Overview

CompassDocs is an open-source, self-hosted knowledge base for teams that need to keep procedures, policies and technical documentation searchable and under control. It suits organizations comfortable running their own software; the free plan makes trying that approach inexpensive, but teams wanting a managed service must wait for CompassDocs Cloud.

Key features

Writing and finding information

Teams can write in rich text or Markdown, with support for diagrams, tables, checklists, embeds and AI proofreading. Plain-English questions return answers drawn from team documents with inline citations, but this depends on an AI key; without one, CompassDocs falls back to keyword search. That fallback preserves basic discovery, though not the conversational way of finding information.

An Outlook add-in brings search and AI answers into the mail client and can insert document links from its ribbon. Integrations include a Claude connector, Microsoft 365 and Entra sync, Google Workspace directory sync, and notifications through Webex, Teams, Slack, email or webhooks.

Governance and publishing

Viewer, Editor, Approver and Admin roles, custom roles, private spaces and an optional review queue give teams meaningful control over access and publishing. Version history, read acknowledgements and completion tracking are useful for procedures and policies that need review or confirmation. Selected spaces can also become a branded, read-only public knowledge base; sharing is off by default, and search-engine indexing is configurable.

The feature page describes encryption at rest for credentials and backups using AES-256-GCM, hashed session tokens, login throttling and security headers. Self-hosted deployments support scheduled database backups, retention, one-click restore and off-site mirroring to S3, R2, MinIO or Azure. Those capabilities give administrators controls for recovery, but place deployment and backup operations with the organization.

Pricing

Community

Community is 0.00 USD per free, billed $0 forever. It includes unlimited users and documents, self-hosting, AGPL-3.0 licensing and GitHub community support. That removes seat and document caps for teams willing to operate the software themselves; it does not include Enterprise identity features or dedicated support.

Cloud

Cloud is 8.00 USD per month, billed $8 / user / month, and is marked as coming soon rather than launched. The listed plan is fully managed, includes 25 GB of document and attachment storage, and is described as offering a free trial at launch with no credit card. Its per-user price and storage allowance make it a different tradeoff from Community's unlimited self-hosted use; it is not an option for teams that need service today.

Enterprise

Enterprise costs 599.00 USD per year, billed $599 / year as a flat fee for unlimited users, with one license per install. It adds SAML 2.0 and OIDC single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, Microsoft 365 directory and Entra group sync, policy acknowledgements, training and audit-log export. The annual flat price can suit organizations that need those identity and governance capabilities without per-seat billing, but the self-hosted installation requirement remains.

Optional dedicated support costs 3000.00 USD per year and includes a 48-hour response commitment. That is a substantial extra annual cost for teams whose support expectations exceed GitHub community support.

Platforms

CompassDocs supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. A Docker command starts CompassDocs and PostgreSQL; the self-hosting guide also describes Docker on Linux hosts and Docker Desktop on macOS or Windows, plus manual Node.js and PostgreSQL installation on any OS. This breadth offers deployment flexibility, but self-hosting requires teams to take responsibility for operating the service.

Who it's for

CompassDocs is a good fit for teams consolidating SOPs, technical documentation and policies that need review, acknowledgement or controlled publication, especially when they want unlimited users and documents on a self-hosted free plan. It is less suitable for organizations that require a managed product immediately, or that do not want to run their own database and deployment.

Pros and cons

Pro: Community has no user or document caps, so a growing self-hosted knowledge base does not incur per-seat charges.
Pro: Roles, private spaces, review queue, acknowledgements and completion tracking cover important publishing and policy workflows.
Pro: Scheduled backups, restore and off-site mirroring offer concrete recovery options for self-hosted installations.
Con: AI answers require an AI key; without one, users get keyword search instead.
Con: Cloud is coming soon, leaving teams that want managed hosting without a current CompassDocs deployment option.
Con: Enterprise identity controls require a paid annual license, while dedicated support adds another $3,000 per year.

Alternatives

For teams centered on capturing workflows rather than maintaining a self-hosted knowledge base, Tango offers browser capture and link or embed sharing; its free plan allows 5 shared workflows and up to 10 users per workspace.

Scribe is another freemium option for creating shareable how-to documentation, with a free Basic plan that works with any web app and supports quick customization and link or embed sharing.

SOPGalaxy is worth considering for teams that want Android or iOS support alongside web and self-hosting; its Starter plan is 6.00 USD per month and caps use at 15 users and 100 SOPs.

Teams looking for playbooks and a small free allowance can consider Whale, whose free plan includes 10 members, 1 creator, 20 Playbook items and 20 AI credits.

Guidde is a web-based alternative focused on how-to videos: its free plan includes up to 25 videos, web-app capture and voiceover recording.

Dozuki is another option for teams evaluating a connected-worker platform.

For a quality-management alternative with a stated monthly entry price, Q-Hub offers a Starter plan at 85.00 GBP per month, with 1 Full user and 5 Basic users.

SOP Maker is a free web-based alternative.

Compare category options in SOP Software, IT Documentation Software, HR Knowledge Base Software and IT Knowledge Base Software.

Verdict

Choose CompassDocs if your team wants a governed, searchable knowledge base, can self-host, and values unlimited users and documents without a recurring Community fee. Its strongest case is the combination of document workflows, access controls and backup options; look elsewhere if you need managed hosting now or prefer not to operate the software yourself.

	CompassDocs	TOPdesk
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	$8/mo	£51/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Single sign-on	—	Yes

CompassDocs vs TOPdesk

CompassDocs

TOPdesk