Confluence is a centralized wiki and collaboration platform designed for enterprise teams with deep integrations into the Atlassian ecosystem, while GitBook is a modern documentation platform optimized for technical documentation and developer-focused content with Git-based version control. Confluence excels at organizational wikis and project documentation, while GitBook prioritizes sleek presentation and developer experience.
Confluence vs GitBook — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise team wiki and collaboration platform by Atlassian with advanced search and organizational features.
Modern documentation platform with Git-native workflows, designed for technical teams and developer communities.
Primary Use Case. Version Control Integration. Starting Price (Annual). User Interface Design. Atlassian Ecosystem Integration. Search Functionality. Self-Hosting Option
Choose Confluence if your organization uses Jira, Bitbucket, or other Atlassian tools, needs powerful search and collaborative editing for non-technical teams, or requires self-hosting options. Choose GitBook if you're a developer-focused team documenting APIs and technical content, want seamless Git integration, prefer modern UI, or need a low-cost solution with beautiful default styling.
Confluence: Yes, limited free plan | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $10.44 (Standard tier) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $22.50+ (Premium tier) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $54,000+ (Data Center, 1,000 users) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 5/10 (structured) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 9/10 (advanced) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Limited (no native support) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 150+ native integrations | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Limited (outdated free tier) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: No (requires Jira) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 3 levels (space, page, content) | GitBook: 2 levels (workspace, page)
Confluence: 10+ (Standard plan 2026) | GitBook: 0 (documentation focus)
Confluence: Plugin-based (limited) | GitBook: Native (GitHub, GitLab)
Confluence: Standard inline preview | GitBook: Split-view with block inspection (Feb 2026)
Confluence: Basic content suggestions | GitBook: GitBook Agent with advanced prompts (Jan 2026)
Confluence: 20+ (Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence Cloud) | GitBook: 3 (GitHub, GitLab, Slack)
Learning Curve (1-5 scale, lower is better)
Confluence: 4 (steep, complex UI) | GitBook: 2 (intuitive, dev-friendly)
Confluence: Documentation & Knowledge Management | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Not native (requires Jira integration) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Comprehensive with flexible page layouts and macros | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Advanced full-text search across all documentation | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Improved inline macro rendering in 2026 update | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Any size (1+) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Seamless bidirectional linking with Jira and Atlassian tools | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Limited (via plugins) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Standard (SOC2, GDPR) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $5.75/user/month | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $17,250 (at $5.75/user) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 1,000+ (Atlassian Marketplace) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Add-on (paid extra) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 4-8 weeks for enterprise | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 250 MB per file (Cloud) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 4 levels (page, space, column, project) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 30 days cloud (unlimited self-hosted) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Bidirectional with app | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 150+ REST endpoints | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: iOS and Android native | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: No, requires integrations | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 1000+ add-ons | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Cloud, Server, and Data Center | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Up to 10 users | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Limited automation rules | GitBook: N/A
Starting Price per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Confluence: 10 users for 1 space | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Yes (Data Center, Server) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Native, two-way sync | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Basic (limited relations, no rollups) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Unlimited for Cloud, varies for Server | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 2.1s (typical page with macros) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 1000+ apps (Atlassian Marketplace) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $5.50 (Cloud) / $1,400/year (Server, 10 users) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 10 users unlimited | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 2-4 hours for basic setup | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 250 GB base + expandable | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 300 requests/minute for authenticated users | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Limited (macros and notifications only) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 78% adoption rate in surveyed organizations | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $5.75 (Standard tier) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Macro-based (added 2023) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Deep bi-directional sync | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 600+ via Marketplace + native | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: Unlimited (tree structure) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 4.2/5 stars (Google Play, 50K+ reviews) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $5.50 (Standard plan, annual billing) | GitBook: N/A
Total Cost of Ownership (50 Users, Annual)
Confluence: 5 levels (Space, Page, Block-level controls) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: $10 | GitBook: $0 (Free plan available)
Confluence: $800 | GitBook: Custom pricing (typically $20-50)
Confluence: Unlimited | GitBook: Up to 1GB per guest (team plans)
Confluence: Yes, with @mentions and inline comments | GitBook: Limited to comments only
Confluence: No (third-party apps only) | GitBook: Yes, direct GitHub/GitLab/Gitea sync
Confluence: Native (same company, native macro support) | GitBook: No direct integration
Confluence: 3.2/5 on App Store | GitBook: 4.6/5 on App Store
Confluence: 0 (external via Jira) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: ~3,000 via Atlassian Marketplace | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: No (uses Jira for tracking) | GitBook: N/A
Confluence: 5,000 (Cloud) | GitBook: 300 (Free), 1,000 (Team)
How to choose between Confluence and GitBook
Confluence vs GitBook — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Confluence vs GitBook. Contains 99 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Confluence vs GitBook — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Confluence vs GitBook.
Can we use Confluence and GitBook together?
Yes, many teams do. Use Confluence as your internal organizational wiki and project documentation hub (especially if using Jira), and use GitBook for external API documentation and developer guides. They serve different purposes and Confluence's ecosystem integration makes it irreplaceable for Atlassian-heavy shops.
What about security and compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA)?
Confluence offers SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA compliance, and self-hosting (Data Center) for regulated industries. GitBook offers SOC 2 but not HIPAA on Cloud. If compliance is critical, Confluence with self-hosting is the safer choice, though it costs significantly more ($1,200+/year).
How much time does Jira-Confluence integration actually save?
Studies show Atlassian users save 4-6 hours per week by linking Jira tickets directly to Confluence pages, embedding Jira macros in docs, and cross-referencing between platforms. This workflow is impossible in GitBook without manual work.
Should we switch from Confluence to GitBook?
Only if your primary use case is technical/API documentation and you're not heavily invested in Jira, Bitbucket, or other Atlassian tools. Confluence's strength is organizational wikis and team collaboration. GitBook excels at beautiful, Git-synced developer docs. Many organizations use both: Confluence for internal wikis/project docs, GitBook for external API documentation.
Which is better for developer documentation?
GitBook is significantly better for developer/API documentation due to native Git integration, version management, and OpenAPI support. Confluence requires third-party plugins and manual syncing with code repositories. GitBook's default styling also makes technical content more readable.
How to Choose Between Confluence and GitBook
Primary Use Case: Confluence has Enterprise wiki, team collaboration, organizational knowledge base, while GitBook has Technical documentation, developer guides, API docs.
Version Control Integration: Confluence has Limited native Git support, primarily Confluence-based versioning, while GitBook has Native Git/GitHub integration, syncs directly with repositories.
Starting Price (Annual): Confluence has $10/month (Free) to $800/month (Enterprise), while GitBook has $0/month (Free) to $20/month (Teams plan).
User Interface Design: Confluence has Traditional enterprise interface, functional but dense, while GitBook has Modern, minimalist design with focus on readability.
Consider: Atlassian Ecosystem Integration
Atlassian Ecosystem Integration: Confluence has Native integration with Jira, Bitbucket, Trello, OpsGenie, while GitBook has Limited third-party integration, GitHub/GitLab focus only.
Search Functionality: Confluence has Powerful full-text search with advanced filters and nested space searching, while GitBook has Basic keyword search with limited filtering options.
Self-Hosting Option: Confluence has Available (Confluence Server/Data Center), $1,200+ annual, while GitBook has Self-hosting requires enterprise plan, not standard offering.