Overview

CompassDocs is a self-hosted knowledge base for teams managing procedures, technical documentation, policies and internal guidance. It is best suited to organizations willing to run their own software and needing control over how documents are reviewed and shared. Its strongest case is pairing those controls with document-based answers; the trade-off is that AI answers need an AI key, and the managed cloud option has not launched.

Key features

Writing and finding information

Teams can edit documents in rich text or Markdown, with diagrams, tables, checklists, embeds and AI proofreading. Plain-English questions can return answers based on team documents with inline citations, giving staff a direct route from an answer to its supporting material. That experience depends on an AI key: without one, CompassDocs falls back to keyword search, so teams should not choose it expecting conversational answers out of the box.

The Outlook add-in brings search and AI answers into the ribbon and inserts document links in one click. Other integrations include a Claude connector, Microsoft 365 and Entra sync, Google Workspace directory sync, and notifications through Webex, Teams, Slack, email or webhooks. This breadth suits teams already using those services, though the Outlook feature is most relevant to people who work in that client.

Governance and publishing

Viewer, Editor, Approver and Admin roles, custom roles, private spaces and an optional review queue let teams separate access from publishing authority. Version history, read acknowledgements and completion tracking add useful accountability for procedures and policies that need approval or confirmation. Selected spaces can be published as a branded, read-only public site; public sharing is off by default, and search-engine indexing is configurable.

CompassDocs states that credentials and backups are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, while session tokens are hashed and login throttling and security headers are included. Enterprise adds SAML 2.0 and OIDC single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, and Microsoft 365 directory and Entra group sync. Those identity controls make the paid tier more relevant to organizations with centralized account administration.

Self-hosting and operations

A Docker command starts CompassDocs and PostgreSQL. The self-hosting options also cover Docker on Linux, Docker Desktop on macOS or Windows, and manual Node.js and PostgreSQL installation on any OS. Scheduled database backups, retention, one-click restore and off-site mirroring to S3, R2, MinIO or Azure provide practical recovery options, but the team must operate the deployment rather than hand that responsibility to a live hosted service.

Pricing

The Community plan costs 0.00 USD per free, billed $0 forever. It includes unlimited users and documents, self-hosting under AGPL-3.0 and GitHub community support. This makes it a credible starting point for teams able to manage their own installation; its key limitation is the absence of Enterprise identity and administration features.

Enterprise costs 599.00 USD per year, billed $599/ year, flat, with unlimited users and one license per install. It adds SSO, directory and group sync, policy acknowledgements, training, SCIM and audit-log export. The flat price may suit a larger team that needs these controls without per-user charges. Optional dedicated support costs 3000.00 USD per year and carries a 48-hour response commitment.

Cloud is priced from 8.00 USD per month, billed $8/ user / month, but is coming soon and not yet launched. Its listed offer is fully managed service with 25 GB of document and attachment storage and a free trial at launch with no credit card.

Platforms

CompassDocs supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. The range reflects deployment flexibility, although desktop operating systems are supported through Docker Desktop or manual installation rather than a separate native-app promise.

Who it's for

CompassDocs fits teams that need a governed home for SOPs, policies or technical material and have the capacity to self-host. It is particularly relevant where approvals, access roles, acknowledgements and controlled public publishing matter. Teams that want managed hosting immediately, or AI answers without supplying an AI key, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free self-hosting includes unlimited users and documents, avoiding seat caps for teams that can operate the software.
Pros: Roles, review queues, version history and completion tracking support controlled documentation rather than an unstructured document dump.
Pros: Cited answers, keyword-search fallback and Outlook access give staff multiple ways to find and use internal guidance.
Cons: AI answers require an AI key, so the central conversational feature is conditional.
Cons: Cloud is still coming soon, leaving self-hosting as the current deployment path for teams ready to use the product.
Cons: Dedicated support is a separate 3000.00 USD per year add-on, which materially raises the cost for teams that require a response commitment.

Alternatives

For workflow-capture alternatives, compare Tango and Scribe. Tango's free plan includes five shared workflows and supports up to 10 users per workspace, making it a focused option for smaller teams sharing captured browser workflows. Scribe's free Basic plan works with any web app and offers quick customization and link or embed sharing, which may suit teams whose priority is turning web-app activity into shareable guidance.

SOPGalaxy is worth comparing for teams seeking a paid SOP product with a free trial; its Starter plan is 6.00 USD per month and caps usage at 15 users and 100 SOPs. Whale has a free plan capped at 10 members, one creator, 20 Playbook items and 20 AI credits, so it offers a different starting point for small teams with bounded usage.

Q-Hub is another paid option with a free trial, while SweetProcess is a paid alternative with a free trial and a monthly plan for up to 10 users. For video-based how-to content, Guidde offers a free plan capped at 25 how-to videos. Way We Do is a paid procedures-and-processes alternative with a free trial.

Browse SOP Software, IT Documentation Software, IT Knowledge Base Software and HR Knowledge Base Software for more options by category.

Verdict

Choose CompassDocs if your team wants self-hosted documentation with meaningful publishing controls, recovery options and cited answers, and can take responsibility for operating the service. The free Community plan makes that path accessible, while Enterprise adds centralized identity and administration for 599.00 USD per year. Look elsewhere if managed hosting is a requirement today or if you need AI answers without configuring an AI key.

	CompassDocs	XWiki
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	$8/mo	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows	api, Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Access controls	advanced	—

CompassDocs vs XWiki

CompassDocs

XWiki