Docmost vs Confluence
One costs 1/6th the price. One has 15 years of enterprise customers. Here's what you're actually paying, what each does, and whether migration is worth your time.
What are they?
Docmost is open-source team wiki software you run yourself or hire us to run for you. Real-time collaboration. Built-in AI. Native Confluence importer. Block-based editor like Notion.
Confluence is Atlassian's enterprise wiki since 2004. Cloud-hosted (SaaS) or self-hosted (Data Center). Used by most Fortune 500 companies. Rich-text editor, massive app ecosystem, tight Jira integration.
Both do the same job: pages, spaces, search, comments, permissions, integrations.
The pricing gap (where it matters most)
| Plan | 1 user | 10 users | 100 users | 500 users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confluence Cloud Standard | $76/month | $880/year | $15,360/year | $77,500/year |
| Confluence Data Center (self-hosted) | $28,000/year minimum | — | — | — |
| Docmost Business ($6/seat/month, annual) | $72/year | $600/year | $7,200/year | $36,000/year |
At 100 users: Confluence Standard is $15,360/year. Docmost is $7,200/year. You save $8,160 annually.
At 500 users: Confluence is $77,500/year. Docmost is $36,000/year. Difference: $41,500.
Confluence scales per-user forever. Docmost charges per-seat with a 10-seat minimum ($600/year). Linear pricing, no exponential creep.
Features: what each actually does
Docmost includes (Business tier):
- Real-time collaboration with live cursors
- Self-hosted AI (Ollama, vLLM, local LLMs) or cloud APIs you choose
- Block-based editor (modular, drag-and-drop, familiar to Notion users)
- Native Confluence importer (built-in, no third-party tools)
- GDPR data sovereignty (on-premises deployment in your region)
- Spaces, databases, Kanban boards
- SSO (SAML, OIDC, LDAP), MFA, granular page permissions
- Diagrams: Draw.io, Excalidraw, Mermaid
- 20+ integrations: Figma, Airtable, Google Drive, Typeform, Miro, Loom
Confluence Cloud/Data Center includes:
- 15+ years of stability and enterprise trust
- Deep Jira integration (issue macros, two-way sync)
- 1000+ app marketplace (extensive ecosystem)
- Rovo AI search (cloud-only, Atlassian-managed)
- Advanced page automation (Business tier+)
- Whiteboarding app
- Mobile apps (iOS, Android)
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 (Cloud only)
Key differences
1. Editor paradigm: Docmost uses blocks (modular, Notion-like). Confluence uses rich-text (traditional wiki, more structured prose). Both work; they suit different team workflows.
2. AI approach: Docmost runs local LLMs (Ollama, vLLM) so your data stays on-premises. Confluence Rovo AI is cloud-managed by Atlassian. If you handle regulated data, Docmost's local-first AI is a major advantage.
3. Deployment: Docmost is self-hosted by default. Confluence Cloud is SaaS only; Data Center is self-hosted but enterprise-tier pricing ($28K+/year minimum).
4. Lock-in: Docmost is open-source (AGPL). No vendor lock-in. Confluence is proprietary. Switching away is one-way.
5. Search: Docmost offers keyword search plus AI semantic search. Confluence Cloud offers Rovo AI (cloud). Data Center offers basic search.
Security and compliance
Docmost:
- GDPR-ready (on-premises deployment in your region)
- ITAR-ready (air-gapped deployment)
- FedRAMP-eligible (self-hosted)
- MFA, SSO (SAML, OIDC, LDAP)
- Audit logs (Enterprise tier only)
- No data sent to Atlassian or third-party cloud
Confluence:
- GDPR-ready (Cloud has data processing agreement)
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 (Cloud only)
- HIPAA, FedRAMP, HITRUST available (Data Center enterprise)
- Data Center is self-hosted but no Cloud alternative on-premises
- Cloud defaults to US AWS regions (data residency concern for EU teams)
Integrations: where Confluence wins big
Confluence has a massive app ecosystem (1000+ apps on Atlassian Marketplace). Docmost has 20+ direct integrations.
If you rely on Jira macros (issue trackers, roadmaps, status dashboards), Confluence is your clearer choice because Docmost does not integrate with Jira natively.
