Help Authoring Tools

Best Help Authoring Tools include:

ClickHelp, Adobe Robohelp, ProProfs Knowledge Base, CorelDRAW Technical Suite, PTC Arbortext, Web Manuals, Author-It and Contenta Publishing Suite.

All Products

(1-25 of 30)

1
Atlassian Confluence

Confluence is a collaboration and content sharing platform used primarily by customers who are already using Atlassian's Jira project tracking product. The product appeals particularly to IT users.

2
MindTouch

MindTouch is a customer experience management platform with content management and help authoring capabilities. Formerly known as MediaWiki, it is optimized for building knowledge bases for customer self-service and agent assistance purposes.

3
Whatfix

Whatfix is a SaaS-based platform that enables businesses to create real-time interactive guides on their application. Whatfix can be integrated with ease across all user touch-points inside any platform across the web and desktop. Whatfix helps businesses with:Simplifying User…

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4
Tridion

Tridion (formerly SDL Tridion) aims to connect people, processes, and information through a complete portfolio of collaborative Content Management, Knowledge Management and Headless delivery technologies. Combine with Accelerators for fast time-to-value and RWS Translation Management…

5
MadCap Flare

MadCap Software, headquartered in La Jolla, offers MadCap Flare, a help authoring and technical writing tool featuring onboarding and support from MadCap, and a set of modules for designing advanced guides, aids, and web or application help aids.

6
ClickLearn

ClickLearn automates the process of creating training material and documentation of popular business systems such as Microsoft D365, SAP, and Oracle. With ClickLearn, users click through processes and ClickLearn records actions. When these are recorded, ClickLearn automatically delivers…

7
ProProfs Knowledge Base

ProProfs Knowledge Base is a help authoring tool for creating help documents or web pages, online FAQs, or other knowledge bases.

8
ClickHelp

ClickHelp is an online documentation tool from the company of the same name headquartered in Yerevan, Armenia, used by software companies to create user manuals, knowledge bases, FAQs, tutorials, etc., and publish them instantly in their portal.

9
Scribe

Scribe automatically creates step-by-step guides for any process completed on a computer. It captures mouse clicks and keystrokes and turns them into editable step-by-step instructions and screenshots instantly. Scribes can be shared to anyone via a link or in-app with team members.…

10
Web Manuals

Web Manuals headquartered in Malmo offers their suite of technical documentation authoring tools, specifically to the aviation industry.

11
Archbee
0 reviews

Archbee combines advanced documentation features and a company-wide collaborative workspace to manage product knowledge in a streamlined platform. Archbee enables teams to build product docs, dev guides and API references.

12
Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox

The Maintenance Performance Toolbox, from The Boeing Company, provides access to maintenance documentation at the airplane, in the hangar, in the MRO facility, or in the office using a modern interface that operates with or without a WiFi connection. With modular options, teams can…

13
HelpNDoc
0 reviews

HelpNDoc is a single-source multi-channel help authoring tool which can generate multiple documentation formats including fully responsive HTML web-sites, Word and PDF documents, CHM and Qt help files, ePub and Kindle eBooks as well as Markdown documents. The vendor presents it as…

14
ONePUBS
0 reviews

ONePUBS is a technical document generation and help authoring tool (HAT) from O'Neil & Associates (ONEIL) headquartered in Ohio.

15
WebWorks ePublisher

WebWorks ePublisher is a publishing and help authoring tool from WebWorks, a Quadralay company, headquartered in Austin.

16
Anark Core
0 reviews

Anark, headquartered in Boulder, helps firms in industries such as manufacturing, aviation, and DoD, transform, publish, and manage critical engineering, manufacturing and operational data as role-specific technical data packages (TDPs) and connected digital workflows that can be…

17
Vasont CCMS
0 reviews

The Vasont Inspire Component Content Management System (CCMS) is used to advance the content development and publishing cycles for content contributors that are not familiar with the dynamics of XML. Vasont’s DITA content management capabilities allow users to search for content…

18
Contenta Publishing Suite

The Contenta Publishing Suite from RWS (formerly from SDL, which was acquired by RWS in late 2020) is designed to help users deliver accurate and up-to-date technical content; it is a publishing suite for S1000D technical content, with functionality optimized for each step of the…

19
CorelDRAW Technical Suite

Corel Corporation headquartered in Ottawa offers the CorelDRAW Technical Suite, supplying applications for 2D and 3D visual design and technical documentation.

