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September 2026 Edition, expanded tier · The six flagship models on every category, as published . The public index runs on the standard tier; this record is what the Expanded Edition Pack delivers on one category. The category page →
Index › GTM › Customer › Knowledge base · September 2026 Edition

Knowledge base and self-service

Asked as “knowledge base software”, and as “customer self-service help center tool”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B software company. 23 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, six models each.
Standing · first-choice share
35%
Document360
Contested · Confluence 13%
35Document36013Confluence13Zendesk Guide39others

35% of first choices, contested.

ShowinginAll 112 categories in the September 2026 Edition →

The standing

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all six models, for a mid-market B2B software company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
01Document36035%9%22endorsed leadernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 35% now.
02Zendesk Guide13%13%23accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 13% now.
03Confluence13%25%24criticized challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 13% now.
04Guru9%8%13accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 9% now.
05Notion9%29%21criticized challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 9% now.
Show the three products at 0%, ordered by negative rate
08GitBook0%20%10accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 0% now.
07Help Scout Docs0%10%10accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 0% now.
06Slite0%10%10accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 0% now.

The floor is 12 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one can't be told apart from repeat variation, and both are shown. Each index measures its own floor from its own repeat, over its own categories, so the floor differs from one index to the next. How the floor is measured

Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
Head to head
Document360 vs Zendesk GuideDocument360 vs ConfluenceDocument360 vs Guru
All ten head-to-head pages: the top five products, each against each
Document360 vs NotionZendesk Guide vs ConfluenceZendesk Guide vs GuruZendesk Guide vs NotionConfluence vs GuruConfluence vs NotionGuru vs Notion

Recommended versus criticized

Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.

Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative50%
Key
01Document36035%
02Zendesk Guide13%
03Confluence13%
04Guru9%
05Notion9%
06Slite0%
07Help Scout Docs0%
08GitBook0%

What they warned about

Two of six models held their first choice under the paraphrase. Claude Opus 5, Claude Opus 4.8, Gemini 3.1 Pro and Perplexity Sonar Pro changed. A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Confluence
25%
6 of 24 labels negative · 5 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“avoid any knowledge base that relies entirely on manual curation (like older SharePoint setups, disconnected Confluence pages” Gemini 3.1 Pro, negative prompt
Notion
29%
6 of 21 labels negative · 4 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“Avoid Notion if you are handling highly sensitive IP, patient data, or strict legal compliance.” Gemini 3.1 Pro, negative prompt
Zendesk Guide
13%
3 of 23 labels negative · 3 of 6 models
“sources position it more toward enterprise or broader service operations rather than a specifically mid-market B2B SaaS fit” Perplexity Sonar Pro, paraphrase prompt
SharePoint
60%
3 of 5 labels negative · 2 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“avoid any knowledge base that relies entirely on manual curation (like older SharePoint setups, disconnected Confluence pages” Gemini 3.1 Pro, negative prompt

What they cite

Six of the six models returned a source list in this edition: six return the pages they cited.

Sites the answers cite

28 of 36 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 6 of 6 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 505 links across 195 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. None of the 36 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category.

zendesk.com
vendor site · Zendesk14 answers · 15 citations · 4 models
slite.com
vendor site · Slite12 answers · 13 citations · 5 models
knowledge-base.software
11 answers · 19 citations · 3 models
featurebase.app
vendor site · Featurebase9 answers · 16 citations · 3 models
document360.com
vendor site · Document3609 answers · 14 citations · 5 models
helpjuice.com
vendor site · Helpjuice9 answers · 12 citations · 4 models
plain.com
vendor site · Plain9 answers · 11 citations · 3 models
usepylon.com
8 answers · 15 citations · 3 models
atlassian.com
vendor site · Atlassian7 answers · 7 citations · 2 models
notion.com
vendor site · Notion7 answers · 7 citations · 3 models
docsie.io
6 answers · 13 citations · 2 models
eesel.ai
6 answers · 7 citations · 2 models

Pages the answers cite

The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.

slite.com/learn/knowledge-base-softwares
10 answers · 4 models
zendesk.com/service/help-center/knowledge-base-software
9 answers · 3 models
plain.com/blog/best-knowledge-base-software-12-top-tools-for-2025
8 answers · 3 models
knowledge-base.software/comparison/document360
5 answers · 2 models
productlift.dev/best-knowledge-base-software
5 answers · 3 models
usepylon.com/blog/knowledge-base-software-support-teams-2025
5 answers · 2 models
document360.com/pricing
4 answers · 2 models
egain.com/best-knowledge-base-software-2026
4 answers · 2 models
helpjuice.com/blog/knowledge-base-software-buying-guide
4 answers · 2 models
knowledgeowl.com/blog/posts/find-best-knowledge-base-software
4 answers · 4 models

