Adobe RoboHelp vs MadCap Flare
Adobe RoboHelp
adobe.com
MadCap Flare
madcapsoftware.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe RoboHelp | MadCap Flare |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $262.50/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 8 |
| Spec score · Technical Documentation Software | 8.4 (#6) | 8.0 (#19) |
| Spec score · Help Authoring Tools | 8.4 (#5) | 8.0 (#9) |
| Spec score · Knowledge base software | 7.9 (#84) | 8.1 (#67) |
| Collaboration | RoboHelp supports web-based review and collaboration with Git and SharePoint Online. | Flare Online supports browser-based content review by subject matter experts and non-Flare users, including concurrent authoring and real-time collaboration. |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Publishing | It can publish to Responsive HTML5, PDF, Adobe Experience Manager, Microsoft Help, and other formats. | Flare publishes to multiple formats, including responsive HTML5, high-end print, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, Word, SCORM, and more. |
| Purpose | RoboHelp is for authoring and publishing online help, policies and procedures, knowledge bases, and self-service content. | MadCap Flare is an authoring and publishing platform for technical documentation, online help, knowledge bases, policies, training materials, and API documentation. |
| Trial | Adobe offers a fully functional free 30-day trial. | MadCap offers a free 30-day Flare trial without requiring a credit card. |
Plans
Adobe RoboHelp
- Individual SubscriptionPriced on request
- Individual Subscription — prepaid annualPrice not published
- Individual Subscription — prepaid annualPriced on request
- Team SubscriptionPrice not published
- Team SubscriptionPriced on request
- Enterprise Term License AgreementPriced on request
- Enterprise Term License AgreementPrice not published
- Individual Subscription$29.99 a month
MadCap Flare
- Starter — Flare Desktop Only$3,150 a year
- Flare Online — IndividualPrice not published
- Flare Online — TeamPrice not published
- Flare Online — BusinessPrice not published
- Starter — Flare Desktop Only$3,150 a year
- Flare Online - BusinessPriced on request
- Flare Online - IndividualPriced on request
- Flare Online - TeamPriced on request
In their own words
Adobe RoboHelp
Adobe RoboHelp is software for authoring and publishing online help, policies, procedures, knowledge bases, and self-service content. It supports HTML5 and CSS3 authoring, conditional content, and reusable material across documents and channels. Publishing targets include Responsive HTML5, PDF, Adobe Experience Manager, Microsoft Help, and other formats. Authors can also create microcontent for chatbots, search snippets, and voice-response systems. Web-based review and collaboration work with Git and SharePoint Online, while knowledge-base destinations include SharePoint Online, Zendesk, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zoho, Adobe Experience Manager, and Atlassian Confluence. RoboHelp supports manual and machine translation, full-text search, reader analytics, and creation of Section 508-compliant content. It runs on macOS and Windows. Adobe offers a fully functional 30-day trial, but no free plan. The latest release requires subscription access rather than a perpetual license. Internet activation is required, including a connection within 30 days of first launch.
MadCap Flare
MadCap Flare is an authoring and publishing platform for technical documentation, online help, knowledge bases, policies, training materials, and API documentation. Topic-based authoring and single-sourcing let teams reuse material across versions and output formats. Flare can publish responsive HTML5, print, PowerPoint, PDF, Word, SCORM, and other formats; it also imports content from Word, Excel, Confluence, FrameMaker, RoboHelp, and DITA. Flare Online adds browser-based review for subject matter experts and non-Flare users, concurrent authoring, and real-time collaboration. Publishing can connect directly to Salesforce, Zendesk, and ServiceNow. Flare supports Unicode, double-byte, Cyrillic, and right-to-left languages, while Flare Online analytics can track topic views, searches without results, and user behavior. The Starter desktop plan costs $3,150 a year, billed at $3,150 per author per year. A free 30-day trial is available without a credit card. Flare Desktop requires Microsoft Windows; Flare Online offers browser-based authoring and review.