Dr.Explain vs XMLmind XML Editor
Dr.Explain
drexplain.comXMLmind XML Editor
xmlmind.comSide by side
| Figure | Dr.Explain | XMLmind XML Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $24.17/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 8 |
| Spec score · Help Authoring Tools | 8.5 (#4) | 7.8 (#13) |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, USA | Rambouillet, France |
Plans
Dr.Explain
- FreeFree
- Business Temporary$290 a year
- Business Perpetual v.7$690 a month
- Home Perpetual v.7$9,000 a month
- 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
XMLmind XML Editor
- XMLmind XML Editor Personal EditionFree
- DITA Editor User License (1–4 users)$195, paid once
- DocBook Editor User License (1–4 users)$195, paid once
- XML Editor User License (1–4 users)$390, paid once
- XML Editor Web Edition License (1–2 xxeservers)$1,950, paid once
- XML Editor Site License$11,000, paid once
- XML Editor Developer License$17,000, paid once
- XML Editor Corporate License$34,000, 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.
XMLmind XML Editor
XMLmind XML Editor is a validating, near-WYSIWYG editor for technical writers, engineers, and scholars working with large, modular documents. It supports DITA 1.3, DocBook, XHTML5, and MathML, with synchronized styled, tag, tree, and source views and an inline MathML equation editor. It can import DOCX and convert content to HTML-based formats, PDF, PostScript, Microsoft Word, and OpenOffice or LibreOffice formats. Saxon 6 and Saxon 9 support XSLT integration, while FTP and WebDAV provide access to remote files. Customization is available through XML configuration files or a documented Java API. Personal Edition runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Java 11+ platforms; Web Edition runs in a browser without local installation. Personal Edition is free, though Professional conversion and DOCX import run in evaluation mode and produce altered output. Paid licenses are listed from $195.00 per user once. XMLmind says its products will be maintained until April 3, 2027, after which they will be discontinued, with the company closing a few months later.