledge bases available, figuring out which is the right fit for your needs is tough. You know you want a database to help you store information in an easily accessible way to help your agents and customers find answers to common questions quickly, but you need to figure out which system is best. In this article, I'll help you make your choice easy by sharing my insights on the best helpdesk knowledge bases to make key information easily accessible.
The Best Helpdesk Knowledge Bases Summary
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
UserGuiding | From $89/month (billed annually) | Website |
Zoho Desk | From $7/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
monday Service | From $26/seat/month (3 seat minimum) | Website |
Freshservice | From $19/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Guru | From $10/user/month | Website |
Axero | From $10/user/month | Website |
Stonly | From $99/month (billed annually) | Website |
Groove | From $15/user/month | Website |
Slite | From $8/user/month | Website |
Help Scout | From $22/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareOverviews of the 10 Best Helpdesk Knowledge Bases
Here’s a brief description of each helpdesk knowledge base solution to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the user interface.
UserGuiding is a user onboarding software that enables businesses to create interactive in-product experiences for their users. It provides a suite of features such as product tours, onboarding checklists, resource centers, and in-app surveys to facilitate user experience with your product.
Why I Picked UserGuiding: This platform offers centralized locations for users to access helpful resources and information, gathering all support content in one place. The resource center can include in-app support, self-service, FAQs, help articles, interactive guides, checklists, and more. It can also integrate with your own existing knowledge bases. UserGuiding makes self-service easy with a search bar for users to find the help they need.
Additionally, because it's a no-code platform, it's easy to create product walkthroughs, onboarding checklists, and other resource repositories and integrate them into a helpdesk knowledge base for self-service support.
UserGuiding Standout Features and Integrations
Features include no-code functionalities, resource centers, product tours, onboarding checklists, segmentation, analytics, in-app surveys, and tooltips.
Integrations include Intercom, Segment, Slack, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Ability to create interactive product guides and onboarding documents
- Multiple language and format options
- No coding experience necessary
Cons:
- Potential learning curve for those with limited technical knowledge
- Limited integrations
Zoho Desk Knowledge Base Software helps you achieve faster answers, fewer tickets, and happier customers.
Why I Picked Zoho Desk Knowledge Base: You can create a multi-brand help center, with different knowledge base articles for each of your brands. In addition, the customization features allow you to mimic the look and feel of your website in your self-service portals. Your help center can be mapped to your own domain, making it a true extension of your main corporate brand.
You can create a repository of articles and FAQs in the knowledge base system, so customers can find answers without waiting for an agent. The community forum feature allows customers to get answers and share ideas on a common knowledge base platform.
Zoho Desk offers a high level of security. Knowledge base content can be available to the general public, or only to people who have created accounts.
Zoho Desk Standout Features and Integrations
Features include a dashboard, data visualization, data import, ticket management, and a self-service portal.
Integrations include DocuSign, Outlook, Mailchimp, Slack, PandaDoc, RingCentral, Zoom, Shopify, Microsoft 365, and AWS.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful automation features
- Real-time chat option
- Highly customizable
Cons:
- Setup can be confusing
- The user interface can be confusing
Best for integrating knowledge bases with ticketing workflows
monday Service is an intuitive, fully customizable service platform designed to help manage and automate service operations and processes. It is built to scale and adapt to various business needs.
Why I Picked monday Service: Its customizable knowledge base allows teams to store, organize, and access critical information easily, ensuring that helpdesk agents and customers alike can find the answers they need quickly. The platform's intuitive interface makes it simple to categorize articles, FAQs, and guides, while search capabilities ensure relevant knowledge is retrieved efficiently.
Additionally, monday Service integrates knowledge management into ticketing workflows. When agents manage service requests, they can quickly reference or share knowledge base articles without leaving the platform, improving response accuracy. Smart automations, such as triggering notifications or auto-updating knowledge base entries based on ticket outcomes, further enhance the platform’s ability to keep knowledge resources up to date.
monday Service Standout Features and Integrations
Features include asset management, automatic ticket routing, customizable dashboards, AI-powered ticket management, multi-channel support, mobile accessibility, and advanced reporting and analytics.
Integrations include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zendesk, Jira, Salesforce, Google Workspace, GitHub, Zoom, Outlook, HubSpot, Trello, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Customer self-service features
- Integrated knowledge management with ticketing
- Automated ticket routing
Cons:
- Limited report customization
- Full automation features require higher-tier subscriptions
Freshservice is a comprehensive cloud-based IT service management (ITSM) solution that enables organizations to streamline their IT operations and deliver better customer support. It encompasses a wide array of functionalities, including incident management, change management, asset management, and service request management.
Why I Picked Freshservice: I like that the platform offers a comprehensive knowledge base that allows IT teams to create, organize, and share valuable information with ease. This knowledge base is seamlessly integrated into the helpdesk, enabling users to access relevant articles and solutions directly from the ticketing system. The intuitive search functionality ensures that users can quickly find the information they need, reducing resolution times and improving overall efficiency. Additionally, Freshservice's knowledge base supports multimedia content, allowing IT teams to include videos, images, and step-by-step guides to enhance the user experience.
