Archbee vs KnowledgeOwl

Archbee

• Software companies publishing product and API documentation
• Teams that keep docs in Git but want a hosted portal
• Docs with many readers and few writers, since readers are free

KnowledgeOwl

• Documentation teams that want migration and onboarding done with them
• Knowledge bases with many readers and only a few authors
• Nonprofits and B Corporations, which get a 25% discount

Archbee

• There is no free plan: once the 14-day trial ends, a paid plan is required.
• Plans include 5 team members; each extra contributor costs $5 to $12 a month depending on the plan and billing period.
• Q&A, insights, the app widget, public API access and PDF export are add-ons on Growing and Scaling, each $80 a month on annual billing.
• SAML and OIDC SSO, AI-assisted translations and the Intercom and Zendesk integrations are Enterprise only.

KnowledgeOwl

• Each plan includes only 1 author and 1 knowledge base; additional ones are listed at $25 per author and $50 per knowledge base.
• Basic has no custom domain, HTML/CSS/JS branding control, developer API or remote authentication. Those start on Pro at $250 a month.
• SAML SSO, Salesforce SSO and custom author roles need the Business plan at $500 a month.
• Articles are capped by plan: 1,000 on Basic, 2,500 on Pro and 5,000 on Business.

Archbee

Editor with branches and drafts

A multiplayer editor with drafts and native branches lets writers change content in isolation, have it reviewed and merge it when ready, with or without a Git workflow.

Docs-as-code sync

Markdown or MDX kept in GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket can be built into a docs site, and OpenAPI or Swagger files generate API documentation, on every plan.

Published portals

Spaces can be public or private and published to a custom domain hosted by Archbee. Password protection is on every plan; guest accounts, magic links and JWT start on Scaling.

Reusable content

Variables and reusable snippets update everywhere when changed, and version and space links connect multi-version and multi-product docs. These start on the Scaling plan.

AI add-on

Ask AI answers reader questions from the documentation and Write Assist helps draft content. It is a paid add-on on Growing and Scaling with a monthly token allowance.

Desktop apps and export

Archbee runs in any modern browser and offers macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Content can be exported as Markdown or as rendered PDF files.

KnowledgeOwl

Editor and versioning

A no-code rich text editor with reusable content snippets, article statuses from Draft to Needs Review, and major and minor versions that can be compared and restored.

Search and AI chatbot

Search needs no tagging and includes semantic search, a synonym library and indexed PDF content. The AI chatbot answers only from the knowledge base and links to its source articles.

Reader access controls

Unlimited reader groups decide who can read which content. Remote authentication starts on Pro, and SAML and Salesforce single sign-on on Business.

AI writing help

AI credits cover first drafts and outlines, article summaries, meta descriptions and style guide review: 100 a month on Basic, 500 on Pro and 1,000 on Business.

Owl Analytics

Built-in reports track searches, article performance and content gaps, keeping 45 days of data on Basic, 90 days on Pro and 450 days on Business.

Migration and theme build

KnowledgeOwl's team migrates existing content, builds a custom branded theme at no extra charge and holds regular 1:1 onboarding calls until launch.

Archbee

• Growing$80

  per month, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)

  5 team members included, then $5 each a month ($6 on monthly billing): unlimited readers and spaces, a custom domain, GitHub sync and API documentation.

• Scaling$350

  per month, billed annually ($400 billed monthly)

  5 members included, then $10 each ($12 on monthly billing): adds a review system, reusable variables, versioning, localization, custom CSS and guest accounts.

• EnterpriseCustom

  All add-ons included, plus multiple organizations, AI-assisted translations, SAML and OIDC SSO, invoicing and a customer success manager.

KnowledgeOwl

• Basic$100

  per month

  1 author and 1 knowledge base, up to 1,000 articles, 100 AI credits and 45 days of analytics. No custom domain, developer API or SSO.

• Pro$250

  per month

  Up to 2,500 articles and 500 AI credits, adding a custom domain, HTML/CSS/JS branding control, the developer API, remote authentication and reader reports.

• Business$500

  per month

  Up to 5,000 articles and 1,000 AI credits, adding SAML and Salesforce SSO, custom author roles, payment by invoice and a 99.5% uptime guarantee.

• Enterprise$1,250

  per month

  Custom article, author and knowledge base counts, 10,000 AI credits, dedicated account management, custom terms and a 99.9% uptime SLA.

Archbee

• Annual discount

  Lower prices with annual billing

  Growing is $80 a month billed annually against $100 billed monthly, and Scaling is $350 against $400. Extra members and add-ons also cost less on annual billing.

• Startups

  50% off for 2 years for startups

  The Startup Program gives early-stage companies a 50% discount on any plan for 2 years, on application.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for non-profits

  The pricing FAQ lists a 50% discount for non-profit organizations.

• Education

  50% off for educational use

  The same FAQ lists a 50% discount for educational purposes.

• Other savings

  Free Growing plan for open source

  Open source software projects are offered the Growing plan free of charge.

KnowledgeOwl

• Nonprofit

  25% off for nonprofits and B Corps

  The KnowledgeOwl for Good discount gives nonprofits, B Corporations and purpose-driven organizations 25% off.