Search against answers

Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best knowledge base software”, “knowledge base software”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
Company and productsShareOwn site citedName searches, GoogleAI search demand, est.Organic visitsPaid search a month, est.Google ads, last 30 daysBest Google position
Document360 document360.com35%1021,3002015,294$64892
Zendesk Guide zendesk.com13%11321015,365,445$16,18163
Atlassian atlassian.com
Confluence 13%		13%126165,0006,6174,724,388 company$5,906614
Guru getguru.com9%10460,50017,06579,46110
Notion notion.com9%222673,00015,6081,061,46652
BookStack bookstackapp.com4%3812,100989,396
Zoho parent site
Zoho Desk 4%		4%1678,100105
HelpCenter.io helpcenter.io4%5
Plain plain.com4%890,50083,0951,3140
Slab slab.com4%2027,10055,13017,637

Google's top ten for the two searches hold 16 sites; 2 of them are among the sites the models cited here (atlassian.com, slite.com). The first result for “best knowledge base software” is ferndesk.com.

How they answered

Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
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ModelDirect“What is the best knowledge base software for a mid-market B2B software company?”Paraphrase“Which customer self-service help center tool would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B software company?”Comparative“What are the top knowledge base tools and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best knowledge base software for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating a knowledge base software. What should we look at?”Negative“Which knowledge base tools should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5Document360, Guru
Three alternativesConfluence, Intercom Articles, Zendesk Guide
against: NotionZendesk GuideChanged
Two alternativesDocument360, Help Scout Docs
no first choice
Eight alternativesConfluence, Document360, GitBook, Glean, Guru, Helpjuice, Notion, Zendesk Guide
against: ObsidianBookStack
Six alternativesConfluence, Docmost, Notion, Wiki.js, WordPress knowledge base plugin, phpMyFAQ
against: Document360, GitBook, Outline, Slab, Sliteno first choiceagainst: Confluence, Document360, Helpjuice, Notion, SharePoint, Zendesk Guide
Claude Opus 4.8Document360
Two alternativesConfluence, Zendesk Guide
Zendesk GuideChanged
Three alternativesDocument360, Freshdesk, Intercom Articles
no first choiceNotion, Zoho Desk
Four alternativesBookStack, Nuclino, Slite, Wiki.js
no first choicenothing named
GPT-6 AstraDocument360
Four alternativesConfluence, GitBook, Intercom Articles, Zendesk Guide
Document360Held
Two alternativesIntercom Articles, Zendesk Guide
no first choiceConfluence
Three alternativesBookStack, Notion, Zoho Desk
no first choice
Five alternativesConfluence, Glean, Guru, Notion, Zendesk Guide
against: Confluence, Help Scout Docs, Notion, Zendesk Guide
GPT-5.6 SolDocument360
Four alternativesGitBook, Guru, Intercom Knowledge Hub, Zendesk Guide
against: ConfluenceDocument360Held
Four alternativesHelp Scout Docs, Intercom Articles, ReadMe, Zendesk Guide
no first choice
Nine alternativesConfluence, Document360, GitBook, Guru, Intercom Articles, Notion, SharePoint, Slite, Zendesk Guide
Confluence
Four alternativesBookStack, Freshdesk, Notion, Zoho Learn
no first choicenothing named
Gemini 3.1 ProDocument360
Seven alternativesConfluence, GitBook, Guru, ReadMe, Slite, Stonly, Zendesk Guide
Document360, Zendesk GuideChanged
Three alternativesHubSpot Service Hub, Intercom Articles, Stonly
no first choice
Seven alternativesConfluence, Document360, Guru, Help Scout Docs, Notion, Slite, Zendesk Guide
Confluence, Slab
Five alternativesBookStack, GitBook, HubSpot Service Hub, Notion, Wiki.js
Guru
Three alternativesConfluence, Glean, Slite
against: Notion, SharePointagainst: Confluence, Evernote, Miro, Notion, Power BI Q&A, SharePoint
Perplexity Sonar ProHelpCenter.io
Three alternativesDocument360, Helpjuice, Zendesk Guide
PlainChanged
One alternativeHubSpot Service Hub
against: Zendesk Guideno first choiceNotion
Four alternativesFreshdesk, Help Scout Docs, HelpDocs, Slab
no first choiceagainst: BookStack, Confluence, Docusaurus, DokuWiki, GitBook, Guru, MediaWiki, Mintlify, Notion, Tettra, XWiki, phpMyFAQ
Bold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against

