8 Best Outline Alternatives for your Knowledge Base in 2025

If you're getting serious about creating and managing a knowledge base in 2025, it makes sense to start with a free tool and move on to paid platforms once you have proof of concept. One of the best solutions for this is Outline. This is a self-hosted, open-source knowledge base platform that offers paid options for those who require additional features and greater flexibility.

Today, we explore Outline and some of the reasons why Outline users are looking for alternatives to this tool. Also, we've prepared some of the best alternatives to consider, ranging from other wiki solutions to proper commercial tools. 👇

TL;DR: the best Outline alternatives to check in 2025

1. ✨ Featurebase - Best overall modern and powerful alternative
2. Sharepoint - Best for enterprise teams on Microsoft
3. Nuclino - Best for fast, visual internal wikis
4. Confluence - Best for Jira-heavy dev teams
5. Notion - Best for all-in-one docs and databases
6. Obsidian - Best for personal, local-first knowledge
7. Bookstack - Best for self-hosted, book-style docs
8. Wiki.js - Best for devs wanting open-source + Git

Why look for Outline alternatives in the first place?

Outline offers a fairly comprehensive feature set and is free, both of which are valid reasons to be attracted to this tool. But at the same time, there are a few things you should be aware of before committing.

Lack of customization options

Compared to some other tools like Notion, the document editor feels very basic. Multiple users complained about the ability to customize the text, images, and other elements to make the knowledge base articles truly your own.

• "I felt it lacked some advanced formatting options available in traditional word processors. Such as advanced tables or custom style options available in Outline to be limited." ("One issue I felt concerned about is that while adding a Google Docs, Sheets link in a document, the response is slow, and the preview snapshot of the link is too large. Source)
• "One issue I felt concerned about is that while adding a Google Docs, Sheets link in a document, the response is slow, and the preview snapshot of the link is too large. I also felt there could be image editing features; I wanted to crop an image post addition into a document, which I could not do straightforwardly." (Source)
• "There is nothing much to dislike about Outline, it is a great tool to store and share notes/documents with the internal team, but one thing which might help users is the option to select the theme for the application, like a light/dark mode setting and more." (Source)

There are some customizable templates available, but the end result just doesn't look all that great.

The difficulty of installing the self-hosted version

If you already have experience with other collaborative wiki tools, setting up Outline will be a breeze. But if you're not a developer and have no idea how to write a line of code, installing the free, self-hosted version might be a challenge, as some users noted:

• "Difficult to install - has too many requirements. The installation list is long - sign up for Slack, install many prerequisites, fill out keys, etc. Would also be nice to have Docker support!" (Source)
• "Not so easy to run it locally for development." (Source)

For most companies, the small price for a hosted knowledge base tool is well worth the savings in engineering resources and future security maintenance.

The best Outline alternatives to try for your knowledge base in 2025

Looking for a more powerful tool than Outline to share documents publicly and with your team? These are some of the most popular tools in the knowledge base niche that beat Outline in one way or another.

1. Featurebase ✨

Featurebase (👋 that's us) is a modern & powerful support platform for SaaS teams that helps you create beautiful product docs, provide live support, and collect feedback all in one place.​ It's loved by thousands of support, product, and marketing teams from companies like Lovable, Polymarket, and OpenSea.

Top features

• Public & internal help center – Create a branded, knowledge base with your domain and design for easy self-service support.​
• Embeddable in-app widget – Serve help articles directly within your app, reaching users where they need assistance most​
• Notion-style text editor – Tons of formatting options and custom components
• AI-powered answers – Summarise answers for users right in the search bar in seconds
• Multilingual support – Automatically display content in your users' native language
• SEO optimization – SEO optimized out of the box to ensure your knowledge base ranks high in search results
• Feedback collection – Collect, manage, and prioritize user feedback within the platform to inform product decisions
• Changelog announcements – Keep users informed about product updates with a public changelog page and in-app notifications
• In-app surveys – Measure customer satisfaction and more with targeted surveys

Why it’s better than Outline: Featurebase offers a comprehensive customer-facing product suite by integrating live chat, feedback collection, changelogs, and surveys directly with its knowledge base, providing a unified tool to build better products and customer experiences.