Freshservice Standout Features & Integrations
Features include a self-service portal, automated workflow management, incident management, change management, asset management, service request management, predictive analytics, an AI-powered virtual agent, IT project management, vendor management, contract management, and multi-channel support.
Integrations include Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Azure DevOps, Zapier, Okta, AWS, Zendesk, Dropbox, Trello, Salesforce, and ServiceNow.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- AI-powered support management
- Asset management capabilities
- Robust automation features to reduce manual tasks
Cons:
- Freddy AI is a paid add-on feature
- Reports could be more customizable
Guru is a knowledge management platform that leverages AI to provide enterprise search capabilities and centralized access to company knowledge. Its AI-driven approach ensures that employees can find verified and up-to-date information quickly, positioning it as a leading solution for AI-driven knowledge access.
Why I Picked Guru: Guru integrates an AI-powered helpdesk, a unified company knowledge base/wiki, and an employee Intranet all in one platform. What makes Guru stand out is its extensive feature list that caters to various industries, ensuring that the knowledge is organized, human-verified, and easily accessible. I believe Guru is the best tool for AI-driven knowledge access in the helpdesk scenario because it not only surfaces relevant information but also enhances productivity by connecting with existing workflows and tools. The AI component ensures that the most useful information is readily available, which is a key advantage for any helpdesk knowledge base.
Guru Standout Features & Integrations
Features include advanced search capabilities, customizable dashboards, secure data storage, real-time collaboration tools, knowledge management, AI-powered suggestions, robust analytics and reporting, integration with multiple platforms, personalized user experiences, mobile accessibility, document management, workflow automation, social networking features, and multilingual support.
Integrations include Google Chrome, Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Outlook, HRIS solutions, YouTUbe, Vimeo, Loom, Airtable, Sendesk, Salesforce, Intercom, Freshworks, Confluence, and more. Plus, you can use Zapier, Workato, or their custom API to connect more tools.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Integrates well with a variety of other tools and platforms
- AI-powered helpdesk suggestions
- Excels in organizing and managing knowledge
Cons:
- Slight learning curve
- Limited offline capabilities
Axero
Best company intranet, internal comms, & knowledge management in one
Axero Solutions provides a comprehensive intranet platform designed to support internal communication, knowledge management, and workplace culture within organizations.
Why I Picked Axero Solutions: I chose Axero for the helpdesk knowledge base because of its award-winning platform that provides a modern and integrated approach to employee intranets. What makes Axero different is its all-in-one solution that caters to various business communication and collaboration needs, including AI-powered features and a responsive client experience. I believe Axero is best for unified team collaboration due to its comprehensive suite of tools that support modern intranets, knowledge centers, and enterprise portals, along with powerful integrations with systems like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace.
Axero Solutions Standout Features & Integrations
Features include mobile-friendly intranets, centralized company knowledge centers, customizable enterprise portals, security and compliance with permission controls and audit trails, integrations with with Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace, AI-powered bot named Copilot for learning and development, client support services, a mobile app, and resources like blogs and ebooks.
Integrations include Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, and Zoom for collaboration; ServiceNow and Twilio for customer service and communication; and Microsoft Teams and Active Directory for team management and security. It also supports file management through integrations with Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive, and offers single sign-on capabilities with ADFS/SAML 2.0, AuthDigital, Okta, OneLogin, and Salesforce SSO.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Connects employees, projects, and information
- AI-powered learning & development tools
- Completely customizable to your needs
Cons:
- Slight learning curve
- May be cost-prohibitive for small biz
Using Stonly, you can create self-serve guides that adapt to each individual and help them along the optimal path toward effective onboarding, issue resolution, or adoption.
Why I Picked Stonly: The interactive guides created on this platform adapt automatically to every situation, offering a more satisfying and meaningful user experience. In-app guides reduce tickets, while website guidance helps people find the content or features they are seeking.
Stonly guides and forms employer customer support agents by providing them with rich ticket data, so they can get to the point and resolve issues quickly. A fully interactive customer help center can be created in minutes.
Stonly Standout Features and Integrations
Features include personal attention at scale, proactive support in every channel, customer insights, multiple language support, and no-code integration.
Integrations include Zendesk, Front, Freshdesk, Intercom, Segment, HubSpot, Helpshift, Salesforce, Gorgias, and Help Scout.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Simple setup
- Multiple ways to trigger help
Cons:
- Expensive compared to other options
- Limited attachment options
Groove is committed to providing organizations with a fresh alternative to popular customer service and knowledge management solutions.
Why I Picked Groove: The software gives agents a shared inbox that helps them organize, prioritize, and solve customer requests. Conversation assignments make it clear who is responsible for each inquiry, while collision detection prevents double replies.
Groove aims to instill customer confidence by offering instant help on any website or app page. Round-robin assignment spreads the workload, and unattended message logic ensures customers get a fast response. When customers drop offline, conversations can continue by email.
