Introduction
Even though Swimm is a great tool for code documentation, it’s not a fool-proof solution.
First of all, the platform lacks crucial UI elements like a search function.
Secondly, the markdown editor isn’t very user-friendly.
Also, the price point can feel a bit too high for individuals and small dev teams.
In this guide, we’ll discuss where Swimm falls short and the top seven alternatives to consider instead.
The best Swimm alternatives in 2024 are:
What is Swimm? Here’s everything you should know
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Swimm is a code documentation tool designed for developers to store, share, and manage knowledge effortlessly. The tool helps you update your code in real-time and access it anywhere you need in your IDE. You can generate explanations for your code and make all documents easily discoverable.
Many users like the ability to add comments on the code yet keep these comments separate from the actual documentation. This way, your code remains clean at all times.
Its two-way documentation syncing capability lets you link your code to documents in VS code—so snippet documentation responds dynamically to modifications in the main code.
Key features:
Here’s what makes Swimm a top choice for code documentation:
- A playlist feature to dynamically document the code from multiple services and destinations.
- Seamless integration with your existing development flow to avoid switching between tools.
- Automatically block code changes and prevent documentation from becoming obsolete.
- High security measures to maintain your code’s confidentiality; SOC 2 and ISO27001 compliant.
- AI-powered suggestions to generate complete docs using developer inputs instead of starting from a blank screen.
- Navigate your codebase and find relevant code from multiple locations to access the docs you need.
Why you might need a Swimm alternative
Despite all these features, Swimm might not fit the bill for your specific requirements. Our research among Swimm users revealed what and where the tool is lacking. Below are a few reasons why you’ll need to look at Swimm alternatives for your knowledge management needs:
- You don’t have the ability to search for specific documentation using keywords.
- The tool can slow down CI/CD with some bugs and additional tasks in the process.
- The markdown editor isn’t as neat and seamless as you’d expect it to be. Its UI feels clunky.
- The pricing is higher when compared to other documentation tools serving similar use cases.
If these features are a dealbreaker for your dev team, you might have to look for the best Swimm alternatives in the market. Thankfully, we’ve done the legwork to find the seven best options. Let’s take a look!
Top 7 Swimm alternatives to try in 2024
We’ll break down each tool with its key features and user ratings:
1. Scribe
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G2 Rating: 4.8/5 (63 reviews)
Capterra Rating: 4.9/5 (9 reviews)
Scribe is an advanced documentation tool and IT documentation generator designed to turn any workflow into an intuitive step-by-step guide with text, links and annotated screenshots.
Unlike Swimm's clunky markdown editor, Scribe gives you a more seamless and intuitive document to write and edit code.
We believe Scribe can replace Swimm in your tech stack because it's built for cross-functional collaboration. Whether you want to share code or create process documentation, Scribe lets you share information effortlessly.
Instead of making videos or manual documentation, capture your screen to build instant visual guides. Bring everyone up to speed with every update and process. You can also create docs using Pages to store your code, guides, and other details in a single space.
Another big plus is that using Scribe is a walk in the park. It works with a simple browser extension for recording your screen and the tool will automatically turn it into a stepwise guide. Edit these guides with multiple customization options and share them with a single click. You can embed these guides anywhere or share them via links.
Key features:
- Capture processes on desktop apps and browsers with automatic content creation.
- Generate SOPs for any process and document company knowledge using Scribe AI.
- Add custom branding to make all guides truly your own and align them with your brand identity.
2. Coda
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G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (395 reviews)
Capterra Rating: 4.6/5 (89 reviews)
Coda is a documentation tool for teams to capture and share knowledge effectively. It’s purpose-built for eliminating information silos within organizations and collaboratively managing company knowledge.
For developers, Coda offers the primary use case of building a single source of truth. You can start from scratch or choose from over 600 templates to get started with your documentation processes. It also integrates well with several dev tools, like Jira and GitHub.
Key features:
- View a single piece of document in multiple formats and visualize information well.
- Auto-sync updates and modify your code in real-time whenever documentation changes.
- Choose from hundreds of templates to make life easy and hit the ground running quickly.
3. Tettra
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G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (86 reviews)
Capterra Rating: 4.1/5 (9 reviews)
Tettra is an AI-powered knowledge management solution made for teams to record, share and update knowledge in a single place. Its primary use case is building knowledge bases. However, developers can use Tettra to maintain documentation internally and share it with the public.
Since the tool integrates with MS Teams and Slack, you can easily collaborate with team members and customers to share necessary documents.
Key features:
- Answer any question just-in-time by integrating Tettra into your native communication channels.
- Add knowledge experts in your organization for anyone to reach out to with questions.
- Identify knowledge gaps and record these requests to make documentation more airtight.
4. Figstack
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G2 Rating: 4/5 (1 review)
Capterra Rating: NA
Figstack is another code documentation tool designed for developers to store, explain and share documentation quickly. The tool can translate programming languages and explain code to simplify and speed up workflows for your team.
Its built-in AI assistant answers any question/doubt like a programming instructor. You can eliminate delays happening because of a lack of context or support.
Key features:
- DocString Writer capability designed to write detailed descriptions of how your code works.
- Calculate every function’s time complexity in the Big O notation to optimize your program.
- Translate and understand code in any language with its natural language translator.
5. Confluence
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Capterra Rating: 4.5/5 (3062 reviews)
Confluence is a shared workspace platform for tech teams to create documentation with a collaborative approach. Designed specifically for developers, Confluence allows teams to work in a shared environment and capture knowledge in multiple formats—knowledge bases, project documentation, and boards.
You can use Macros to create dynamic content and track history of all documents with the page versioning options.
Key features
- Organize all your knowledge and content in the structure tree format for easy navigation.
- Automate repetitive tasks with no-code custom tools to speed up documentation.
- Get real-time analytics and set content permissions to work with multiple members.
6. GitBook
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Capterra Rating: 4.5/5 (17 reviews)
GitBook is a technical documentation tool for creating public docs—like code guidelines, API references, etc—and storing technical knowledge internally. You can sync the platform with existing branches of code in GitHub or import documentation from other platforms like Notion and Google Docs.
The tool lets dev teams collaborate with non-technical stakeholders without any hassle. You can integrate it into your Slack workspace or invite members as guest contributors.
Key features:
- Exercise version control in your code documentation similar to Git.
- Create branded documents for public access with search indexability and custom colors.
- Set tiered permissions and manage access for all stakeholders with visitor authentication rules.
7. Read the Docs
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G2 Rating: NA
Capterra Rating: NA
Read the Docs is another technical documentation software for creating, storing and version control of your code documents. As an open-source tool, it’s perfect for smaller dev teams operating on a tight budget and can’t afford Swimm’s pricing.
On top of hosting documents on the web, you can also export all the content in multiple formats, like PDF and HTML. With over 100,000 users, this free platform is a popular choice among independent developers and teams at early-stage companies.
Key features:
- Host multiple versions of your docs and categorize each document with relevant tags.
- Keep your documents auto-synced with code hosted on other channels like GitLab or GitHub.
- Search your documents within your account and publish fully indexable pages when you’re ready.
Write, share, and manage code documentation effortlessly!
Swimm is a top-class tool for code documentation and team collaboration.
But it might not make the cut if you need a more versatile tool for documenting technical knowledge and sharing it with multiple stakeholders within your organization. Plus, the price points can be another big hurdle for teams working on a tight budget.
That’s why we created this list of the seven best Swimm alternatives to help you pick a better, more powerful option.
Of all the tools we reviewed in this list, Scribe is perfect for creating process documentation and generating SOPs for internal or external use cases.
