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Compare HelpSmith and MadCap Flare 
Featured Products
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (75.0% of reviews)
Mid-Market (53.1% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
$199.00 1 Seats With One-Time Purchase
Contact Us Per Year
HelpSmith
Star Rating
(16)4.8 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (75.0% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Not enough data
Entry-Level Pricing
$199.00 1 Seats With One-Time Purchase
Browse all 3 pricing plansMadCap Flare
Star Rating
(485)4.4 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (53.1% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Contact Us Per Year
Free Trial is available
Learn more about MadCap FlareSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- G2 reviewers report that HelpSmith excels in ease of use, with many users highlighting its intuitive interface and straightforward functionality. One user mentioned it as a "simple to use, easy to follow application for the creation of Help files," making it particularly appealing for small businesses.
- Users say that MadCap Flare, while offering a robust set of features, can present a steep learning curve for new users. A reviewer noted the initial challenges transitioning from another tool but emphasized that the investment in learning Flare pays off, as they continue to discover new features even after years of use.
- According to verified reviews, HelpSmith shines in implementation speed, with users praising its quick setup process. One user expressed satisfaction with the "nice output result," indicating that they could start producing help files rapidly without extensive configuration.
- Reviewers mention that MadCap Flare offers industry-leading features such as topic-based authoring and conditional settings, which allow for highly customizable outputs. Users appreciate the collaborative tools that enhance teamwork, making it easier to integrate with various file formats.
- G2 reviewers highlight HelpSmith's exceptional customer support, with a user rating it highly for being a "good partner in doing business." This level of support is particularly beneficial for small businesses that may require more hands-on assistance.
- Users report that while MadCap Flare has a strong market presence and a wealth of features, its overall satisfaction ratings are slightly lower compared to HelpSmith. This suggests that while it may be powerful, some users find it less user-friendly, which could impact day-to-day usability.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
HelpSmith
HelpSmith Standard Edition
$199.00
1 Seats With One-Time Purchase
HelpSmith Standard includes basic features needed to create help files and manuals.
- Create help files and documents in multiple formats: CHM help, Web Help, Printed Manual, PDF, MS Word, ePub eBook, Markdown
- Banner free output formats
- Easy import from: CHM, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, HHP, TXT, Markdown (the ability to split imported MS Word files into topics).
MadCap Flare
Subscription
Contact Us
Per Year
Includes Maintenance and Support
- Free Product Upgrades and Updates
- Unlimited Email and Phone Support
- Free Web-based MadCap Flare Introductory Training
Free Trial
HelpSmith
Free Trial is available
MadCap Flare
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.8
15
8.6
402
Ease of Use
9.8
15
7.4
402
Ease of Setup
9.9
12
7.9
300
Ease of Admin
10.0
10
8.0
288
Quality of Support
9.1
9
8.6
376
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
10.0
8
8.9
290
Product Direction (% positive)
10.0
15
7.6
370
Features by Category
Content
Not enough data
9.3
56
Not enough data
9.2
52
Not enough data
8.8
47
Not enough data
8.5
26
Not enough data
8.2
26
Not enough data
8.5
21
Not enough data
8.3
37
Not enough data
8.1
51
Not enough data
8.9
51
Design
Not enough data
7.8
50
Not enough data
7.8
29
Not enough data
7.9
42
Not enough data
8.4
50
Platform
Not enough data
8.3
45
Not enough data
8.3
27
Not enough data
8.5
47
Not enough data
8.4
33
Not enough data
8.7
35
Not enough data
8.4
26
Not enough data
7.8
27
Not enough data
7.6
23
Agentic AI - Web Content Management
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Design
Not enough data
7.5
88
Not enough data
8.0
87
Not enough data
7.8
73
Collaboration
Not enough data
7.9
75
Not enough data
7.2
61
File Types
Not enough data
8.7
97
Not enough data
7.5
91
Not enough data
9.1
87
Edit & Revise
Not enough data
8.5
77
Not enough data
8.1
59
Not enough data
8.7
96
Integrate & Embed
Not enough data
6.7
31
Not enough data
8.7
57
Not enough data
8.3
44
Operating System
Not enough data
8.7
101
Not enough data
4.5
17
Not enough data
4.2
13
Generative AI
Not enough data
5.7
7
Not enough data
5.2
7
Not enough data
5.2
7
Not enough data
5.5
7
Not enough data
5.5
7
Agentic AI - Document Creation
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
HelpSmith and MadCap Flare are categorized as Help Authoring Tool (HAT)
Unique Categories
HelpSmith has no unique categories
MadCap Flare is categorized as Document Creation and Web Content Management
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
HelpSmith
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
MadCap Flare
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Computer Software
43.8%
Information Technology and Services
12.5%
Sports
6.3%
Retail
6.3%
Program Development
6.3%
Other
25.0%
Computer Software
36.6%
Information Technology and Services
15.2%
Writing and Editing
3.4%
Computer & Network Security
3.4%
Financial Services
2.5%
Other
38.9%
Discussions
HelpSmith has no discussions with answers
How much is MadCap Central?
2 Comments
MM
MadCap is pretty transparent about their pricing plans, which you can find on there site at https://www.madcapsoftware.com/pricing/. The current rate for an...Read more
Is MadCap Flare cloud-based?
2 Comments
MM
MadCap Flare is not cloud-based per se. However, MadCap Central recently enabled cloud-based authoring that syncs up with Flare. Here's the link to their...Read more
How long does it take to learn how to use MadCap Flare?
1 Comment
MM
For the very basic features like moving around the interface, adding topics, and creating targets (i.e., output), you can be productive within a couple of...Read more
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