Pricing: Comes with a generous free plan, and the paid plans start at just $49/month. You can set it up in minutes, and we can help you migrate over from your old knowledge base in seconds. 👇

✨ Create a beautiful Help Center with Featurebase for free →

2. SharePoint

SharePoint, developed by Microsoft, is a powerful platform designed to help organizations create, manage, and share content and applications, empowering teamwork. It's deeply integrated with Microsoft 365, making it a go-to solution for enterprises seeking seamless collaboration tools.​

Top features

• Document libraries with version control – Manage and track document changes efficiently.
• Customizable team sites – Create dedicated spaces for different projects or departments.
• Integration with Microsoft 365 and other third party apps – Collaborate using familiar tools like Word, Excel, and Microsoft Teams.
• Advanced search capabilities – Quickly find relevant content across the organization.
• Robust permission settings – Control access to content with detailed permission configurations.​

Why it’s better than Outline: SharePoint offers extensive customization and integration options, especially for teams already using Microsoft 365.

Pricing: Plans start at $5 per user per month.

3. Nuclino

Nuclino is a unified workspace that allows teams to bring all their knowledge, documents, and projects together in one place. It's known for its clean interface and real-time collaboration, which makes it a decent choice for teams that need something simple and easy.

Top features

• Real-time collaborative editing – Work together on documents with instant updates.
• Graph, list, and board views – Visualize content in various formats to suit different workflows.
• Markdown support – Create richly formatted content with ease.
• Version history – Track changes and revert to previous versions when needed.
• Integrations with third party tools – Connect with tools like Slack and Google Drive for improved productivity.​

Why it’s better than Outline: Nuclino offers a more intuitive and visually engaging interface, with flexible content visualization options that cater to diverse team needs.​

Pricing: Free plan available with basic features. Paid plans start at $6 per user per month. ​

4. Confluence

Confluence is a collaborative workspace developed by Atlassian, designed to help teams create, organize, and discuss work in one place. It's widely used for its robust integration capabilities and structured content management, making it suitable for organizations of various sizes.​

Top features

• Unlimited spaces and pages – Organize content hierarchically to mirror your team's structure.
• Macros and templates – Customize pages with dynamic content and standardized templates.
• Real-time collaboration – Edit pages simultaneously with team members.
• Integration with other Atlassian products – Seamlessly connect with tools like Jira for improved project tracking.
• Page versioning and permissions – Track changes and control access to content.​

Why it’s better than Outline: Confluence offers deeper integration with development tools and more advanced content structuring options, making it ideal for teams that require a comprehensive documentation solution with robust collaboration features.​

Pricing: Free plan available for up to 10 users. Paid plans start at $5.50 per user per month.

5. Notion

Notion is a versatile productivity platform that combines note-taking, task management, databases, and wikis into a single collaborative workspace. It's suitable for teams and individuals looking for an integrated solution to manage various aspects of their work.​

Top features

• Flexible page structure – Organize content hierarchically with nested pages and databases.
• Real-time collaboration tools – Collaborate with multiple team members simultaneously on shared documents.
• Rich media support – Embed images, videos, code snippets, and more within your notes.
• Templates and integrations – Utilize a wide range of templates and integrate with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and project management tools Trello.
• Access controls – Manage permissions to control who can view or edit content.​​

Why it’s better than Outline: Notion offers a broader set of features beyond documentation, including task management and databases, providing a more comprehensive solution for teams seeking to consolidate their tools.​

Pricing: Free plan available with basic features. Paid plans start at $10 per user per month when billed annually.​

