Outline

Outline is a fast, clean knowledge base and team wiki that sits between the simplicity of Notion and the depth of Confluence. Documents open instantly, real-time collaborative editing works without conflict, and the editor supports Markdown with slash commands for embedding Figma frames, Loom videos, and other content.

The organizational model uses nested collections rather than flat folders, which keeps large wikis navigable as they grow. Search is AI-powered and gives direct answers rather than just document lists. Slack integration means teammates can query the knowledge base without leaving their chat window, which addresses the main reason documentation goes unread.

Outline is open-source and can be self-hosted, which matters for teams with strict data sovereignty requirements. The self-hosted path requires PostgreSQL, Redis, and a compatible object storage backend (S3 or compatible). Setup is Docker-based and well-documented.

Cloud pricing starts at $10/month for up to 10 users, scaling to $79/month for up to 100. The cloud version includes a 30-day free trial, after which documents become read-only until payment details are added.

The main limitation is that Outline is focused on documentation rather than task management. Teams that want a single tool for both wikis and project tracking will need to pair it with something else.