Team collaboration and knowledge management hub
Confluence Review 2026
Create, share, and organize team knowledge with connected documentation
- •Deep Jira integration linking documentation to developer workflows
- •Whiteboards with action items converting into Jira tickets
- •300+ templates for engineering, product, and business documentation
- •Search effectiveness declines significantly across 5,000+ pages
- •Page editor feels dated versus Notion's block-based system
- •Self-hosted Data Center pricing exceeds $40K/year for 500 users
Pros & Cons
Pros
63%- Deep Jira integration linking documentation to developer workflows
- Whiteboards with action items converting into Jira tickets
- 300+ templates for engineering, product, and business documentation
- Spaces with granular permissions for org-wide knowledge management
- Confluence AI summarizing pages and suggesting related content
Cons
37%- Search effectiveness declines significantly across 5,000+ pages
- Page editor feels dated versus Notion's block-based system
- Self-hosted Data Center pricing exceeds $40K/year for 500 users
Third-Party Reviews
We verify our hands-on testing against aggregated user reviews from major platforms. Confluence holds a 4.1/5 across 32,400 reviews on G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius.
Rating Overview
Based on 32,400 reviews
Out of 18 total
In-depth coverage
Category Ratings
Before You Buy
Import real data from your current tool rather than starting from scratch in the trial. This reveals migration friction points early.
Have at least three team members from different roles use the trial independently before deciding. The admin experience often differs from the daily user experience.
Review the data export capabilities before committing. Can you export all your data in a machine-readable format (CSV, JSON, API access) without vendor assistance? Lock-in is a real cost.
Most organizations underestimate implementation time by 2-3x. Budget for internal setup labor, data migration, team training, and workflow configuration before projecting ROI timelines.
Based on our testing methodology and reviews of 38 B2B SaaS tools across 12 categories.
Executive Summary
Create, share, and organize team knowledge with connected documentation Confluence earns a 4.1/5 rating from 32,400 user reviews.
TL;DR
Confluence is a leading project management platform rated 4.1/5 across 32,400 reviews. Pricing starts at Free–$11/user/mo. Best for Engineering Teams and Product Teams.
Rating Overview
Confluence scores 4.1/5 overall with ease of use (3.8/5), features (4.2/5), performance (4/5), support (3.7/5), value (4/5).
Quick Verdict
Confluence earns a 4.1/5 rating recommended for Engineering Teams and Product Teams. Delivers solid functionality with functional design.
Company Background
Confluence was founded in 2004 in San Francisco, USA, serving 100K+ teams customers with 5,000+ employees.
Product Overview
Confluence is a team collaboration and knowledge management hub. Provides 18 features across Core, Analytics, Security, AI, Integrations, Advanced categories. Self-hosted available. Mobile on iOS and Android. API available.
Key Features
Essential project management features:
- Pages: Rich text with inline comments.
- Spaces: Organized content workspaces.
- Whiteboards: Visual collaboration with Jira sync.
- Templates: 300+ pre-built document types.
- Databases: Structured table content.
- Blogs: Team news and updates.
Feature Deep Dive
Pages. Rich text with inline comments. Spaces. Organized content workspaces. Whiteboards. Visual collaboration with Jira sync.
AI Features
Confluence AI includes AI content suggestions, Smart search, AI page summaries.
API & Automation
Confluence provides a comprehensive API for custom integration and workflow automation.
Security
Confluence holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, FedRAMP certifications with TLS 1.2+ and AES-256 encryption.
Compliance
Confluence complies with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOC 2 regulations.
Integrations
Integrates with Jira, Slack, Trello, GitHub, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Figjam, Draw.io, and 2+ more.
Pricing
Confluence uses freemium with per-user premium. Free tier available. Plans from Free–$11/user/mo.
Pros
Confluence advantages:
- Deep Jira integration linking documentation to developer workflows
- Whiteboards with action items converting into Jira tickets
- 300+ templates for engineering, product, and business documentation
- Spaces with granular permissions for org-wide knowledge management
Cons
Considerations:
- Search effectiveness declines significantly across 5,000+ pages
- Page editor feels dated versus Notion's block-based system
- Self-hosted Data Center pricing exceeds $40K/year for 500 users
Performance
Adequate performance for most use cases.
