MadCap Flare
MadCap Flare is an authoring and publishing platform for technical documentation, online help, knowledge bases, policies, training materials, and API documen…
What MadCap Flare is
MadCap Flare is an authoring and publishing platform for technical documentation, online help, knowledge bases, policies, training materials, and API documentation. Its topic-based authoring and single-sourcing tools let teams reuse content across versions and output formats. Flare publishes to responsive HTML5, print, PowerPoint, PDF, Word, SCORM, and other formats, and imports material 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. The product can publish directly to Salesforce, Zendesk, and ServiceNow. It supports Unicode, double-byte, Cyrillic, and right-to-left languages; Flare Online analytics can track topic views, searches with no 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, while Flare Online provides browser-based authoring and review. The intended audience includes technical communicators, knowledge managers, documentation teams, and content developers.
Good
- Reuses topics across versions and output formats
- Publishes to HTML5, print, PDF, Word, and more
- Imports content from several authoring formats
- Flare Online supports browser-based review and collaboration
- Supports right-to-left languages
Watch out
- No free plan
- Flare Desktop requires Microsoft Windows
- Starter costs $3,150 per author per year
Who it suits
It suits technical communicators, knowledge managers, documentation teams, and content developers who need reusable content and multi-format publishing. Flare Online may suit teams that need browser-based review or collaborative authoring.
Verdict
MadCap Flare combines structured content authoring, reuse, and multi-channel publishing, with browser-based collaboration available through Flare Online. Consider the Windows requirement for desktop work and the annual Starter price when choosing between its offerings.
Plans and prices
From MadCap Flare's own pricing page, checked 20 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Flare Online — Individual | — | 1-2 authors · 20 GB cloud storage · 1 review seat per author |
| Flare Online — Team | — | 3-5 authors · 250 GB cloud storage · 2 reviewer seats per author |
| Flare Online — Business | — | 6+ authors · 500 GB cloud storage · 5 reviewer seats per author |
| Starter — Flare Desktop Only | $3,150 a year | Desktop only · topic-based and micro content authoring · multi-channel publishing · introductory training · unlimited tech support · per author, per year |
| Flare Online - Individual | Priced on request | 1–2 authors · 1 review seat per author · 20 GB cloud storage · includes Flare Desktop for each author · Per user; billed annually; 12-month commitment |
| Flare Online - Business | Priced on request | 6+ authors · 5 reviewer seats per author · 500 GB cloud storage · onboarding for an additional fee · Per user; billed annually; 12-month commitment |
| Flare Online - Team | Priced on request | 3–5 authors · 2 reviewer seats per author · 250 GB cloud storage · onboarding · Per user; billed annually; 12-month commitment |
The facts
Each one read from MadCap Flare's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Analytics
- Flare Online analytics can track topic views, searches with no results, and user behavior.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Collaboration
- Flare Online supports browser-based content review by subject matter experts and non-Flare users, including concurrent authoring and real-time collaboration.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Custom domain
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Import
- Flare supports importing Word, Excel, Confluence, FrameMaker, RoboHelp, and DITA content, and Easy Sync can keep imported files linked to their sources.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- The product page says Flare can publish directly to Salesforce, Zendesk, and ServiceNow, and the pricing page lists ChatGPT integration for Flare Online authoring.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Intended audience
- MadCap describes its audience as technical communicators, knowledge managers, documentation teams, and content developers.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Localization
- Flare supports Unicode, double-byte, Cyrillic, and right-to-left languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Publishing
- Flare publishes to multiple formats, including responsive HTML5, high-end print, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, Word, SCORM, and more.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- MadCap Flare is an authoring and publishing platform for technical documentation, online help, knowledge bases, policies, training materials, and API documentation.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Reusable content
- Topic-based authoring and single-sourcing let teams reuse topics across different versions and output formats.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Security certification
- MadCap’s About page displays a SOC 2 Type II Certified designation.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Support and training
- The Desktop Starter plan lists free introductory training and unlimited technical support; Flare Online subscriptions include unlimited support and upgrades.checked 29 Sep 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2005checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Denver, Colorado, USAchecked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Nochecked 20 Sep 2026
- Trial
- MadCap offers a free 30-day Flare trial without requiring a credit card.checked 29 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platform requirement
- MadCap documentation states that Flare Desktop requires Microsoft Windows; Flare Online provides browser-based authoring and review.checked 29 Sep 2026
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