20
Author-It
0 reviews

Author-it offers a series of component authoring solutions, described by the vendor as a suite of integrated solutions that give businesses of all sizes the power to create, maintain, review, reuse and localize content, and publish into a full spectrum of outputs.

21
RSuite CCMS
0 reviews

RSuite is a CCMS software used to automate, manage, and publish digital content, from Orbis Technologies headquartered in Annapolis. The solution boasts its semantic search capabilities, dynamic reflowable outputs, and security. An open source and free edition is available, and the…

22
Infor User Adoption Platform (UAP)
0 reviews

Infor User Adoption Platform (UAP) facilitates user adoption by providing “moments of understanding” throughout the software lifecycle. During the implementation phase, Infor UAP provides content authoring and management functionality, allowing authors to create custom learning content…

23
Docuvera
0 reviews

Docuvera is a structured component authoring designed specifically for Life Sciences, designed to improve the efficiency of document creation, review and revisions, while reducing the time spent on every project. It is presented as a platform to author, review, approve, translate,…

24
Cortona3D RapidAuthor

Cortona3D, a company of Parallel Graphics headquartered in Ireland, offers the RapidAuthor technical documentation drafting and publishing suite.

25
Heretto
0 reviews

Heretto (formerly Jorsek), headquartered in Rochester, offers their eponymous saas formerly known as easyDITA, a CCMS and technical document authoring and publishing tool.

Learn More About Help Authoring Tools

What are Help Authoring Tools (HATs)

Help Authoring Tools (HAT) provide a means to edit and create help documents. These tools may be used to generate manuals for software, online help, or other technical documents and guides. Also known as Technical Documentation Tools, Help Authoring Tools will share some features with word processors and document editors, and general publishing tools.


Another approach to help content authoring is found in Component Content Management Systems (CCMS). Rather than organize content on the document level, CCMS maintain a content model that is granular and topic-based, and preserves relationships of topics across documents and versions. Whether described as a CCMS or a HAT, technical documentation generation tools must support topic-based authoring to provide a useful guide to end-users.

Features of Help Authoring Tools (HATs)

Help authoring tools generally provide the following capabilities:

  • Import HTML, Word docs, HHP, and other formats

  • Can publish multi-format output, i.e. HTML (or any web help site), Word documents, PDF, eBook, or printed manuals

  • Can integrate into web applications to create in-app help system, guides

  • Automated help pop up for apps, guide workflow

  • Screenshot tool, screenshot hotspots

  • In-built word processor comparable to popular word processors

  • Support for multiple views & preview output

  • Image library and image management, vector graphics

  • Customizable content library, reuse content across documents

  • Collaboration tools and multi-user editing, project management (via integration)

  • Topic template library, layouts & themes to suit variety of needs

  • Drag-and-drop, XML, or WYSIWYG editor, suite of editing tools

  • Content or topic search engine or search tool with customizable filter, autocorrect content or topic tagging, search relevance ranking

  • Mobile display aids (e.g. rollup, thumbnail, etc)

  • Version control, remote or offline editing

  • Translation tools and support

Pricing Information

Some Help Authoring Tools or Technical Document tools are available at low cost for a one time cost on a perpetual license. Free versions are available with relatively limited feature sets, or for one user. Licensing may cover a named user, or be issued as a floating license (i.e. one seat, tied to device rather than a person). Higher priced plans may include sophisticated tools for building help systems into apps, or for reusing content from a library. Some vendor offer cloud-based HATs via subscription service. These may also include dedicated support from the vendor.


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