6. Obsidian

Obsidian is a note-taking and knowledge management application that operates on local Markdown files, allowing users to build a personal knowledge base with rich linking and graph visualization. It's designed for those who need full control over their data and a flexible, plugin-rich environment.​

Top features

• Markdown-based notes – Create and manage notes in Markdown format for portability and ease of use.
• Graph view – Visualize connections between notes through an interactive graph interface.
• Custom plugins – Extend functionality with a wide range of community-developed plugins.
• End-to-end encryption – Secure your data with robust encryption methods.
• Cross-platform support – Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.​

Why it’s better than Outline: Obsidian provides a more flexible and extensible environment with its plugin ecosystem and local-first approach, offering greater control and customization compared to Outline's web-based structure.​

Pricing: Free for personal use. Commercial licenses start at $50 per user per year. Additional services like Obsidian Sync and Publish are available starting at $4/month and $8/month, respectively.

7. Bookstack

BookStack is a free, open-source, self-hosted wiki platform designed for teams and individuals seeking a straightforward way to organize and share knowledge. Built on PHP and Laravel, it offers a clean, book-like structure that simplifies documentation without the complexity of traditional enterprise tools.​

Top features

• Book-based hierarchy – Organize content into shelves, books, chapters, and pages for intuitive navigation.
• WYSIWYG and Markdown editors – Choose between a user-friendly visual editor or Markdown with live preview.
• Built-in diagrams.net integration – Create and embed diagrams directly within your documentation.
• Full-text search – Quickly locate content across all levels of your knowledge base.
• Role-based permissions – Control access and editing rights with a comprehensive permission system.
• Multi-language support – Available in over 30 languages to cater to diverse teams.
• Customizable branding – Tailor the platform's appearance to match your organization's identity.
• Revision history – Track changes and revert to previous versions of pages as needed.
• REST API – Integrate BookStack with other tools and automate workflows.
• Authentication options – Support for social logins, LDAP, SAML2, and more for flexible user

Why it’s better than Outline: BookStack offers a more structured and hierarchical approach to documentation, making it ideal for teams that prefer organized, book-like categorization. Its self-hosted nature ensures full control over data and customization, which can be a significant advantage over Outline's cloud-based model.​

Pricing: Free and open-source under the MIT license. Managed hosting options are available through third-party providers like Elestio, with plans starting at approximately $20/month.

8. Wiki.js

Wiki.js is an open-source, self-hosted wiki software built on Node.js, offering a sleek interface and modular architecture. It's ideal for teams seeking a customizable and extensible platform to manage their internal wikis, news sites, or any project where they need to share information in an organized way.​

Top features

• Markdown editor – Write content using a user-friendly Markdown editor with live preview.
• Git-backed storage – Sync content with a remote Git repository for version control and backups.
• Access control – Manage permissions with integrated access control for different user roles.
• Authentication options – Support for various authentication methods, including LDAP, OAuth, and SAML.
• Multilingual support – Create content in multiple languages to cater to a diverse audience.​

Why it’s better than Outline: Wiki.js offers greater flexibility with its modular design and extensive customization options, making it suitable for organizations with specific requirements that go beyond Outline's capabilities.​

Pricing: Free and open-source under the AGPLv3 license. Managed hosting options are available through providers like Elest.io, with plans starting at $20/month.

Conclusion

If you want to replace Outline with something that has a better overall user experience, a more functional and dedicated mobile application, easier setup and installation, and more, hopefully, we inspired you today. Outline does many things well, but it's missing some key features to be a dependable knowledge base tool.

Featurebase is one of the best overall alternatives to Outline that lets you create beautiful product documentation in minutes—without code. In addition to a Help Center, it also comes with feedback collection, survey, and changelog features to help you build a product your users love.

It has affordable pricing and a Free plan. We can migrate your content from any existing knowledge base tools with zero data loss. 👇

✨ Create a beautiful Help Center with Featurebase for free →