Confluence vs PBworks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, we pick Confluence: it is second in our ranking of docs and wiki tools, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Confluence grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Confluence
Team wiki and docs workspace from Atlassian, tied to Jira
PBworks
Hosted team wikis and file sharing for organizations
Which one is for you
Pick Confluence if
- Fits if your team runs Jira and wants its docs linked to its issues
- Works for a team of up to 10 that can live with 2 GB and no page permissions, for free
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free: 10 users, 2 GB, 3 active whiteboards each, 50 automation steps a month and no page permissions
- Pricey if you need enforced SSO or SCIM, because that takes a separate Atlassian Guard subscription
- Watch out: the $5.42 the pricing page shows first is a 300-user average; your first 100 users pay $6.70 each
- Not for you if you want to host it yourself, since Data Center reaches end of life on March 28, 2029
- Skip it if you want a desktop app, as it's web, iPhone and Android only
Pick PBworks if
- Fits if you want a hosted private wiki for a small group and no server
- Works for teams that need to share files with a few outside people
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you store files, as the free account holds 50 MB
- Watch out: the pages read are marked 2020 and give $20 per user without a billing period, so check before relying on it
- Skip it if you need integrations, as none are listed
- Pricey if you grow, since Wiki Hub Starter is $1,995 a year for 20 internal users
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAConfluenceVery good | 2.0GPAPBworksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $6.70 a user a month for the first 100 users and Premium $13.20, mid-pack in a category whose cheapest quarter starts at $6.30. Read the pricing page carefully: the $5.42 it shows first is an average for 300 users. Enforced SSO costs more again, via a separate Atlassian Guard subscription. | C$20 per user a month, close to the category's middle at $18 and under its dearer quarter at $82.50. The page gives no billing period, and Wiki Hub Starter is $1,995 a year for 20 users. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for up to 10 users with pages, spaces, databases and templates, and a team that size could really stay there. The walls are 2 GB of storage, 3 active whiteboards each, 50 automation steps a month and no page permissions at all. | CA free account with 15 internal users, 5 external users, 5 wikis and email support, no time limit. The 50 MB of storage is a cap you will reach. |
| Features | APages in spaces with a page tree, several people editing at once, comments and version history, and then the parts most rivals don't have in the same product: whiteboards that link to Jira issues, databases laid out as tables, cards or boards, rule-based automation and Rovo AI search and chat on the paid plans. | CPrivate wikis, editing without code, outside users, search and notifications. That covers a basic wiki, with nothing beyond. |
| Ease of use | B4.64 from about 3,700 App Store ratings, just under our A line. You sign up and it's there, Standard and Premium have a 7-day trial that asks for no payment details, and templates mean you rarely start a page from nothing. | CNo store rating on record. Editing needs no code, but wikis, permissions and outside access are set up by you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Jira, Jira Service Management, Trello, Loom, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, GitHub and Figma wired in. There's no desktop app on record, so at a computer it's a browser tab, and the self-managed Data Center edition reaches end of life on 28 March 2029. | CWeb only; the pages read list no apps or integrations, only that content is reachable on computer, smartphone or tablet. |
| Best for | team wikis that sit next to Jira | a simple private team wiki |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Confluence and PBworks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Confluence starts at $6.70 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PBworks starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Confluence scores higher and starts $13.30 a month lower. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than Confluence for less, and 27 score higher than PBworks for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Confluence also covers databases, whiteboard and templates.
- PBworks also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Confluence | PBworks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6.70 per user / month, billed monthly (first 100 users) | $20 per user / month |
| Free plan | Free plan for up to 10 users: pages, spaces, databases and templates, 2 GB of file storage, 3 active whiteboards per user and 50 automation steps a month. No space or page permission settings. | Free account: up to 15 internal users, 5 external users, 5 wikis and 50 MB of storage, with email support and no time limit. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Standard or Premium; no payment information required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Atlassian | PBworks, Inc. |
| Price read from | atlassian.com | pbworks.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Confluence
- The Free plan stops at 10 users and 2 GB of storage and has no space or page permission settings.
- The pricing page's default prices ($5.42 Standard, $10.44 Premium) are per-user averages for a 300-user team; the first 100 users cost $6.70 or $13.20 each.
