Slite carved out a nice niche as a team knowledge base that's simpler than Confluence but more collaborative than Google Docs. I used it with a remote team back in 2024, and honestly, it did what it promised: easy note-taking, quick search, clean organization.
But after about six months, we hit Slite's limitations. The lack of databases or structured data meant we couldn't build things like contact directories or project trackers within the tool. We ended up maintaining spreadsheets separately, which defeated the purpose of centralizing knowledge.
The AI features Slite added in late 2024 (Ask Slite, AI summaries) are interesting but feel like table stakes now. Notion, Confluence, and others have similar or better AI capabilities. Slite's AI doesn't feel differentiated enough to justify sticking with the platform if other limitations bother you.
Pricing is another consideration. Slite costs $10/user/month for the Standard plan with full features. That's competitive with Notion, but Notion offers way more functionality for the same price. You're paying similar costs for less capability.
That said, Slite's simplicity is valuable for some teams. If you tried Notion and found it overwhelming, or Confluence felt too corporate, Slite sits in a nice middle ground. The interface is clean, the learning curve is gentle, and it does documentation without complexity.
If Slite works for your team and you're happy, there's no urgent reason to switch. But if you're hitting limits with structure, integrations, or advanced features, the alternatives below might serve you better.
Why Look Beyond Slite?
Slite is solid at what it does, but "solid" isn't always enough. Here's why teams switch.
Limited Structure and Data Capabilities
Slite is great for unstructured notes and documentation, but it doesn't handle structured data well. You can't create databases, tables with filters, or relationship views like Notion offers. If you need to track projects, contacts, or any structured information, you're stuck using external spreadsheets.
This becomes painful when your knowledge base needs to reference structured data. Want a company directory in Slite? You can list people in a doc, but you can't filter by department, search by role, or link to related projects like you could in Notion's databases.
Integration Ecosystem
Slite integrates with basics like Slack and Google Drive, but the ecosystem is smaller than competitors. Notion connects with hundreds of tools via Zapier and native integrations. Confluence ties into the entire Atlassian suite. Slite's integration options feel limited in comparison.
For teams relying on automation or connecting knowledge bases to other workflows, this limitation creates friction.
Advanced Collaboration Features
Slite has commenting and @mentions, which covers basics. But it lacks advanced collaboration like version history comparison, granular permissions by section, or collaborative databases. Confluence offers detailed permissions and audit logs for enterprise teams. Notion supports real-time co-editing in databases and complex pages.
For small teams, Slite's collaboration is fine. For larger organizations or teams with complex permission requirements, it falls short.
Customization and Flexibility
Slite's interface is clean because it's opinionated. You get channels (categories) and notes. That's it. You can't build custom workflows, dashboards, or specialized views like you can in Notion or ClickUp.
This simplicity helps teams get started fast but becomes limiting when you want to customize knowledge organization for specific needs.
Pricing Value Proposition
At $10/user/month, Slite costs the same as Notion but offers less functionality. If you're paying similar prices, why not get databases, project management, and hundreds of integrations alongside your documentation?
The counterargument is simplicity has value. But for price-conscious teams, Notion or even free tools like Nuclino (up to a point) provide better bang for buck.
What Makes a Good Alternative?
Slite's sweet spot is simple team documentation. Your alternative should match or exceed that while addressing whatever limitations pushed you to look elsewhere.
Balance of Simplicity and Power
Slite succeeds by being simple. If you're switching because it's too limited, you want more features. But don't overcorrect and choose something so complex nobody uses it.
Notion is more powerful but requires learning. Nuclino is similarly simple to Slite with a few extras. Confluence is feature-rich but corporate-feeling. Think about where your team sits on the complexity spectrum.
Search and Discoverability
Slite's search is decent. Your alternative needs equal or better search to avoid losing knowledge in a growing library. Test search in alternatives: create some sample docs, then try finding specific information. Good search finds results fast and surfaces related content.
Some tools (Guru, Slab) focus heavily on search and knowledge retrieval. If that's a priority, they might fit better than general-purpose tools.
Onboarding and Adoption
Whatever alternative you choose needs team buy-in. Slite is easy to learn, which helps adoption. If your alternative requires extensive training or setup, you'll face resistance.
Check for templates, quick-start guides, and intuitive interfaces. The best tool is the one your team will actually use consistently.
Data Export and Portability
Slite lets you export to Markdown, which is portable. Make sure your alternative offers similar or better export options. You don't want to get locked into another platform with proprietary formats.
