Confluence alternatives: Confluence vs. Notion vs. SharePoint

Digital collaboration tools are essential for networking teams, organizing projects and sharing knowledge. They are the backbone of modern business teams. Confluence, Notion and SharePoint are among the best-known solutions in this area. But which solution is best suited to which requirements and for whom is which tool suitable? In this article, we compare all Confluence alternatives: Confluence vs Notion vs SharePoint.

Confluence

What is Confluence?

Confluence is a collaboration tool from Atlassian that is designed to support teams with documentation, knowledge management and collaboration. It is often used in combination with other Atlassian products such as Jira or Jira Service Management used.

Advantages

• Seamless integration with Atlassian productsConfluence integrates perfectly with Jira, Trello and other Atlassian tools and can therefore be linked directly to project management and ticket systems.
• Integration with other tools & API: Confluence (and other Atlassian products) can be linked to a variety of apps thanks to plugins and the open API interface.
• Versatile templatesA large number of templates make it easier to create documentation, reports and other content.
• Powerful search function: With the powerful AI-supported search function (Atlassian Intelligence), users can quickly find the information they need.
• Flexibility and adaptabilityConfluence enables a high degree of customizability through plugins and add-ons. With the right plugins and add-ons, Confluence can be used as a Intranet/Digital Workplacecustomer help center or as an extranet.
• CollaborationReal-time collaboration and social features such as a comment function, like, tag and share.

Disadvantages

• ComplexityFor new users, familiarization with Confluence can take some time. However, thanks to its customizability, it is suitable for almost any use case. As a rule, however, developer knowledge is rarely required to customize functions.
• CostsConfluence can become expensive with large teams and many add-ons, as each add-on/plugin must be subscribed to based on the users of the instance. However, there are also countless plug-ins that are provided free of charge (including plug-ins for integrating Slack, Teams, GoogleDrive, etc.).

Pricing

Confluence (Cloud) offers several product levels:

• Free of chargeUp to 10 users, limited range of functions.
• Standard$5 per user/month.
• Premium$10 per user/month (and full functionality)
• EnterprisePrice on request. (Particularly suitable for corporates with 10,000+ users and special security requirements)

Further interesting information

You can also use Confluence directly in the Atlassian Cloud or install it on your own data center (e.g. on AWS or Azure) and thus know exactly where you store your data.

When is Confluence the best choice?

Confluence is ideal for teams that already use Atlassian products and are looking for a powerful, customizable platform for documentation and knowledge management or want to collaborate with each other. Confluence is highly customizable, is suitable for almost any use case and grows with your company.

Who is Confluence suitable for?

Confluence is suitable for medium-sized to large companies in which teams work together a lot and want to store and share knowledge. Confluence is particularly suitable for teams that need to manage complex projects and extensive documentation, as it can be seamlessly integrated with Jira as a project management tool and also offers important integrations to essential tools in software development.

Furthermore, Confluence is not just limited to software development teams. It is basically suitable for any team that wants to collaborate, store and use knowledge effectively. Whether marketing, support, HR or research - Confluence offers a flexible and customizable platform that meets the needs of a wide range of departments.

Functions

• Wikis and documentationCreate structured knowledge databases.
• Project management: Plan and monitor tasks and projects together with Jira.
• Real-time collaborationJoint editing of documents.
• Version controlTracking of changes and versions.
• Integrations: Integrations for a wide range of applications.
• Templates: Versatile templates for the quick creation of content.
• Community: The Atlassian Community

Integrations and Marketplace

Confluence offers numerous integrations and a comprehensive Marketplace for add-ons and plugins, including Jira, Trello, Slack and many more.

Artificial intelligence: Atlassian Intelligence

Atlassian Intelligence is the artificial intelligence that is integrated into the entire Atlassian product range, including Confluence. Atlassian Intelligence helps users work more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks and providing intelligent suggestions for content and projects.

Features include automatic content suggestion generation, intelligent search that highlights relevant information based on user queries, and analysis of user activity to identify trends and key insights. These AI-powered features help to improve productivity and collaboration within teams.

Another Confluence alternative is Notion.

Notion

What is Notion?

Notion is a versatile productivity and collaboration platform that combines note-taking, documentation, project management, database and teamwork features in a single application. It enables users to organize information, manage tasks, plan projects and collaborate in real time.

With customizable templates, flexible layouts and the ability to integrate other tools, Notion provides a highly customizable environment for personal productivity and business organization.

The platform is available on various devices (mobile, tablet, desktop) and is suitable for both individuals and teams who want to optimize their workflows and manage their information effectively.

Advantages

• User-friendlinessNotion is characterized by an intuitive user interface.
• Flexibility: Users can design pages according to their own needs.
• Integration of functionsNotion combines various functions such as notes, to-do lists and databases in one platform.
• CollaborationReal-time collaboration and commenting functions.
• Integrations: Various integrations with other important apps such as Google, Microsoft, Slack etc.
• Templates: Integrated templates and a marketplace for templates of all kinds that make life and work easier for users.
• Community: Notion has a large community that supports each other and constantly publishes new templates in the Marketplace.

