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Basecamp vs Confluence

Basecamp logo

Basecamp

All industries

Project management & team collaboration software

From
Free
Rated
-
Confluence logo

Confluence

Writing & Documentation

Your remote-friendly team workspace

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Confluence listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X
  • They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Confluence covers Page creation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Confluence actually diverge.

Attributes where Basecamp and Confluence differ
AttributeBasecampConfluence
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android
CategoryAll industriesWriting & Documentation
Founded20042002

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Basecamp

  • Message boards
  • To-do lists
  • Schedules
  • Documents & files
  • Group chat
  • Check-in questions
  • Hill Charts
  • Email forwards

Only in Confluence

  • Page creation
  • Rich text editing
  • Macros
  • Templates
  • Comments
  • Version history
  • Content organization
  • Jira

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Zapier
  • GitHub
  • SOC2

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Basecamp

  • Project management for a small team in one placenot Confluence
  • Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Confluence
  • Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Confluence
  • Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Confluence

Confluence

  • Knowledge basenot Basecamp
  • Meeting notesnot Basecamp
  • Process documentationnot Basecamp
  • Project planningnot Basecamp

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Basecamp

  • The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
  • Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
  • Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
  • Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited

Confluence

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X

Pricing, plan by plan

Basecamp

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Basecamp review.

Confluence

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited pages
    • Basic sharing
    • Search
  • Standard$5.5/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced permissions
    • Macros

Which should you pick?

Choose Basecamp if

  • You need message boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want to-do lists.

Choose Confluence if

  • You need page creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want rich text editing.

Questions people ask

Is Basecamp or Confluence better?
Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Confluence at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Confluence?
Basecamp starts at Free and Confluence at Free.
Does Basecamp or Confluence run on more platforms?
Basecamp runs on Web. Confluence runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
Can I use Basecamp for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Basecamp best used for?
Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Confluence is typically brought in for.
What can Basecamp do that Confluence cannot?
Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Confluence covers Page creation, Rich text editing, Macros, Templates. Both handle Slack, Zapier, GitHub, SOC2.

Related pages

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