Sharing knowledge across departments is the lifeblood of any successful business. After all, how can teams collaborate effectively without a way to easily exchange information? Wiki software offers a straightforward way to create, organize and share knowledge company-wide. But what’s the best wiki software? That’s what we’re going to cover in this  guide.

What is wiki software?

A wiki is a centralized, web-based platform that allows employees to easily access and document information. In short, it’s a single source of truth for trusted information. Ideally, your wiki will integrate into your existing workflows through browser extensions, allowing employees to pull up content without switching tabs. Here are some examples of content you may find internal company wiki:

• New product features or process updates
• HR policies around time-off
• Project management templates
• Local hotspots for team lunches

External-facing wikis function a bit differently to internal-facing ones. They tend to include product manuals for end-users. While still acting as an authoritative information hub, public wikis contain content tailored specifically for customers, partners, and other external stakeholders.

Types of wiki software

Hosted

A hosted wiki includes SaaS tools that don’t require internal developer time. Security and software maintenance of a hosted wiki are managed by the hosting company. There is usually a little less flexibility with the layout of the wiki, however, less work is required to manage the wiki itself, so you can spend more time focusing on the content that lives within it.

Self-hosted

Self-hosted wiki software (e.g. MediaWiki) is open-source and requires ongoing developer involvement to maintain the security and organization of the platform. Usually, self-hosted wiki software is more customizable for each unique user, with the catch being they are usually much more work to maintain.

Why use wiki software?

Centralize company information

Searching through countless sources to find a single piece of information is a familiar time suck for most of us. According to McKinsey, employees lose hours every week gathering and searching for information. This is time that could be better spent collaborating with colleagues and creatively solving problems. Wiki software centralizes all company information into a single source of truth–so everyone knows exactly where to go to find reliable and relevant information. 

End information overload

Bite-sized pieces of knowledge are the name of the game when communicating important information across an entire organization. Too many pieces of long-form content put a burden on employees to read and remember more than they can realistically retain. When employees are provided with bite-sized information and they can access it again whenever they need it, information overload becomes a thing of the past. 

Bring everyone the information they need to excel in their job

Everyone wants to feel that they’re armed with the information they need to do their job well. Lacking the resources one needs to feel supported in their role is one of the main catalysts of burnout, which has been on the rise. Wiki software provides everyone with the information they need, whenever they need to access it. They don’t have to nudge subject matter experts for answers to their questions, rather they can find all the knowledge they need at their fingertips.

Deliver a single source of truth your team actually uses

Without a wiki as a single source of truth, you run the risk of using duplicate and unreliable information to inform decisions and processes. Send everyone to one place for information and make sure to keep that information up to date. It’s a simple solution that keeps everyone on the same page. 

Power effortless collaboration

Good internal communication leads to seamless collaboration that in turn leads to smooth and successful company operations. Wiki software allows everyone at the company to create and edit information, turning the wiki into a homebase for effortless collaboration. Every subject matter expert is contributing their expertise to a single source of information that is accessible to everyone. Goodbye, information silos! 

Seamlessly keep company information up to date

The best wiki software has a content verification system built in. This allows the creator of the information to set a timer for when they need to review and re-verify that information. This ensures that company information stays up to date and relevant, while preventing someone from unknowingly referencing unreliable knowledge. 

Ensure expert-verified product information is in the hands of everyone in support, sales, and marketing

As updates are made to products, everyone needs to be in the loop. This includes technical support, sales, marketing, product specialists, and more. According to PwC, 17% of consumers will walk away from a brand after just one bad experience. So it’s critical that teams have access to trusted information in their interactions with customers. Let the subject matter experts document and verify their information, so everyone else knows the knowledge they’re reading is accurate and reliable. 

Empower support agents to deliver world-class customer service

Easy access to information benefits support agents in two ways. First, it allows them to be kept up to date, providing customers with the information that is the most relevant to them. Second, it provides quick access to knowledge so support agents can answer questions in real time–removing lag time between a customer’s question and support’s answer.

What ingredients does the best wiki software have?

Not all wikis are made the same. There are few key characteristics to keep in mind when choosing the best wiki for your team. 

Easy to use

Adding a new tool to any workflow is dreaded by most employees–it’s just another thing to learn on top of daily tasks. Wiki software should solve problems, not create additional headaches. It should have an intuitive design and content hierarchy that promotes easy content creation.  

Searchability

No one has time to come up with precise keywords in order to find the right information. A wiki needs to have smart search functionality that allows it to provide results related to your search and doesn’t rely on exact keywords. Good wiki software will not require multiple searches to find answers. 

