Outline vs Confluence (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of Outline and Confluence on BizOps Score, pricing, GitHub health, and self-hosting. Updated 2026-05-30.

πŸ† WINNER
71
Outline
Productivity
Open Source
Price: Free (self-hosted)
Stars: 27,000
View on GitHub β†’
vs
β€”
Confluence
Productivity
Paid
Price: Paid
Stars: N/A (paid)
Visit website β†’
πŸ’‘ Verdict: Outline wins (BizOps Score 71/100)

Outline is open-source and free to self-host. Confluence is a paid proprietary tool. For teams prioritising cost and data ownership, Outline is the clear choice. Use our Stack Grader for a personalised recommendation.

Feature comparison
MetricOutlineConfluence
BizOps Score71/100N/A/100
LicenseOpen SourceProprietary
GitHub Stars27,000N/A (paid)
Monthly CostFree (self-hosted)Paid
Self-hostingβœ“ Availableβœ— Cloud only
CategoryProductivityProductivity
Choose Outline when…
  • You want full data ownership and self-hosted control
  • Cost reduction is a priority β€” Outline is free to self-host
  • Your team has technical capacity to deploy and maintain
Choose Confluence when…
  • You need enterprise support and guaranteed SLA
  • Integration with existing enterprise stack is critical
  • Your team prefers clicking over coding
Not sure which fits your stack?

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