If you use Slack, Figma, Google Workspace, or modern SaaS tools, both work equally well.
The Confluence March 2029 deadline
Atlassian ended Server support in February 2024. Data Center support ends March 2, 2029.
If you run Confluence Data Center on-premises, you have 18 months to:
- Migrate to Confluence Cloud (per-user costs apply), or
- Run Confluence indefinitely on 2025 versions (no new features, no security updates), or
- Switch to an alternative (Docmost, BookStack, XWiki, Outline).
This deadline is real. Plan now.
Who should choose Docmost?
- Your team is growing and per-user costs matter
- You need data residency in Europe (GDPR requirement)
- You want to avoid vendor lock-in
- Modern UI (Notion-style blocks) appeals to your team
- You are willing to self-host or use managed hosting
- You need built-in AI but do not want vendor lock-in to OpenAI or Google
- You do not use Jira heavily
Who should choose Confluence?
- You already use Jira and need tight Jira integration
- Your organization demands third-party certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
- You need 1000+ app integrations for niche workflows
- Per-user costs are not a budget constraint
- You prefer Atlassian's 15-year track record and support
- Your team loves the rich-text editor and structured wiki approach
Save per year on a 100-person team.
Confluence Standard: $15,360/year. Docmost Business: $7,200/year. At 500 people, you save $41,500 annually.
How to migrate from Confluence to Docmost
Confluence export can take hours depending on your data volume. Docmost has a native importer built-in. No third-party tools needed.
Export your Confluence spaces
Use Confluence's built-in export (XML format). Download all spaces, attachments, and page history. Larger instances take longer.
Upload to Docmost via the importer
Docmost's native Confluence importer translates spaces, pages, comments, and formatting. No manual page recreation needed.
Verify and test
Check a sample of pages for formatting, images, and links. The importer handles 99% of cases. Edge cases (embedded Jira macros) may need manual fixes.
Train your team
Docmost's block-based editor is intuitive for most teams. Keyboard shortcuts and page organization are different. Plan a 30-minute walkthrough.
Decommission Confluence
Cancel your Confluence subscription. Archive the old wiki for reference if needed.
Docmost vs Confluence: The managed hosting advantage
If you choose Docmost, let us handle the infrastructure. You focus on your team; we handle uptime, backups, and security.
No server maintenance
You do not patch Docmost, manage Linux, or monitor disk space. We update automatically, test releases, and handle backups every 6 hours. Your wiki stays current and your data stays safe without DevOps overhead.
99.9% uptime SLA
Your wiki is always available. We run Docmost on redundant German infrastructure in ISO 27001-certified data centers, with automatic failover and 24/7 monitoring. If your wiki goes down, we pay service credits.
Support when you need it
Email support, live chat, and Slack integration. No community forums or waiting. We know Docmost deeply. Questions about setup, migration, or configuration get answered in hours, not days.
Built for teams who need reliability
Security and compliance built in
Self-hosted Docmost means your data stays in your control. Managed hosting with Opsily adds enterprise-grade security without the DevOps overhead.
GDPR compliant
Data stays in Europe by default. No US servers, no data sharing with third parties. Full compliance with EU data protection regulations.
Daily encrypted backups
Every copy of your wiki is encrypted at rest and in transit. Backups stored separately so ransomware cannot wipe them out.
Access control via SSO
Connect Docmost to your Okta, Azure AD, or other SAML provider. Revoke access instantly when people leave.
Audit logs
See who changed what, and when. Critical for compliance workflows and understanding what happened when bugs appear.
Questions about docmost vs confluence
Everything you need to know before you switch.
Docmost has a native Confluence importer built in. You export your spaces from Confluence (XML format) and upload them to Docmost. The importer translates spaces, pages, comments, and formatting cleanly. For a small-to-medium wiki (under 500 pages), the process takes a few hours. Some edge cases (Jira macros, custom plugins) may need manual fixes, but those are rare. The biggest effort is usually training your team on the new UI, not the data migration itself. If you use Opsily's managed hosting, we handle the import for you.
Ready to cut your wiki costs in half?
Docmost is 1/6th the price of Confluence at scale. Start a free trial of Opsily's managed Docmost hosting. No credit card. No setup fees.