- Enforced SSO and SCIM need a separate Atlassian Guard Standard subscription on every plan except Enterprise, which is sold on annual contracts only.
- The self-managed Data Center edition reaches end of life on March 28, 2029, when its subscriptions expire and it becomes read-only.
PBworks
- The free account is capped at 50 MB of storage.
- The pages read are marked with a 2020 copyright and the pricing page states the $20 per user figure without a billing period, so re-check before relying on it.
- Separate Hub versions exist for projects, agencies, legal, business and education, and a custom quote is offered.
- The pages read list no desktop or mobile app; the vendor says content is reachable by computer, smartphone or tablet.
Key features
Confluence
- Pages and spaces
- Pages hold project plans, meeting notes and policies, and are grouped into spaces with a page tree. Several people can edit at once, with inline and page comments and version history.
- Whiteboards
- Freeform canvases for brainstorming and diagrams, with built-in links to Jira. Free allows 3 active whiteboards per user, Standard 10, and Premium and Enterprise have no limit.
- Databases
- Structured collections that gather information from Jira and other apps and can be laid out as tables, cards or boards.
- Rovo AI
- Rovo Search, Chat and Agents come with paid plans and are metered in monthly credits: 25 per user on Standard, 70 on Premium and 150 on Enterprise.
- Automation
- Rule-based automation with templates and a low-code builder. Monthly allowances run from 50 steps per subscription on Free to 500 steps per user on Enterprise.
- Permissions and external sharing
- Paid plans add space and page permissions, view-only public links, anonymous access and up to 5 free guests per paid user, each limited to a single space.
PBworks
- Private wikis
- Teams create private wikis that combine page content, links, embedded images, videos and files.
- Page editing without code
- Pages are edited and formatted without learning markup.
- Access for outside users
- Access can be granted to people outside the organization, in addition to internal users.
- Search and organization
- Content is organized by folder and found through search.
- Notifications
- Automated notifications keep members up to date on changes.
Plans
Confluence
Free$0
Up to 10 users on one site with 2 GB of file storage, 3 active whiteboards per user and community support.
Standard$6.70
per user / month, billed monthly (first 100 users)
250 GB of storage, page permissions, guests, public links and 25 Rovo credits per user. Annual billing is $680 a year for up to 10 users.
Premium$13.20
per user / month, billed monthly (first 100 users)
Unlimited storage and whiteboards, analytics, company hub, 24/7 critical-issue support and a 99.9% uptime SLA. $1,300 a year for up to 10 users.
EnterpriseCustom
Annual contracts through sales: Atlassian Guard Standard included, up to 150 sites, Atlassian Analytics and a 99.95% uptime SLA.
PBworks
Free$0
Up to 15 internal users, 5 external users, 5 wikis and 50 MB of storage.
Upgrade$20
per user / month (billing period not stated)
Per-user upgrade from the free account.
Wiki Hub Starter Package$1,995
per year for 20 internal users
20 internal users, 100 GB of storage and unlimited wikis.
Ways to pay less
Confluence
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
The pricing page's billing toggle states a saving of up to 17% on annual plans. Annual prices are set by user tier: Standard is $680 a year and Premium $1,300 a year for up to 10 users.
- Nonprofit
75% off for eligible nonprofits
Atlassian's licensing page offers Confluence Cloud at 75% off to eligible Community customers: registered nonprofits and social enterprises, verified through Goodstack.
- Education
75% off for academic institutions
Academic licenses give eligible schools, colleges and affiliated research institutes 75% off the list price of Confluence Standard, Premium and Enterprise.
- Education
75% off Classroom licenses
Eligible college students, graduate students and teachers using Confluence for classroom or learning activities get 75% off Standard and Premium.
PBworks
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Confluence or PBworks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Confluence is cheaper to start with: $6.70 a month for each person, against $20 a month for each person for PBworks. Confluence starts at $6.70 per user / month, billed monthly (first 100 users), and PBworks starts at $20 per user / month.
Which has a free plan, Confluence or PBworks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Confluence and PBworks have a free plan.
Which platforms do Confluence and PBworks run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Confluence lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.