Knowledge Base4 platforms compared

Best CMS for Knowledge Base Sites in 2026

Compare the best platforms for building a customer-facing knowledge base or help center with search, categories, and self-service support.

Deflect support tickets with a knowledge base that customers actually use.

TL;DR — Our Top Pick

Docusaurus is our top recommendation for knowledge base sites.

Built-in search, versioning, and sidebar navigation. Markdown authoring. Free and open-source. Perfect for developer-facing knowledge bases.

What a Knowledge Base CMS Needs

Product teams and support managers building customer-facing help centers and documentation.

Full-text search across all articles

Category and tag organization

Easy content editing for support teams

Analytics on article performance

Feedback mechanism (helpful/not helpful)

Top 4 Platforms Ranked

Docusaurus

Meta's documentation framework built on React

TOP PICK

Built-in search, versioning, and sidebar navigation. Markdown authoring. Free and open-source. Perfect for developer-facing knowledge bases.

Open SourceJavaScript/TypeScript (React)Free (open-source)

Strengths

Purpose-built for documentation with versioning, search, and i18n
Used by major open-source projects (React, Babel, Jest, Redux)
React-based — extend with any React component

Trade-offs

Focused on docs — not ideal for blogs or marketing sites
React dependency makes it heavier than Hugo or 11ty

Next.js + Sanity

React framework for production with SSR, SSG, and API routes

Custom knowledge base with visual editor for support teams. Full control over search, analytics, and feedback widgets.

Open SourceJavaScript/TypeScript (React)Free (open-source)

Strengths

Hybrid rendering — SSG, SSR, ISR, and client-side in one app
Most popular React framework with massive community
Built-in image optimization, API routes, and middleware

Trade-offs

React learning curve for non-JavaScript developers
App Router introduced complexity with Server Components

Astro Starlight

Content-focused framework that ships zero JavaScript by default

Fast, accessible, and SEO-friendly. Built-in search and i18n. Great for standalone help centers that need to load instantly.

Open SourceJavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic)Free (open-source)

Strengths

Ships zero JS to the client by default (Islands Architecture)
Use React, Vue, Svelte, or any framework in the same project
Content collections with type-safe Markdown/MDX

Trade-offs

Not ideal for highly interactive apps (designed for content sites)
Smaller ecosystem than Next.js — fewer integrations available

Payload CMS + Next.js

TypeScript-first headless CMS that lives in your Next.js app

Custom article types with category relationships. Built-in admin for support teams. Add analytics and feedback tracking with custom fields.

Open SourceTypeScript / Node.jsFree (self-hosted) / Cloud plans available

Strengths

Lives inside your Next.js codebase — zero API latency
Config-as-code with full TypeScript type safety
Built-in auth, access control, and file uploads

Trade-offs

Tightly coupled to Next.js ecosystem
Newer platform with a smaller community and fewer plugins

How to Decide

Search quality makes or breaks a knowledge base — invest in Algolia, Pagefind, or Orama

Support teams need a simple editor — choose a CMS with a good admin experience

Track which articles reduce ticket volume to measure ROI

Consider linking knowledge base articles from your app's UI for contextual help

Ready to migrate from WordPress?

WordPress → Docusaurus WordPress → Next.js WordPress → Astro Starlight

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I measure knowledge base effectiveness?

Track article views, search queries with no results, helpful/not helpful ratings, and correlate with support ticket volume. Articles with high views + low helpfulness ratings need rewriting.

Should the knowledge base be on a subdomain?

Common pattern is help.yoursite.com or docs.yoursite.com. This keeps it separate from your marketing site while maintaining brand continuity.

How do I handle search?

For small knowledge bases (<500 articles), Pagefind or Lunr.js work client-side. For larger ones, use Algolia or Meilisearch for instant, typo-tolerant search.