Knowledge base 

Excellent wiki software acts as a knowledge base for all important information. It can be internal or external facing, relaying information to that audience. It should act as a reliable source for knowledge that readers can trust to use regularly, and be the first place people think to visit when searching for an answer. 

Integrations 

Your wiki software should integrate into your existing workflow through browser extensions. This removes the need to navigate away from your workflow to search for information, and instead brings that information into your workflow. It should allow you to find the information you need without leaving the app you’re working in.

Learning features

It should be able to cater to its user. Based on your role or information you’ve referenced historically, a wiki should suggest content that’s relevant to your role. For further support, wiki software should also have a help center or guides series where documentation is easily accessible. 

Customization 

There is generally no one-size-fits-all model for wiki software. Whether you are storing internal knowledge or building an external knowledge base, you need to be able to customize information in a way that works well for your company. Start with the provided framework, but take advantage of flexibility the wiki should offer.

Analytics 

The best wikis have analytics built in, where you can see which content is finding the most traction or what is being searched for regularly. This can help you spot gaps in your company knowledge as well as see what information has proven to be the most useful to employees.

The best wiki software tools & examples

 1. Guru

At Guru, we practice what we preach when it comes to great wiki software. Our modern wiki is AI-powered, making it possible to capture information seamlessly and find trusted answers instantly. It integrates with your company’s most popular apps so the information you need is always at your fingertips. You can document knowledge faster than ever with Guru’s AI writing assistant, keep it up to date with our verification workflow, and quickly find information no matter where it’s stored with our on-demand demo video to learn more!

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2. MediaWiki

Here is the most popular open-source wiki software out there. It’s ideal for anyone managing large amounts of content that needs to be accessed by a lot of people. It does, however, require slightly more technical knowledge to get up and running. Still, MediaWiki is one of the most trusted wikis and it’s completely free. 

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3. DokuWiki

DokuWiki is simple and effective. It’s an open-source wiki layout that has thousands of contributors and no limit to the number of pages that you can save. Built-in authentication makes it suitable for large companies trying to get a lot of important information out to their employees or customers fast, and it’s free. 

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4. Confluence

Confluence is one of the most popular kinds of wiki software used in the technical space. It syncs with Jira, the project management software, to make creating and updating content easy. Confluence requires precise keyword searches to find content and is free for up to 10 users. 

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5. Tettra

Tettra works well for teams with little or no technical knowledge. Set up, maintenance, and use are intuitive–it also integrates with the tools you already work in. Teams across an entire organization are able to organize their knowledge in a way that makes the most sense for them. 

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6. Notion

Notion is a highly-customizable wiki software that allows both remote and in-person teams to collaborate more effectively. Due to its flexible design, learning how to use Notion well can be a steep learning curve and tends to be challenging for large teams to use. Notion is free for individual use. 

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7. Slite

Slite is designed for teams that work remotely. Multiple people can edit documents at the same time and each document can include quotes, charts, graphics, and more. 각 사용자는 자신의 역할에 해당할 수 있는 새로운 정보를 캡처하는 “Catch-up” 화면으로 하루를 시작합니다. 최대 50개의 문서에 대해서는 무료입니다. 

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8. 누클리노

부드럽고 직관적인 디자인 때문에, 누클리노는 비기술 사용자에게 이상적인 위키 소프트웨어입니다. 이 레이아웃은 배우기 쉽습니다. 회사의 위키로만 사용하거나, 프로젝트 관리, 아이디어 공유 등 다양한 용도로 사용할 수 있습니다. 누클리노는 50개 항목까지 무료입니다. 

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9. 슬랩

슬랩은 쉽게 설정할 수 있는 직관적인 지식 관리 위키 소프트웨어로, 팀에 이상적입니다. 이에는 데이터 분석이 포함되어 있어, 관리자들이 가장 인기 있는 정보를 쉽게 확인할 수 있습니다. 슬랩은 10명까지 무료입니다. 

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10. Document360

Document360은 협업 및 지식 공유를 촉진하는 직관적인 WYSIWYG 편집기입니다. 대부분의 앱과 잘 통합되고, 가장 가치 있는 정보를 볼 수 있도록 하는 분석 기능을 제공합니다. 

11. 위키.js

위키.js는 오픈 소스이고, 공용, 비공용 또는 둘 다의 플랫폼에서 사용할 수 있습니다. 또 다른 무료 옵션으로, 완전히 맞춤형 콘텐츠 레이아웃으로 정보를 생성하고 저장할 수 있습니다. 분석 기능도 제공됩니다. 위키.js는 기술 경험이나 지식이 거의 없는 사람에게는 덜 이상적입니다. 

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