Disadvantages

• Performance problems with large amounts of data: Performance problems can occur with very large pages or databases.
• Limited integrationsCompared to Confluence or SharePoint, the integration options are (still) somewhat limited.
• Steep learning curve: Due to the wide range of applications and functions, it can be overwhelming to learn Notion.

Pricing

Notion offers various price plans:

• Free of chargeFor single users with basic functions.
• Personal Pro$5 per month.
• Team$10 per user/month.
• EnterprisePrice on request.

When is Notion the best choice?

Notion is ideal for small teams, startups, scaleups or individuals who are looking for a flexible and user-friendly platform for their daily tasks and projects.

Who is Notion suitable for?

Notion is suitable for freelancers, small businesses and creative teams who are looking for a versatile solution for note-taking, project management and knowledge bases and don't want to use multiple apps.

Functions

• Notes and documents: Create structured notes and documents.
• DatabasesCustomizable databases for different purposes.
• Task managementTo-do lists and task tracking.
• CalendarIntegration of calendar functions for scheduling.

Integrations and Marketplace

Notion offers integrations with tools such as Slack, Google Drive and Zapier, but not as extensive as Confluence.

Artificial intelligence: Notion AI

Notion AI is an integral part of Notion and helps users create and manage content faster. With AI, users can automate tasks such as creating to-do lists, generating texts based on short instructions and organizing content. Notion AI also helps to improve the search function by prioritizing relevant results and making contextual suggestions.

Further interesting information

Notion offers a Web clipper extensionwhich allows users to save content from the web directly in Notion.

SharePoint

What is SharePoint?

Another Confluence alternative is SharePoint. SharePoint is a document management, intranet and collaboration platform developed by Microsoft (only with Office365).

Advantages

• Integration with Microsoft and Microsoft OfficeSeamless integration with Office 365 and other Microsoft tools.
• Extensive functionsPowerful document management and collaboration function in conjunction with Office365.
• CustomizabilityHigh customizability and expandability.
• Security functionsRobust security and compliance features.

Disadvantages

• ComplexitySharePoint can be complex and difficult to manage.
• CostsLicense costs can be high, especially for larger companies.
• Very old: SharePoint is a dinosaur among collaboration tools and can only partially keep up with state-of-the-art apps such as Confluence or Notion.

Pricing

SharePoint offers various license models:

• SharePoint Online (Plan 1)$5 per user/month.
• SharePoint Online (Plan 2)$10 per user/month.
• Office 365 E3$20 per user/month (including SharePoint and other Office 365 services).

When is SharePoint the best choice?

SharePoint is ideal for large companies looking for a powerful and integrated Microsoft platform for document management and intranets.

Who is SharePoint suitable for?

SharePoint is suitable for large companies and organizations that require comprehensive document management and collaboration solutions.

Functions

• Document managementCentral storage and management of documents.
• Intranets and portalsCreation of corporate portals and intranets.
• WorkflowsAutomation of business processes.
• CooperationJoint processing of documents and projects.

Integrations and Marketplace

SharePoint offers extensive integrations with Microsoft tools and other applications as well as a marketplace for add-ons and extensions.

Artificial intelligence: Microsoft AI

Microsoft AI is integrated into the SharePoint platform and offers numerous AI-supported functions to improve collaboration and document management. Features include automatic classification and tagging of documents, intelligent search functions that highlight relevant content based on user behavior and preferences, and the use of machine learning to analyze and predict trends and patterns in company data.

Further interesting information

SharePoint supports both on-premise and cloud deployments, giving companies flexible deployment options.

Confluence alternative: direct comparison

Criterion	Confluence	Notion	SharePoint
User-friendliness	Medium	High	Medium
Flexibility	High	High	High
Integrations	Extensive (Jira, Trello, etc.)→ Atlassian Marketplace	Limited (Slack, Google Drive)	Extensive (Office 365, etc.)
Pricing	Free up to 10 users (standard version)from €5/user/monthLower price for large teams/users	Free for 1 user + 10 guests from €9.50/user/month	from €4.70/user/month
Document management	Very good	Very good	Very good
Real-time collaboration	Very good	Very good	Good (only in combination with Office365)
Customizability	High (many add-ons)	High (customizable pages)	Very high (extensive customization; some developer knowledge required)
Security functions	Good (depending on product level → Enterprise has the highest security and data protection precautions)	Good (no possibility to choose where data is stored)	Very good (comprehensive compliance)
Target group	Medium to large teams	Small teams/individuals	Large teams
Artificial intelligence	Atlassian Intelligence (intelligent search, content creation, summaries)→ More information about Atlassian Intelligence	Notion AI (text generation, content organization)	Microsoft AI (document classification, intelligent search)

Conclusion

Confluence, Notion and SharePoint each offer unique benefits and features. While Notion is ideal for smaller teams and individuals combining multiple tools (e.g. project management & databases) looking for a flexible and user-friendly platform, SharePoint is great for large organizations that need comprehensive document management and collaboration solutions. Confluence, on the other hand, proves to be the best solution for business teams that collaborate on a daily basis and need seamless integration with other tools such as Jira, Slack, Teams. Thanks to its flexibility, extensive features and strong integration capabilities, Confluence remains the preferred choice for many organizations.