The record

One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency.
Thirty-six rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
PromptModelVersion stringTime (UTC)SearchedSourcesLatency
Direct recommendationClaude Opus 5claude-opus-52026-09-09 19:28yes3761 s
Direct recommendationClaude Opus 4.8claude-opus-4-82026-09-09 19:29yes3749 s
Direct recommendationGPT-6 Astragpt-6-astra2026-09-09 19:32yes537 s
Direct recommendationGPT-5.6 Solgpt-5.6-sol2026-09-09 19:33yes552 s
Direct recommendationGemini 3.1 Progemini-3.1-pro-preview2026-09-10 17:25yes8115 s
Direct recommendationPerplexity Sonar Prosonar-pro2026-09-09 19:30yes2011 s
ParaphraseClaude Opus 5claude-opus-52026-09-09 19:35yes3754 s
ParaphraseClaude Opus 4.8claude-opus-4-82026-09-09 19:36no018 s
ParaphraseGPT-6 Astragpt-6-astra2026-09-09 19:38yes521 s
ParaphraseGPT-5.6 Solgpt-5.6-sol2026-09-09 19:39yes831 s
ParaphraseGemini 3.1 Progemini-3.1-pro-preview2026-09-10 17:26no025 s
ParaphrasePerplexity Sonar Prosonar-pro2026-09-10 19:05yes205 s
ComparativeClaude Opus 5claude-opus-52026-09-09 19:44yes33144 s
ComparativeClaude Opus 4.8claude-opus-4-82026-09-09 19:49yes34249 s
ComparativeGPT-6 Astragpt-6-astra2026-09-09 19:51yes739 s
ComparativeGPT-5.6 Solgpt-5.6-sol2026-09-09 19:54yes965 s
ComparativeGemini 3.1 Progemini-3.1-pro-preview2026-09-10 17:27no021 s
ComparativePerplexity Sonar Prosonar-pro2026-09-09 19:50yes208 s
Budget constrainedClaude Opus 5claude-opus-52026-09-09 19:56yes3855 s
Budget constrainedClaude Opus 4.8claude-opus-4-82026-09-09 19:59yes3757 s
Budget constrainedGPT-6 Astragpt-6-astra2026-09-09 20:01yes429 s
Budget constrainedGPT-5.6 Solgpt-5.6-sol2026-09-09 20:02yes520 s
Budget constrainedGemini 3.1 Progemini-3.1-pro-preview2026-09-10 17:28no026 s
Budget constrainedPerplexity Sonar Prosonar-pro2026-09-09 20:00yes205 s
Scale constrainedClaude Opus 5claude-opus-52026-09-09 20:04no032 s
Scale constrainedClaude Opus 4.8claude-opus-4-82026-09-09 20:05no023 s
Scale constrainedGPT-6 Astragpt-6-astra2026-09-09 20:07yes534 s
Scale constrainedGPT-5.6 Solgpt-5.6-sol2026-09-09 20:08yes552 s
Scale constrainedGemini 3.1 Progemini-3.1-pro-preview2026-09-10 17:32no0107 s
Scale constrainedPerplexity Sonar Prosonar-pro2026-09-09 20:05yes207 s
Negative framingClaude Opus 5claude-opus-52026-09-09 20:10yes4249 s
Negative framingClaude Opus 4.8claude-opus-4-82026-09-09 20:11yes013 s
Negative framingGPT-6 Astragpt-6-astra2026-09-09 20:13yes532 s
Negative framingGPT-5.6 Solgpt-5.6-sol2026-09-09 20:14yes325 s
Negative framingGemini 3.1 Progemini-3.1-pro-preview2026-09-10 18:39yes1654 s
Negative framingPerplexity Sonar Prosonar-pro2026-09-09 20:12yes207 s

Normalization in this category

Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.

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Category-scoped readings
Freshworks (Freshdesk) read as Freshdesk
Help Scout read as Help Scout Docs
Help Scout (Docs) read as Help Scout Docs
Intercom read as Intercom Articles
Zendesk read as Zendesk Guide
Zendesk (Guide + Suite) read as Zendesk Guide
Zendesk (Zendesk Guide) read as Zendesk Guide
Zendesk Suite read as Zendesk Guide
Unresolved, counted raw
None awaiting human review.
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.

Also in customer

The other categories of this function, with the leader in each.
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