Adobe RoboHelp vs XMetaL Author
Adobe RoboHelp
adobe.comXMetaL Author
xmetal.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe RoboHelp | XMetaL Author |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Help Authoring Tools | 8.4 (#5) | 6.9 (#21) |
| Publishing | It can publish to Responsive HTML5, PDF, Adobe Experience Manager, Microsoft Help, and other formats. | XMetaL Author Essential can publish XML content from the author’s desktop to customer-facing output formats. |
| Purpose | RoboHelp is for authoring and publishing online help, policies and procedures, knowledge bases, and self-service content. | XMetaL is an XML editor for structured authoring that uses standards including DITA to help teams create, collaborate on, and reuse content. |
| Support | Adobe directs customers to its Customer Support page for technical questions and provides a technical communication support contact. | XMetaL lists a North America support phone number and a Vancouver, British Columbia office for JustSystems Canada, Inc. |
| Trial | Adobe offers a fully functional free 30-day trial. | The product pages provide a Download Trial link; they do not state a trial duration on those pages. |
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
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.
XMetaL Author
XMetaL Author has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.