Docsie vs MadCap Flare (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Docsie grades higher than MadCap Flare: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Docsie grades higher on value for money and platforms. MadCap Flare grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Docsie
Turns training videos into documentation and knowledge bases
MadCap Flare
Topic-based authoring and publishing for technical documentation
Which one is for you
Pick Docsie if
- Fits if you have training videos and want text guides out of them
- Works for a small team that wants a knowledge base on its own domain
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, since 12,500 credits arrive once and a 30-minute video uses about 15,000
- Pricey if you add people, as Premium extra seats are $10 each and 5 seats cost $83 on Starter
- Watch out: Confluence, GitHub and GitLab connectors and Slack and Jira integrations start at Business, $249 a month
- Watch out: Enterprise is custom priced, and credit packs start at $0.70 per 1,000
Pick MadCap Flare if
- Fits if you write large product manuals on Windows and publish to several formats
- Works for teams that import older help projects from RoboHelp or FrameMaker
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are a solo writer, as $3,150 per author per year is the entry price
- Watch out: Flare Online is licensed per user with a 12-month commitment, and its prices are not published
- Watch out: refunds are not given for cancellations or downgrades during a subscription term
- Skip it if you use a Mac, since the pages read mention only Windows
How we grade them
| 2.2GPADocsieFair | 2.0GPAMadCap FlareFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CHobby is $25 a month billed annually ($29 monthly) for 1 seat, above the category's middle at $18 but well under its dearer quarter at $82.50. Starter is $83 for 5 seats. | D$3,150 per author a year is about $262 a month, above the category's dearest tenth at $249 and many times its $18 middle. Flare Online costs are not published. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan has 12,500 AI credits once, 5 video uploads, 1 seat and 3 GB, with no card. A single half-hour video uses more than the credits you get, so you will hit the cap. | CFree trials of Flare and Flare Online, with a 30-day trial mentioned on the product page. Whether a card is needed is not stated, and there is no free plan. |
| Features | CVideo to documentation, knowledge bases and portals, document and website import, AI chat and translation, and a self-hosted edition. Work is metered in credits, which is the gap. | BTopic-based single sourcing, import from other tools, multi-channel publishing, browser review, a translation workflow and analytics. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You upload, review and edit the generated pages, and set up the portal and domain. | CNo store rating on record. Training is free for the Starter plan, but single sourcing is a method you have to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with a self-hosted edition and connectors: Confluence, GitHub and GitLab on Business, and Slack, Jira, HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk. | CWindows desktop authoring plus browser review; the pages read do not mention a Mac version, and there are no phone apps. |
| Best for | turning training videos into a help centre | Windows technical writers who publish to many formats |
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: Docsie and MadCap Flare. How we grade
Price against what you get
Docsie starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MadCap Flare starts at $262.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Docsie starts $237.50 a month lower. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 22 score higher than Docsie for less, and 33 score higher than MadCap Flare 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
- Docsie is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Docsie also covers chatbots.
- MadCap Flare also covers reports.
At a glance
| Docsie | MadCap Flare | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per month for 1 seat, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $3,150 per author / year |
| Free plan | 12,500 AI credits once at signup, 5 free video uploads, a knowledge base on your own domain, 1 seat and 3 GB of storage. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trials of Flare and Flare Online; the product page mentions a 30-day trial |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Docsie | MadCap Software, Inc. |
| Price read from | docsie.io | madcapsoftware.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Docsie
- Extra seats on Premium cost $10 per seat per month.
- Credits you buy never expire; one-off packs start at $0.70 per 1,000 credits and a 500K pack is $263.
- A 30-minute video at Standard quality uses about 15,000 credits.
- Enterprise is custom priced and the Free plan's 12,500 credits are given once, not monthly.
MadCap Flare
- Flare Online is licensed per user, billed annually with a 12-month commitment, and its prices are not published.
- Refunds are not given for cancellations or downgrades during a subscription term.
- Extra Flare Online storage is sold in 10 GB increments.
- The Windows listing comes from the product page's structured data; the pages read do not mention a Mac version.
Key features
Docsie
- Video to documentation
- Uploads a recording and writes a guide from it. Conversion costs 250 to 2,000 credits per minute depending on the quality level.
- Knowledge base and portals
- Publishes documentation to a knowledge base on your own domain, with version control and 100+ languages.
- Document and website import
- PDF, Word and PowerPoint files are imported at 200 credits per page, and existing websites at 30 credits per page.
- AI chat and search
- A chatbot answers from your documentation; a search query costs 5 credits.
- Translation
- Translates documentation into 100+ languages at 60 credits per 1,000 characters.
- Self-hosted edition
- Helm charts and Docker images are offered; the vendor says it is free for personal use.
MadCap Flare
- Topic-based single sourcing
- Content is written as reusable topics, with variables and snippets, and reused across guides, help sites and training.
- Import from other tools
- Import wizards bring in Word, Excel, Confluence, FrameMaker, RoboHelp and DITA content.
- Multi-channel publishing
- Outputs include HTML5, PDF, Word, PowerPoint and SCORM, with direct publishing to Salesforce, Zendesk and ServiceNow.
- Browser review
- With Flare Online, subject matter experts can edit and review content in a browser without installing software.
- Translation workflow
- Several languages can be published in one output, including right-to-left languages such as Hebrew and Arabic.
- Analytics
- Flare Online reports topic views and searches with no results; the desktop tool reports broken links and unused content.
Plans
Docsie
Free$0
12,500 AI credits at signup, 5 video uploads, 1 seat and 3 GB of storage.
Hobby$25
per month for 1 seat, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
60K AI credits a month (about 2 hours of video), 10 GB of storage.
Starter$83
per month for 5 seats, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
150K AI credits a month (about 5 hours of video) and 20 GB of storage.
Premium$170
per month for up to 15 seats, billed annually ($250 billed monthly)
500K AI credits a month, unlimited workspaces, portals and AI chatbots, custom branding and 50 GB of storage.
Business$249
per month for 40 seats, billed annually ($449 billed monthly)
1.2M AI credits a month, Confluence, GitHub and GitLab connectors, Slack, Jira, HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk integrations, 100 GB of storage.
Organization$699
per month for 90 seats, billed annually ($900 billed monthly)
2.5M AI credits a month, granular roles and permissions, videos up to 180 minutes and 1 TB of storage.
MadCap Flare
Starter (Flare Desktop only)$3,150
per author / year
On-premises topic-based authoring and publishing, with free introductory training and unlimited tech support.
Flare Online - IndividualCustom
For 1-2 authors. Includes Flare Desktop for each author, 20 GB of cloud storage and 1 reviewer seat per author. Price not published.
Flare Online - TeamCustom
For 3-5 authors. Adds 2 reviewer seats per author and 250 GB of storage. Price not published.
Flare Online - BusinessCustom
For 6 or more authors. 5 reviewer seats per author and 500 GB of storage; onboarding costs extra. Price not published.
Ways to pay less
Docsie
- Annual discount
Save up to 45% on yearly billing
Paying yearly instead of monthly lowers each plan's monthly rate; the pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 45%.
MadCap Flare
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Docsie or MadCap Flare?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Docsie is cheaper to start with: $25 a month, against $262.50 a month when paid by the year for MadCap Flare. Docsie starts at $25 per month for 1 seat, billed annually ($29 billed monthly), and MadCap Flare starts at $3,150 per author / year.
Which has a free plan, Docsie or MadCap Flare?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Docsie has a free plan. MadCap Flare does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Docsie and MadCap Flare run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MadCap Flare lists a Windows app. 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.