Markdown export is ideal because it's readable in any text editor and importable into most modern tools.
Integration Needs
What tools does your team use daily? Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Jira? Verify your alternative integrates properly. Slite's integration list is limited, so most alternatives will match or exceed it. But double-check your specific must-haves before switching.
Notion
Notion is the most common alternative when teams outgrow Slite. It's more complex but way more capable.
Notion's pages can combine notes, databases, kanban boards, calendars, and embeds. This flexibility lets you build exactly what your team needs rather than adapting to Slite's fixed structure. Want a meeting notes database linked to project pages? Easy in Notion, impossible in Slite.
The databases are the killer feature. Create a contact database with fields for role, department, email, and projects. View it as a table, filter by department, or link contacts to project pages. This structured data capability is what teams miss most in Slite. Check out our Notion vs Slite comparison for more details.
Notion's collaboration matches Slite: real-time co-editing, comments, @mentions. But Notion adds version history and more granular permissions. You can share individual pages publicly or limit access to specific teams within your workspace.
The learning curve is real though. Slite's simplicity means new users can start documenting immediately. Notion requires understanding pages, databases, blocks, and relations before you unlock its potential. Expect a few weeks of adjustment.
Pricing is the same: $10/user/month for Plus (team plan). You're paying what you paid for Slite but getting significantly more capability. For most teams, this trade makes sense.
Where Notion frustrates some people: it can feel like overkill if you just need simple documentation. The flexibility means more decisions about structure and templates. Slite's constraints actually help teams that don't want to design their own systems.
Use Notion if you need databases, project management, or customization beyond Slite's capabilities. Stick with Slite if simplicity matters more than power.
Nuclino
Nuclino feels like Slite's close cousin: focused on team knowledge with minimal complexity. The difference is Nuclino costs less and has a few unique features Slite lacks.
Nuclino organizes content into items (like Slite's notes) but visualizes them as a graph showing connections between pages. This graph view helps teams understand their knowledge structure and spot orphaned content. Slite doesn't have anything similar.
The real-time collaboration is smooth, matching Slite's experience. Multiple people can edit simultaneously, comment, and @mention teammates. The editor supports markdown (which Slite does too) and has a clean, distraction-free interface.
What I appreciate: Nuclino's pricing is more generous. Free for up to 50 items, then $5/user/month for unlimited. That's half what Slite charges. For budget-conscious teams, this savings adds up: a 10-person team pays $50/month instead of $100.
Where Nuclino falls short: it's even simpler than Slite. No AI features (Slite has Ask), no advanced formatting options, no workspace customization. It's purely documentation and knowledge sharing, nothing more.
If you liked Slite but want to save money and don't care about AI features, Nuclino is a lateral move that cuts costs. If you need more features than Slite offered, Nuclino won't satisfy you either.
Use Nuclino if you want Slite-level simplicity for less money. Skip it if you're seeking more advanced capabilities.
Confluence
Confluence is the enterprise-grade knowledge base. It's been around since 2004 and handles documentation for massive organizations. Compared to Slite's startup-friendly vibe, Confluence feels corporate.
Confluence structures content into spaces (like Slite's channels) and pages with hierarchies. The organization scales well: you can have spaces for departments, projects, or teams, each with detailed page structures. This depth goes beyond Slite's flatter organization.
The editor is powerful with macros (dynamic content blocks), tables of contents, and page templates. You can create standardized templates for meeting notes, project specs, or onboarding docs that teams reuse. Slite has templates too, but Confluence's are more sophisticated.
Permissions are granular: control who views, edits, or comments at the space or page level. For enterprises with security requirements or complex org structures, this control is necessary. Slite's permissions are simpler (workspace-level mostly).
Integration with Jira is seamless if you're a software team. Link docs to Jira issues, track development alongside documentation, and maintain context between planning and execution. For Atlassian ecosystem teams, this integration is valuable.
The downsides: Confluence feels dated. The interface works but lacks the modern polish of Slite or Notion. Navigation gets clunky with deep hierarchies. And the learning curve is steeper: new users need training to understand spaces, macros, and templates.
Pricing is comparable: free for small teams (up to 10 users), then $6.05/user/month for Standard. Slightly cheaper than Slite with more features, but the trade-off is complexity.
Use Confluence if you're in a larger organization, use Atlassian tools, or need enterprise features. Skip it if you want modern UX and simplicity.
Centralise information and collaborate with your team in one place with Confluence.
Guru
Guru takes a different approach to team knowledge: cards that surface contextually rather than hierarchical docs you have to search.
