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Every Entrepreneur Regrets Not Using Free Knowledge Base Software

written by

Emily Randolph

last updated

February 26, 2021

You want free, but you also want the best. Your customers want speed, and they want to get answers as fast as possible with as minimal conversation as possible.

In other words, you both want the best support possible with the easiest interface possible. 

With free knowledge base software, all customer interactions stay in one place, allowing customers to get that quick and easy support. It’s free, but it’s not less than. 

Benefits you need to know in 2021:

• Free Forever – New knowledge base companies are starting every month, it’s easier to get strong business features without paying anything for it.
• Data-Driven Content – All modern knowledge bases enable you to easily analyze and improve the effectiveness of your support content
• Support Composability – No company should be vendor-locking your data. Free also means you can easily import and export your data either by request, by self-service, or with an API.

Free knowledge base software is worth taking a chance on, but how do you meet your customers’ expectations, and which software is best for you?

Why use free knowledge base software? Well, it’s free.

Not having to pay for it not only makes it convenient for you but also allows you to test the waters. If you’re not ready to commit, you can try out the software to see how it works for you.

Because it’s free, no harm no foul. The convenience of free software outweighs any lack of features. This will help your business stay on track with customer service.

The goal of a knowledge base is to meet your customers’ expectations. You want to meet them where they are and help them quickly and according to their needs.

Convenience is important. The customer’s primary concern is whether they can get the answers they need in a timely manner. 

Many companies are not willing to spend the money or don’t have enough. But with free software, there’s nothing holding you back.

Free solutions can make a big difference for start-up companies that are looking to test out the software. Before committing to something, any company can dip their toes in.

The software below has the necessary features and capabilities. There are also many options for upgrades to grow alongside your company.

1. ChipBot
2. Document360
3. Freshdesk
4. Bitrix24

is a knowledge base software in the form of a help bot. The bot operates on every page of your website for maximum support. It collects questions, reuses your past answers, and provides an array of extra self-service help features. 

The bot—as its own knowledge base—is completely interactive and self-service for users. It is automatic, so it is ready to go at all times and contains all the support your customers need.

If you upgrade to the paid plan, ChipBot even has actionable data. It can improve itself as it interacts with your customers.

The best parts:

• ChipBot integrates with any webpage and appears on every page of your website.
• Advanced search functionality allows you to search over multiple types of content.
• ChipBot uses intuitive interfaces and data automation to help answer questions and give visual guidance.
• Users can book meetings, get directions, and give feedback.

Installing ChipBot is a breeze. If you need it, they will help you over online screen share or in-person, for free. When you’re ready to upgrade, the paid plan is only $10 per month. 

is a SaaS knowledge base creation portal. It lets you create a self-service portal for both internal users and customers.

The software integrates with chat apps and allows users to leave feedback on articles. That way, you know whether your articles are helping or not.

The best parts:

• The user interface is simple and easy to use so that customers can find what they need quickly. 
• The search function is advanced and even supports autosuggestions.
• You can create both private and public knowledge bases. It works for both employees and customers.

The problem with this free option is that it only comes in the form of a 14-day free trial. If you want to upgrade, they then have a very wide range of prices.

Plans start at $49 per month for a 2-team account with 5GB of storage. The top tier gives you a 30-team account with 300GB storage for $499 per month.

is a help desk software with self-service abilities. This customer support solution comes with ticketing management, collaboration, agent productivity tools, and other automation.

Freshdesk tracks article feedback, views, likes, and dislikes. You can measure and improve your customer self-service knowledge base.

There are many options to help guide customers to find help faster. One example could be showing solution articles on your website.

With Freshdesk, you can streamline all your customer conversations in one place. You can then automate repetitive tasks to save time.

The best parts:

• You can monitor your teams and make data-driven decisions.
• You can bring all your support requests to Freshdesk from anywhere. You can then prioritize, categorize, and assign tickets automatically.
• Collaborate with other teams to resolve issues faster.

Unlimited users are allowed on the free plan and there is no limit to the number or type of knowledge bases.

To upgrade, cost depends on additional features. Upgrades range from $19 to $125 per month, or $15 to $109 if billed annually. 

You can have up to 12 users and 5GB of data on the free plan, making it one of the least restrictive plans. If you want to upgrade, however, pricing starts at $69 per month. 

Most free knowledge bases have at least some helpful features. But you want to look for these specific features that will support your customers.

Because you are choosing a free option, you may not get as many features. Make sure that the free option at least has these 3 features:

A knowledge base is meant to give support to your customers so you don’t have to. Adding tutorials, FAQs, videos, and other assets in one central location is key. 

You should be able to easily integrate your knowledge base with your website. That way your customers can find all the help they need in one location. Organization is an important part of any plugin.

Keeping your customers in one place will make it easier for them to find answers. It will also help you have a well-designed site.

You want to make sure you have enough space in a free option. It does not help when you are limited to how much content you can share with your customers.

Sometimes even free options come at a cost. Most of the time, this cost is limited functionality. Customer service usually comes at a big cost to the company. Using free software, however, can help build your customer base without overspending. 

Another way to utilize the free software is to get user feedback. Don’t guess what your users want, get feedback from them to solidify your choices.