Microsoft HTML Help vs Help+Manual

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

Microsoft HTML Help is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like help, documentation, authoring, html.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including 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.

On the other hand, Help+Manual is a Office & Productivity product tagged with documentation, help-files, manuals, user-guides, ebooks.

Its standout features include WYSIWYG editor, Context-sensitive help, Multi-format publishing, Screen capture tool, Variables and conditional text, Multi-language support, HTML Help (.chm files), WebHelp, PDF, eBooks, Printed manuals, and it shines with pros like Easy to use interface, Powerful editing and formatting tools, Flexible publishing options, Good value for money.

Feature	Microsoft HTML Help	Help+Manual
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Office & Productivity

Product Overview

Microsoft HTML Help

Description: 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.

Help+Manual

Description: Help+Manual is a documentation tool used to create help files, manuals, user guides, ebooks, and more. It includes features like text editor, screenshots, tables, variables, and conditional text.

Key Features Comparison

Microsoft HTML Help Features

• 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

Help+Manual Features

• WYSIWYG editor
• Context-sensitive help
• Multi-format publishing
• Screen capture tool
• Variables and conditional text
• Multi-language support
• HTML Help (.chm files)
• WebHelp
• PDF
• eBooks
• Printed manuals

Pros & Cons Analysis

Microsoft HTML Help

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

Help+Manual

Pros

• Easy to use interface
• Powerful editing and formatting tools
• Flexible publishing options
• Good value for money

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Limited style customization
• No built-in review/collaboration tools

Pricing Comparison

Microsoft HTML Help

• Free
• One-time Purchase

Help+Manual

• One-time Purchase
• Subscription-Based