Ease of Use
Moderate learning curve with comprehensive documentation.
User Experience
Functional organized interface.
Customer Support
Support rated 3.7/5 via email and knowledge base.
Industry Fit
Best for Knowledge Management and Collaboration with Engineering Teams and Product Teams teams.
Team Size Fit
Confluence accommodates teams of all sizes with generous free tier. Best ROI for 5-50 person teams.
Real Use Cases
A engineering teams team uses Confluence to streamline project management workflows and improve team productivity.
Competitor Analysis
Confluence competes with notion, monday-com, asana. Primary differentiators: core functionality and pricing.
Alternatives
Consider notion, monday-com, asana based on specific team requirements.
Migration Guide
Migration rated moderate complexity. Budget 2-4 weeks for full transition. Parallel testing recommended.
Buying Advice
Evaluate: feature alignment, total cost at Free–$11/user/mo, migration effort (2-4 weeks), and real-data trial.
Final Verdict
Confluence earns 4.1/5. Solid option for most teams. Recommended for teams prioritizing project management.
Pricing at a Glance
Feature Radar
Implementation Flow
Feature Breakdown
Core Features
12/12 availableIntegrations Features
1/1 availablePricing
Pricing: Freemium
- Core features
- Community support
- 1 GB storage
- All features
- Priority support
- Unlimited storage
- API access
- Everything in Pro
- SSO/SAML
- Audit logs
- 99.9% SLA
Sources & Methodology
This review is based on hands-on testing by the PilotStack team using Confluence for at least two weeks in realistic workflows. Ratings reflect our standardized five-dimension rubric. User review counts aggregate data from G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Pricing and feature availability are verified at the time of review and may change. See our full methodology for details on our testing process, scoring rubric, and editorial independence policy.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-19 · No vendor payment or sponsorship influenced this review · We may earn affiliate commission on purchases made through links on this site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Confluence best used for?
Confluence is best used for create, share, and organize team knowledge with connected documentation.
How much does Confluence cost?
Confluence uses freemium with per-user premium starting at Free–$11/user/mo. Free tier available.
Does Confluence integrate with other tools?
Yes, integrates with Jira, Slack, Trello, GitHub, Google Drive. And 5+ more.
Is Confluence suitable for small teams?
Yes, with a generous free tier. Freemium with per-user premium scales with team growth.
How does Confluence pricing work?
Confluence uses freemium with per-user premium from Free–$11/user/mo, with free tier available.
Is Confluence secure?
Yes, holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, FedRAMP certifications with encryption.
What integrations does Confluence offer?
Integrates with Jira, Slack, Trello, GitHub, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and more. API available.
Is Confluence good for small businesses?
Yes, with free tier. Freemium with per-user premium scales with business size.
What are Confluence's main advantages?
Deep Jira integration linking documentation to developer wor and Whiteboards with action items converting into Jira tickets.
What are Confluence's limitations?
Search effectiveness declines significantly across 5,000+ pages and Page editor feels dated versus Notion's block-based system.
How does Confluence compare to notion?
Confluence differentiates through pricing and performance.
Does Confluence support team collaboration?
Yes, includes collaboration features for team workflows.
Can I customize Confluence?
Yes, via API, custom fields, and templates.
Is Confluence easy to set up?
Setup takes a few days with documentation support.
How often does Confluence update?
Updates monthly.
What support does Confluence provide?
Support rated 3.7/5. Email and knowledge base.
Does Confluence offer a free version?
Yes, with core features.
How does Confluence handle data privacy?
Complies with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOC 2 regulations.
What ROI can teams expect?
Positive ROI typically within 3-6 months from improved project management workflows.
What platforms does Confluence support?
Available on Cloud, Self-hosted. Mobile on iOS and Android.
Prices and ratings are approximate and may vary. Last updated 2026-07-19.