Help+Manual
Help+Manual: A broad Windows publishing suite, but its one-time price limits its value for smaller teams. Ranked #27 of 37 in Technical Documentation Software by our editors (6.6/10); pricing: 30-day trial; best for windows writers needing traditional publishing outputs.
At a glance
- Editor score6.6 / 10
- Pricing30-day trial
- Best forWindows writers needing traditional publishing outputs
- Free planNo
- Paid from€569/seat one-time
- Documentation versioningYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Publishes one XML source to WebHelp, PDF, Word, eBook, and HTML Help
- Supports version control, localization, multi-user editing, and WebHelp search
- Adds screen capture, screencasts, analytics, and broad publishing integrations
Where it doesn't
- Windows-only coverage limits platform flexibility
- The €569 starting price is a significant one-time cost per seat
- Basic Edition excludes Professional features such as version control and localization
Our verdict on Help+Manual
Help+Manual is a Windows-based technical documentation authoring suite from EC Software GmbH. It is designed for individual technical writers, software developers, professional authors, and small authoring teams that need to create multiple documentation formats from a single XML source. Its WYSIWYG XML editor supports online help, printed manuals, WebHelp, HTML Help, PDF, Word, ePUB, Kindle, and other outputs. Templates and skins, screen capture, animated screencasts, full-text WebHelp search, and Google Analytics integration extend the publishing workflow.
Pricing follows a perpetual-license model rather than a subscription. The Basic Edition costs €569 per seat and covers online help, PDF documents, and printed user manuals. The Professional Edition costs €899 per seat and adds WebHelp and eBook publishing, version-control support, translation and localization tools, and built-in multi-user functionality. The Floating License costs €1569 per license and includes concurrent shared licensing, the Professional Edition feature set, and Terminal Server and Citrix support. A 30-day free trial is available. Full-text search and Google Analytics integration are available in the Professional and Floating editions, while Basic has reduced functionality.
The product’s main strength is breadth: one source can support traditional help, document, and ebook outputs, while integrations include Subversion, Microsoft Team Foundation Server, Microsoft Visual SourceSafe-compatible systems, DeepL, Microsoft Word, Adobe RoboHelp, Author-It, and Confluence. This makes it a fit for Windows-based teams with established publishing, localization, or version-control workflows. Teams needing multi-user authoring should consider Professional or Floating rather than Basic. Help+Manual is less suitable for organizations that require cross-platform authoring or prefer a recurring subscription model, and the one-time entry price may be difficult to justify for occasional documentation work.
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Help+Manual pricing
All 3 Help+Manual plans and prices →
Help+Manual fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | €569/seat one-time |
| Custom domain | Not verified |
| Private documentation | Not verified |
| Documentation versioning | Yes |
| Full-text search | Yes |
| Reader analytics | Yes |
| Paid author limit | Not verified |
| Free trial | 30 days |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Deployment | Desktop |
| Platforms | Windows |
| Support | Email, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 8 integrations: Subversion, Microsoft Team Foundation Server, Microsoft Visual SourceSafe-compatible systems, DeepL, Microsoft Word, Adobe RoboHelp … |
| Pricing | 30-day trial (source) |
| Website | helpandmanual.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Help+Manual integrations
Help+Manual lists 8 integrations on its own site.
- Subversion
- Microsoft Team Foundation Server
- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe-compatible systems
- DeepL
- Microsoft Word
- Adobe RoboHelp
- Author-It
- Confluence
Alternatives to Help+Manual
- GitBookA broad technical documentation platform with Git sync, publishing controls, workflows, analytics, and AI.9.3
- Read the DocsA repository-driven documentation platform with strong versioning and build workflows.9.2
- SphinxA free, open-source documentation generator for extensible developer workflows.9.0
See all Help+Manual alternatives →
Also Ranked In
Help+Manual is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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