Introduction
Creating technical documentation is a complicated process. (To say the least.)
You have to explain complex information in a way that is easy to understand, even to those without deep technical knowledge.
To do this, technical writers often have to dig deep. They’ll collaborate with subject matter experts and include visuals like drawings, screen captures and even videos or GIFs in the docs they create.
And for most technical writers, basic documentation software just doesn’t cut it. Managing versions (the dreaded v1, 2, 3 and 3.3) is messy and collaboration gets complicated, not to mention the formatting issues that appear when adding visuals.
Special technical writing software can help make the documentation process more efficient so that you can deliver better content to your team faster.
Top Technical Writing Software of 2023
- Scribe
- Notion
- Confluence
- Document360
- Whatfix
- Snagit
- Google Docs
What is technical writing software?
Technical writing software empowers writers, engineers and subject matter experts to create the best technical documentation possible. It streamlines complicated processes, including collaboration, formatting, publishing and sharing.
Why you need technical writing software
Technical writing software makes it easier to convey complex information so you can deliver guides, manuals and instructions faster and more accurately.
It also makes it easier to edit and update your technical documentation, so your team and users can access the right information at all times.
Features of technical writing software
Technical writing encompasses many different types of documentation, so the tool you select should align with your team’s end goals.
However, there are common features of technical writing software that you should be aware of, including:
- Collaboration. Technical writing often involves input from many different team members. Select technical writing software that makes collaboration and collecting input from invested team members easy.
- Version control. As your technology changes and goes through updates, so should your documentation. Choose a technical writing tool that manages document versions for you, so it’s one less task for your team.
- Publishing and sharing. Built-in publishing and sharing tools turn your documentation software into a centralized knowledge base with all the information your team or customers need.
- Multi-media compatibility. Technical guides often require visuals to help get the point across correctly. Make sure the tool you use has embedding and editing tools that make it as easy as possible to add images, videos, screen grabs and more to your documents.
Top Technical Writing Software of 2023
1. Scribe
G2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Scribe Pricing:
- Basic: Free
- Pro: $29/user/month
- Enterprise: Custom
Scribe Features:
Scribe automatically turns processes into step-by-step guides by turning screenshots into visual instructions. All you need to do is turn on the extension, follow your process as usual and hit done — Scribe creates a guide in seconds.
Next, you can edit steps, add context, or include notes to provide further instruction.
As a technical writing tool, Scribe makes it easy to get input from subject matter experts without requiring a heavy time investment on their end. They can capture the tasks they complete every day as they naturally do them, reducing the amount of time spent creating documentation without cutting corners. Scribe also makes it easy to quickly create new process documentation to keep team members or users in the loop.
Other notable features include:
- Sharing and embedding to get your Scribes to the right audience as quickly and efficiently as possible.
- Combining Scribes with video, images and more with Scribe Pages.
- Add links, GIFs, headers, tips and more to provide context to your instructions
- Edit or annotate screenshots right from the Scribe platform (Pro)
- Automatically redact or restrict sensitive information (Pro).
2. Notion
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Notion Pricing:
- Personal: Free
- Personal Pro: $4/user/month
- Team: $8/user/month
- Enterprise: Custom
Notion Features:
Notion is a centralized workspace that can be customized to meet all your team’s needs, including everything from docs to databases. It’s a go-to tool for creating knowledge bases, keeping track of project statuses and sharing meeting notes. If your team is already using Notion for your other documentation and project needs, it works perfectly as a technical writing tool as well.
Notion makes collaboration simple, allowing you to quickly and easily share pages and get input from subject matter experts. Your technical team can comment or add notes for your writers to incorporate later. And because Notion is such a versatile tool, you can reference or link technical documentation in tasks, project overviews, notes and more within the same platform.
Other notable features include:
- Drag and drop blocks to fully customize pages to meet your team’s needs without complex coding.
- Access to community-made templates and integrations to build stronger documents.
- Integrate with tools like Jira, Slack, GitHub and Asana to stay connected.
3. Confluence
G2 Rating: 4.1 out 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out 5 stars
Confluence Pricing:
- Free up to 10 users
- Standard: $55/month
- Premium: $$105/month
- Enterprise: Custom
Confluence Features:
Confluence lets you build, organize and collaborate with teams in one central place. It can be used for knowledge management, project collaboration, or to create a social intranet that facilitates conversation and communication for remote teams. And because Confluence is brought to you by Atlassian, the team behind Jira and Trello, it integrates easily with platforms your technical team is already using.
