Dr.Explain vs SCHEMA ST4
Dr.Explain
drexplain.comSCHEMA ST4
quanos.comSide by side
| Figure | Dr.Explain | SCHEMA ST4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $24.17/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Help Authoring Tools | 8.5 (#4) | 6.8 (#22) |
| Publishing audience | both | It is aimed at companies managing technical documentation across multiple product variants, languages, or publishing channels, including manufacturers in mechanical engineering, medical technology, electronics, and automotive. |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, USA | Nuremberg, Germany |
| Product | Dr.Explain is a help authoring tool for creating user guides, operating instructions, help files, and manuals. | SCHEMA ST4 is a component content management system for creating and managing technical documentation. |
| Support | The maker offers multilingual technical and sales support by email and toll-free voicemail. | Quanos provides ST4 support through a ticket system, with support hours Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m., excluding Bavarian public holidays. |
Plans
Dr.Explain
- FreeFree
- Business Temporary$290 a year
- Business Perpetual v.7$690, paid once
- Home Perpetual v.7$9,000, paid once
- Free Restricted LicenseFree
- Business License — Temporary$290 a year
- Business License — Perpetual for v.7$690, paid once
- Home License — Perpetual for v.7$9,000, paid once
In their own words
Dr.Explain
Dr.Explain is a Windows help authoring tool for creating user guides, operating instructions, help files, and manuals. It captures application windows or web pages and adds numbered callouts to interface elements. Documentation can be exported as HTML, CHM, PDF, or DOCX; imports include CHM, HLP, HTML, XML, DOC/DOCX, and TXT, with project structure and formatting preserved. For software integration, it supports Help Context IDs and creates map files in.h,.vb, and.inc formats. Multiple authors can work on a project through the free Tiwri.com service or a corporate server on the company's internal network. An in-program AI Assistant offers generation, translation, and proofreading. The desktop application requires 64-bit Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7. The free license has no time limit but restricts project size and watermarks exported images; it includes 20 topics. Business Temporary costs $290 a year for five users, and Business Perpetual v.7 costs $690, paid once for five users. Home Perpetual v.7 costs $9,000, paid once for one user and excludes commercial use.