Our verdict · 8.2/10 Excellent
A solid wiki for structured documentation, especially for Jira users. Less flexible and pleasant than Notion for general use.
Key takeaways
- Best for: Jira users.
- Strongest area: Security & privacy (8.6/10). Weakest: Support & reliability (7.6/10).
- Price: Free; paid from around $5–6 / user / month — free plan available.
- Watch out for: Editor less fluid than Notion.
What is Confluence?
Confluence is Atlassian's knowledge base for documentation, requirements, meeting notes and policies. It offers templates, page trees, permissions and Jira integration, and has a free plan for small teams.
Confluence is made by Atlassian and is reviewed here as a collaboration tool. It is priced on a freemium basis, and our editorial score is 8.2 out of 10, calculated from six weighted criteria.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Choose Confluence if
- Jira users
- Product and engineering teams
- Organisations needing permissions and structure
Not for you if
- Teams wanting flexible databases
- Non-technical teams wanting simplicity
Key features
Organise documentation by team.
Requirements, retros, meeting notes.
Link issues and docs.
Visual collaboration.
- Jira
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Trello
- Google Drive
Pros & cons
What we like
- Deep Jira integration
- Strong permissions and page trees
- Many templates
- Free for small teams
Watch out for
- Editor less fluid than Notion
- Search can be inconsistent
- Can become cluttered
Pricing & true cost
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 10 users |
| Standard | ≈ $5.20 / user / mo | Monthly |
| Premium | ≈ $9.70 / user / mo | Monthly |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Quote |
Pricing watch-out: Free plan for up to 10 users.
True cost at 5, 10 and 25 seats
Cheapest paid plan that fits each team size, from indicative list prices checked October 31, 2026. Excludes tax, add-ons, onboarding fees and promotional discounts.
Pricing watch-outs
- Quote-only tier. Enterprise has no public price. Ask for a written quote that includes onboarding and support fees.
Contract questions to ask before you sign
- Does the plan auto-renew, and how many days’ notice do you need to cancel?
- Is the advertised price for annual billing? What is the month-to-month price?
- Is the first-year price a promotion? What will renewal cost, and is it capped?
- Is there a minimum number of seats, or a charge for inactive users?
- Are onboarding, implementation or premium-support fees extra?
- How do we export all our data if we leave, and in what format?
General questions for any vendor — not findings about this product. Build a full checklist with our requirements builder.
Indicative USD pricing, last checked October 31, 2026. Vendors change prices and promotions often — always confirm on their website. Model your own numbers with our SaaS TCO calculator.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features & fit | 25% | 8.2 | 2.10 | |
| Ease of use | 20% | 7.6 | 1.50 | |
| Value for money | 20% | 8.4 | 1.70 | |
| Support & reliability | 10% | 7.6 | 0.80 | |
| Security & privacy | 10% | 8.6 | 0.90 | |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 15% | 8.6 | 1.30 | |
| Overall | 100% | Weighted for business software products | 8.2 | |
Security & compliance facts
| Item | Status | Question to ask Atlassian |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-factor authenticationStops most account takeovers from reused or phished passwords. | Not verified by us | Can admins enforce MFA for every user, on every plan? |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)Lets you remove a leaver’s access everywhere from one place. | Not verified by us | Is SSO included on the plan we are buying, or only on enterprise tiers? |
| SOC 2 Type II reportIndependent audit of the vendor’s security controls — often required by larger customers. | Not verified by us | Can we see your current SOC 2 Type II report (under NDA if needed)? |
| ISO/IEC 27001 certificationInternational standard for running an information-security programme. | Not verified by us | Which legal entity and services does your ISO 27001 certificate cover? |
| GDPR data processing agreementNeeded if you handle personal data of people in the EU/UK. | Not verified by us | Do you offer a signed DPA and list your sub-processors? |
| HIPAA business associate agreementRequired before US healthcare businesses store protected health information. | Not verified by us | Will you sign a BAA, and on which plans? |
We have not yet verified these items for Confluence against a primary source, so we don’t claim them either way. Check Atlassian’s trust or security page and ask for documents in writing.
Before you buy any collaboration tool
Check Confluence against the same list we use for every collaboration tool — and confirm each point on the plan you intend to buy, not the top tier.
- Fast, reliable search
- Permissions per space or channel
- Integrations with your core apps
- History and retention on free/paid tiers
- SSO and admin controls if needed
See every ranked option in Collaboration & Docs.
Confluence alternatives
Pick an alternative by what matters to you
- Cheaper
Microsoft Teams≈ $40/mo vs $52/mo at 10 users (cheapest paid plans, indicative) - Easier to useGWGoogle WorkspaceEase-of-use score 9.0 vs 7.6
- Better integrations
SlackIntegrations score 9.8 vs 8.6 - Higher overall scoreGWGoogle WorkspaceOverall 8.7 vs 8.2
Computed from our published scores and indicative pricing for tools in the same category as Confluence. Scores are editorial; see the methodology.
Editor’s picks
A flexible workspace for docs, wikis and lightweight project tracking.
Email, docs, drive, meetings and chat in one browser-first suite.
The team messaging platform with the deepest integration ecosystem.
Head-to-head comparisons
Featured in: Best Team Collaboration Tools for Small Business
Review history
- Scored under methodology v2.0 (six weighted criteria, computed overall score).
Confluence FAQ
Is Confluence free?
Yes for up to 10 users on the Free plan.
Confluence or Notion?
Confluence suits structured, Jira-linked documentation; Notion is more flexible for general use.
Does Confluence have a free plan?
Yes. Confluence offers a free plan. Paid plans start at paid from around $5–6 / user / month (indicative — check the vendor for current pricing).
Who is Confluence best for?
Confluence is best for: jira users; product and engineering teams; organisations needing permissions and structure.
How much does Confluence cost for a team of 10?
On indicative list prices, the cheapest paid plan that fits 10 users (Standard) works out at roughly $52 per month, or about $624 per year, before tax, add-ons and discounts.
How is the Confluence score calculated?
The 8.2/10 overall score is a weighted average of six sub-scores — features & fit, ease of use, value, support & reliability, security & privacy, and integrations — using the published weights for software products. Affiliate relationships have no input. See our methodology page for the full rubric.
What are the best alternatives to Confluence?
Popular alternatives include Notion, Google Workspace, Slack. See our comparisons for side-by-side verdicts.