HelpSmith vs Microsoft HTML Help

Struggling to choose between HelpSmith and Microsoft HTML Help? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

HelpSmith is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like help, documentation, authoring, knowledge-base.

It boasts features such as Context-sensitive help, Knowledge base creation, Technical documentation, Content reuse, Conditional text, Version control and pros including Easy to use WYSIWYG editor, Collaboration features, Integration with JIRA and Confluence, Multi-channel publishing.

On the other hand, Microsoft HTML Help is a Office & Productivity product tagged with help, documentation, authoring, html.

Its standout features include Authoring tool to create HTML Help files, Supports HTML, images, multimedia, Context-sensitive help through special HTML tags, Full text search, Table of contents, Index, Hyperlinks, Integration with Visual Studio and Microsoft products, and it shines with pros like Easy to create help content with HTML, Good integration with Microsoft ecosystem, Full text search allows quick access to content, Navigation features like TOC and index, Multimedia support allows images, audio, video etc, Wide adoption in Microsoft products.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

HelpSmith

HelpSmith

HelpSmith is a help authoring and documentation tool that allows teams to create context-sensitive help content, knowledge bases, and technical documentation. It has features like content reuse, conditional text, version control, and more.

Categories:
help documentation authoring knowledge-base

HelpSmith Features

  1. Context-sensitive help
  2. Knowledge base creation
  3. Technical documentation
  4. Content reuse
  5. Conditional text
  6. Version control

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Easy to use WYSIWYG editor

Collaboration features

Integration with JIRA and Confluence

Multi-channel publishing

Cons

Steep learning curve

Limited customization options

No built-in translation or localization


Microsoft HTML Help

Microsoft HTML Help

Microsoft HTML Help is a Microsoft proprietary format for writing help content. It allows creating help files with HTML, providing features like full text search, index, table of contents. It integrates with Visual Studio and other Microsoft products.

Categories:
help documentation authoring html

Microsoft HTML Help Features

  1. Authoring tool to create HTML Help files
  2. Supports HTML, images, multimedia
  3. Context-sensitive help through special HTML tags
  4. Full text search
  5. Table of contents
  6. Index
  7. Hyperlinks
  8. Integration with Visual Studio and Microsoft products

Pricing

  • Free
  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Easy to create help content with HTML

Good integration with Microsoft ecosystem

Full text search allows quick access to content

Navigation features like TOC and index

Multimedia support allows images, audio, video etc

Wide adoption in Microsoft products

Cons

Proprietary format limited to Microsoft platform

Limited styling capabilities compared to HTML/CSS

Not responsive for mobile devices

Lacks features of newer help formats like responsive UI, embedded videos etc

Authoring requires Microsoft HTML Help Workshop

Not actively developed anymore