Groove Standout Features and Integrations
Features include private knowledge bases, @mentions and notifications, mobile optimization, and embeddable widgets.
Integrations include Slack, Stripe, Shopify, Recharge, HubSpot, Trello, ConstantContact, Github, Instagram, and Salesforce.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Comprehensive ticket tracking
- Support for multiple inboxes
- Excellent canned replies system
Cons:
- Searching for closed requests is difficult
- No bulk import
Slite is a knowledge base solution that drives action through the effective use of structured documents, meaningful collaboration, and informed decision-making.
Why I Picked Slite: This tool helps people brainstorm ideas, create notes, and share files. Team members can track document versions, maintain activity logs, comment on files, and generate recurring documents. They can also organize ideas, create project handbooks, store private notes and manage image galleries.
In Slite, decision-making and async discussion are built into documents. The software replaces scattered conversations and long email or Slack threads.
Slite's composer tool enables team members to organize ideas, create project handbooks, store private notes, and manage image galleries. The built-in sketch tool allows employees to create workflows and visualize ideas, whilst maintaining compliance with SOC2 guidelines. Additionally, administrators can schedule data backups, create user groups, set up single sign-on protocols, and configure permission rights to ensure user and data security.
Slite Standout Features and Integrations
Features include a sketch tool, workflow visualization SOC2 compliance, data backups, user groups, single sign-on protocols, document authoring, and permission management.
Integrations include Airtable, Google Workspace, Slack, Figma, Loom, Trello, Asana, Github, Google Docs, and Okta.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Helpful notification features
- Appealing free plan
- Super-intuitive
Cons:
- Confusing navigation
- Can be slow
Help Scout sets out to offer you a better way to talk to customers, managing all conversations in one platform that feels like your inbox.
Why I Picked Help Scout: The knowledge base software is built for discovery, encouraging customers to find their own answers through a self-service portal. It’s easy to create articles quickly, with the option to include text, images, hyperlinks, tables, and videos.
You can surface help articles across your site or app, address commonly asked questions, and reduce incoming email requests. If customers can’t find the answer they need in your knowledge base, they get clear contact options for reaching out to agents directly.
Customers can also reach out via email or chat. The Beacon widget tracks which web pages and articles customers are reading, helping you to understand trends and problem areas.
Help Scout Standout Features and Integrations
Features include real-time reporting, email integration, document knowledge base, conversation metrics, productivity data, and happiness metrics.
Integrations include Pipedrive, Jira, ChannelReply, Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Magento, Infusionsoft, Google Workspace, and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Simple to assign conversations
- Great for email interactions
- Easy and natural to use
Cons:
- No mobile app
- Limited customization options
Other Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best helpdesk knowledge base list:
Helpdesk & Knowledge Base FAQs
In this section, I’ll answer a few frequently asked questions about helpdesks, knowledge bases, and providing exceptional customer service and support.
What are the types of knowledge bases?
Here are few of the different types of knowledge bases you can set up:
- Internal knowledge base: A database of company knowledge such as internal policies, procedures, and resources. Might be used to support better team collaboration, employee onboarding, and other business processes.
- External knowledge base: A public-facing knowledge base system that offers customer support documentation and other content. Might be used to facilitate customer onboarding, provide interactive how-to content, and support complete product usage.
- Community forums: Spaces where community members like users, customers, or brand followers can exchange ideas, best practices, questions, and more. Often hosted on social media, these can be a great way to encourage peer-to-peer support and alleviate your internal team’s workload.
- FAQ pages: Pages providing answers to common questions or issues faced by your target audience (kind of like this FAQ section you’re reading now!). These can be internal or external resources. They may be made public for customers or users to access for self-service or remain private for internal use by your customer support team.
- Tutorials: Comprehensive walkthroughs of how to perform a task, use a product or service, access a feature, or some other behavior. The person seeking support can go through each step in real-time, solving their problem with the help of the tutorial.
How can a helpdesk knowledge base help me?
Helpdesk knowledge base software can be a valuable tool for both large and small businesses. It can help you improve customer satisfaction by providing quick and accurate answers to their questions. It can also help you save time and money by reducing the need for live customer support through automation.
There are pros and cons of customer service automation, but if you implement automation in the right places, it can be a true game-changer. Alleviating the manual workload of your customer support team frees up their time for the work that only humans can do. A help desk software and a knowledge management solution go a long way in providing more consistent, helpful customer support.
Providing Exceptional Service With Helpdesk Knowledge Base Software
Whether you’re providing support or services to external customers, internal team members, or some other group, a helpdesk knowledge base can be a big help. Internal knowledge base software helps keep the people at your organization informed and aligned. Meanwhile, finding the right knowledge base software for your customer service team speeds up resolution times for customer requests and helps improve the overall customer experience.
Whether you found the perfect software solution for your needs in this list, or you’re still on the hunt, hopefully you have the information you need to make a confident choice.
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