With Confluence, keep track of page updates and manage document collaboration to ensure everything your technical writing team is creating is accurate and up to date. View page history to see who has made edits and get a quick look at what contributors have participated in creating a page. Make your technical documents stronger by integrating other tools and apps to include diagrams, wireframes, charts, and more.
Other notable features include:
- Advanced search and page tree to set structure and hierarchy to content.
- Best practices templates to get started creating documentation as quickly as possible.
- Real-time editing, commenting, and notifications to keep your entire team in the loop.
- Custom permissions to ensure only the appropriate people are accessing your content.
4. Document360
G2 Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Document360 Pricing:
- Free up to 50 articles
- Startup: $99/project/month
- Business: $249/project/month
- Enterprise: $499/project/month
Document360 Features:
Document360 creates a self-service knowledge base for customers and employees. On the backend, the Document360 knowledge base portal has a state of the art editor, category manager and analytics to easily create dynamic pages. The site is automatically optimized for any device and easily searchable for customers and employees.
Use integrations and extensions to really bring your Document360 pages to life. Add chat support, commenting and analytics to your content to ensure your technical documents are comprehensive enough to deliver the information your audience needs. Gain deep insights and understanding into what types of content your audience is looking for and where you might have gaps so you can better meet their needs.
Other notable features include:
- Embed a Document360 widget to your product or website for quick access to content.
- Add links, images, videos, code blocks, and callouts to your documents.
- Use in-depth analytics to see what your visitors are looking for and how they’re connecting with your content.
5. Whatfix
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Whatfix Pricing:
- Custom pricing
Whatfix Features:
Whatfix is a digital adoption platform that provides step-by-step guidance right within a tool or application. It breaks down technical documentation steps into actionable guidance that helps users follow processes or solve problems as they’re working.
As a technical writing tool, Whatfix makes it as easy as possible for end users to grasp and retain important information. The no-code platform is accessible for teams of any experience level and because content is delivered directly in the app, users can get simple instructions or context right when they need it.
Other notable features include:
- Share content in formats that work best for your audience, including slideshows, PDFs, and videos.
- Improve engagement and retention with interactive technical workflows.
- Accessible across PCs, tablets, mobile devices and more.
6. Snagit
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Snagit Pricing:
- Individual: $62.99/user
- Unique plans for students, governments, and nonprofit organizations
Snagit Features:
Snagit is screen capture and recording software that allows you to capture images, annotate to add context and share as images, GIFs, or video. You can also simultaneously record your screen and your camera to add a personalized touch to your process documentation. Snagit even allows you to record pages as you scroll, so you can take a full-page screenshot without having to clip together multiple images.
Snagit is a great technical writing tool for teams that need a visual medium to get their point across. It’s easy for team members of all experience levels to use, helping to bring engineers and subject matter experts into the technical documentation process.
Other notable features include:
- Integrations with top applications, including Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, Google Drive, and more.
- Ability to record audio to add voiceover to images, screenshots, and video.
- Robust video editor to clip what you need and remove what you don’t.
7. Google Docs
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Google Docs Pricing:
- Personal: Free
- Business Standard: $12/user/month
- Business Plus: $18/user/month
- Enterprise: Custom
Google Docs Features:
For when you just need a basic document creation tool, Google Docs is a go-to. It’s easy to use, intuitive, and capable of producing text-heavy documents and instructions. Google Docs prioritizes collaboration, allowing multiple people to edit and add to documents in real time. Share documents, add comments, or tag action items to keep everything moving along.
If your team already uses the suite of Google tools, Google Docs is a no-brainer for creating documents. It seamlessly integrates with other Google apps, so you can easily add charts from Google Sheets, pull images from Google Drive, or jump on a Google Meet call to work through complicated details or get important questions answered.
Other notable features include:
- Offline creation and editing capabilities
- Third-party app integrations to add customized features and capabilities
- Part of the Google Workspace suite of tools
Choosing your technical writing software
Any of the tools on this list can help you create high-quality technical documents that align with your brand and help educate end users.
But the tool you ultimately choose should fit your team’s unique needs and project requirements.
When choosing your technical writing tool, think about:
- Who will be creating your technical documents? What team members will be involved in your technical writing process? How do they like to work? Choose a tool that makes it as easy as possible for all appropriate team members to collaborate.
- How will you share finished documents? Will you need to publish your technical guides and content for external users to access, or are you keeping all your documents internal? The tool you select should align with your publishing and sharing needs.
- What content medium is best for your technical information? Do you need to create text-heavy guides or do you need a tool that creates more visual content? Choose software that prioritizes the main form of content you need.
Take advantage of free trials. Play around with tools that fit your needs and see what is the most intuitive for your team and what aligns with your budget.
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