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ProProfs Knowledge Base uses a straightforward per-author pricing model. Unlike tools that charge per site or per feature tier, ProProfs charges based on how many people create and edit content. For a full feature breakdown, see our ProProfs KB review.
That simplicity is appealing, but the costs scale linearly with your team size. Here’s what you need to know.
ProProfs KB Pricing at a Glance
| Billing | Price/Author | Annual Cost (1 author) | Savings vs Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $79/month | $948/year | - |
| Annual | $49/month | $588/year | 38% |
15-day free trial. No credit card required.
ProProfs keeps it simple: one plan, one feature set, variable pricing based on billing cycle and team size.
What’s an “Author”?
Understanding ProProfs’ pricing requires knowing who counts as an author:
Authors are team members who log into your knowledge base to:
- Create and edit articles
- Manage content structure
- Configure settings
- View analytics
Users/Viewers are free:
- Readers accessing your public knowledge base don’t count
- Internal team members who only view content (not edit) are free
- You can have unlimited viewers
This model works well if you have a small team creating content for many readers. It becomes expensive if you need multiple people editing documentation.
Monthly vs Annual: The Math
The 38% savings on annual billing is substantial:
| Team Size | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 author | $948/year | $588/year | $360 |
| 2 authors | $1,896/year | $1,176/year | $720 |
| 3 authors | $2,844/year | $1,764/year | $1,080 |
| 5 authors | $4,740/year | $2,940/year | $1,800 |
For teams planning to use ProProfs long-term, annual billing makes financial sense. But that’s a significant upfront commitment for a tool you haven’t tested beyond the 15-day trial.
The Hidden Cost: Custom Domain
ProProfs includes most features in their single plan, but custom domains cost extra:
Custom domain add-on: $300/year
This fee covers:
- Using your own URL (help.yourcompany.com instead of yourcompany.proprofskb.com)
- Removing “Powered by ProProfs” branding
- White-label appearance
For customer-facing knowledge bases, this is essentially mandatory. A ProProfs-branded subdomain looks unprofessional for most businesses.
Real cost for a 2-author team:
- 2 authors (annual): $1,176/year
- Custom domain: $300/year
- Total: $1,476/year (~$123/month)
That’s competitive with alternatives, but no longer the budget option it first appears.
What’s Included
ProProfs includes all features in their single plan:
Content creation:
- WYSIWYG editor
- Import from Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Article templates
- Image and video embedding
- Version history
Organization:
- Categories and folders
- Multiple knowledge bases
- Table of contents
- Drag-and-drop reordering
Access control:
- Public and private knowledge bases
- Role-based permissions
- Password protection
- User groups
Search and analytics:
- Full-text search
- AI-powered search
- Tag filtering
- Search analytics
- Article performance metrics
AI features:
- AI Writer for content creation
- AI-powered SEO optimization
- Automated tagging suggestions
Integrations:
- Zendesk, Freshdesk, Salesforce
- Slack, Microsoft Teams
- Google Analytics
- Live chat tools
What’s NOT Included
ProProfs lacks some features that competitors offer:
AI is creation-focused: ProProfs includes AI Writer and AI-powered search, but no automated content maintenance. The AI helps you write faster, but it won’t monitor your product for changes or analyze support tickets to identify documentation gaps.
No embedded widgets: You can’t embed a help widget in your application. Customers must navigate to your help site separately.
No version control beyond history: There’s no branching, no approval workflows, no scheduled publishing.
No advanced analytics: Basic metrics only. Understanding user behavior requires Google Analytics integration.
Team Pricing: When to Contact Sales
ProProfs recommends contacting sales for teams with 3+ authors. This suggests:
- Volume discounts may be available
- Custom contracts for larger teams
- Potentially different feature access
If you’re evaluating ProProfs for a team of 5+ authors, get a custom quote rather than relying on published pricing.
How ProProfs Compares on Price
| Tool | Starting Price | Model | AI Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProProfs KB | $49/author/month | Per-author | Yes (creation) |
| Ferndesk | $39/month | Tiered (2 users) | Yes (unlimited) |
| HelpDocs | $49/month | Tiered (2 users) | Yes (limited) |
| GitBook | $65/site/month | Per-site + user | Yes |
| Helpjuice | $249/month | Tiered (30 users) | Yes (extra) |
| Mintlify | $300/month | Tiered | Yes |
ProProfs is affordable for 1-2 author teams. Beyond that, the per-author model becomes less competitive:
- 1 author: ProProfs ($49) is cheaper than GitBook ($65)
- 3 authors: ProProfs ($147) costs more than HelpDocs ($49) or GitBook ($89)
- 5 authors: ProProfs ($245) costs more than HelpDocs ($99) or GitBook ($113)
The per-author model that makes ProProfs affordable for solo users makes it expensive for teams.
When ProProfs Pricing Makes Sense
ProProfs is cost-effective if:
- You have 1-2 content authors maximum
- AI-assisted content creation is sufficient (without automated maintenance)
- Annual billing works for your budget
- The custom domain fee ($300/year) is acceptable
- Simple features are sufficient
When to Consider Alternatives
Look elsewhere if:
- Your team will grow beyond 2-3 authors
- You need AI that proactively maintains documentation
- Per-seat pricing feels limiting
- You need embedded help widgets
- The custom domain fee feels like nickel-and-diming
For a complete feature comparison, see our ProProfs KB review. For AI-powered documentation without per-author fees, try Ferndesk. Other alternatives include HelpDocs, GitBook, or Docusaurus.
How Ferndesk Compares
The per-author pricing model punishes growth. Every new team member costs another $49/month. Ferndesk flips that model entirely.
| Feature | ProProfs KB | Ferndesk |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/author/month | $39/month (2 users included) |
| 3-author team cost | $147/month | $39/month |
| Custom domain | $300/year extra | Included |
| AI features | Content creation | Creation + maintenance |
| Embedded widget | No | Yes |
| Support ticket sync | No | Up to 5,000/month |
A 5-person team on ProProfs pays $245/month plus the $300/year custom domain fee. That’s $270/month for a knowledge base with no embedded widgets and no automatic updates.
The same team on Ferndesk Scale pays $99/month. Custom domain included. And Fern does work ProProfs doesn’t touch:
Fern watches your codebase. Connect GitHub, and Fern flags articles that need updates when your product changes. ProProfs waits for customers to find outdated docs.
Fern reads your support tickets. Patterns across thousands of conversations surface as FAQ drafts in your review queue. Your team stops answering the same questions.
Fern embeds in your product. Customers get answers without leaving your app. ProProfs requires a separate help site visit.
Bottom Line
ProProfs Knowledge Base pricing is simple: pay per author, get all features. That model works for solo founders or tiny teams where one person manages documentation.
The moment you need 3+ authors, the math changes. A 5-author team on ProProfs pays more than alternatives that include AI features, embedded widgets, and automatic content updates.
Add the $300/year custom domain fee, and ProProfs’ “affordable” positioning evaporates for professional deployments.
If you want documentation that maintains itself without counting authors, Ferndesk starts at $39/month with AI-powered automation included. Try it free and see the difference between paying per author and paying for results.
