Authoring tools
- Dave Dee
Many organizations choose a technical authoring tool that’s familiar and easy to use. Typically, the tool is already licensed and satisfies a few basic ad-hoc requirements such as the ability to share documents and provide feedback. Popular choices include Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
If requirements are extended to include content reuse, conditional text, and generating a customer-facing online help system, a more advanced purpose-built tool might be necessary. To determine the best tool consult with key stakeholders, capture the core requirements, and evaluate the top candidates with a realistic project.
The table below compares authoring tools across a broad range of features and capabilities. Equivalent plans and default functionality are compared to the extent possible. Additional tools will be added to this list over time.
Topic | Confluence | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
Summary | Confluence is a collaboration and content sharing platform used primarily by customers who are already using Jira project tracking product. The product appeals particularly to engineers and IT users. | Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a cloud file storage, synchronization, and collaboration platform and service, that features Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for document editing and presentation. |
Pricing (user/mo) |
|
|
Users | 50,000 | 300 |
User permissions | 250 GB | 2 TB |
Page formatting | Basic wiki-like formatting. | Advanced application-specific formatting similar to MS Office apps. |
Page templates | Extensive, customizable template library. | Extensive number of templates in a public gallery. Users can also save templates to the domain's private gallery. |
Add-ons |
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