Guru's cards are bite-sized knowledge snippets (FAQs, processes, definitions) that integrate into your workflow. The browser extension surfaces relevant cards as you work in other tools (Slack, Salesforce, Gmail). Instead of searching Slite for information, Guru brings knowledge to you.
The verification system is unique: cards have owners who verify content is up-to-date. Unverified cards get flagged, which helps prevent outdated information from spreading. Slite has no concept of knowledge freshness or ownership beyond who last edited.
Guru integrates deeply with tools your team already uses. The Slack integration lets you search and share cards without leaving Slack. The browser extension works across dozens of apps. This ambient knowledge delivery feels different from Slite's "go to the app and search" model.
Where Guru differs: it's not designed for long-form documentation or wikis. Cards are short-form knowledge. If your team needs detailed guides or extensive docs (Slite's strength), Guru alone won't cut it. Many teams use Guru for quick-reference knowledge alongside a traditional wiki.
Pricing starts at $15/user/month, which is more than Slite. You're paying for the verification system and integrations, not just documentation storage.
Use Guru if you want knowledge delivered contextually within your workflow rather than centralized docs. Skip it if you need long-form documentation or don't want to pay premium pricing.
Slab
Slab describes itself as a knowledge base that "actually gets used." It's similar to Slite in target use case but emphasizes search, organization, and integrations more heavily.
Slab's posts (equivalent to Slite's notes) support rich formatting, code blocks, and embeds. The editor is clean and fast, matching Slite's experience. But Slab adds features like suggested search (surfacing related content as you type), topic suggestions (auto-organizing content), and analytics showing which docs are most viewed.
The integration with Slack is particularly strong. You can search Slab directly from Slack, and Slab automatically captures answers from Slack threads to build a knowledge base. This reduces the friction of documenting: knowledge creation happens naturally rather than requiring dedicated time.
Slab emphasizes onboarding and helping new team members find information. The unified search covers all integrated tools (Slack, GitHub, Google Drive), so you search once across your entire knowledge ecosystem. Slite searches only Slite content.
Permissions are straightforward with teams and topics controlling access. Not as granular as Confluence but more flexible than Slite's workspace-level permissions.
The downside: Slab is pricier at $12/user/month for the Team plan. That's 20% more than Slite for features that are nice-to-have but not essential for many teams. And honestly, Slab's interface, while clean, doesn't feel significantly better than Slite's.
Use Slab if you prioritize search, Slack integration, and knowledge discovery. Skip it if you're happy with Slite's search and don't want to pay more for incremental improvements.
How to Switch from Slite
Migrating from Slite is relatively straightforward since it's a documentation tool without complex dependencies. Here's how to do it smoothly.
Export Slite Content to Markdown
Go to Settings > Export Data in Slite and download your workspace as Markdown files. This gives you all your notes in a portable format that most alternatives can import. Slite's export preserves basic formatting and structure.
Do this export before canceling your Slite subscription or changing anything. Having a local backup ensures you don't lose content during migration.
Choose Your Import Strategy
Most alternatives (Notion, Nuclino, Confluence) support Markdown import, but the process varies:
- Notion: Import Markdown files directly, and it creates pages preserving structure - Nuclino: Import Markdown with formatting intact - Confluence: Import requires more manual work, converting Markdown to Confluence format
Test the import with a small channel first to verify formatting translates correctly before importing everything.
Recreate Channel Structure
Slite organizes content into channels. In your new tool: - Notion: Create top-level pages for each channel, then nest docs as subpages - Nuclino: Create collections for channels, items for individual notes - Confluence: Create spaces for channels, pages for docs
Don't blindly copy Slite's structure. Take this opportunity to improve organization based on what worked and what didn't.
Update Team Workflows
If your team had Slite integrated into daily workflows (Slack searches, bookmarked docs, etc.), those need updating. Share new tool links in Slack, update bookmarks, and configure any integrations your alternative offers.
The Slack integration is usually the most important to reconfigure. Most alternatives integrate with Slack for search and sharing.
Run Parallel for a Week
Don't immediately delete Slite after migration. Keep it read-only for a week or two while your team adjusts to the new tool. This safety net reduces anxiety about losing access to important information.
Once everyone's comfortable with the new tool and you've verified all critical content migrated, you can cancel Slite.
Train the Team on New Features
If you're moving to a more powerful tool like Notion, spend time training your team on features Slite didn't have (databases, relations, advanced views). Without training, teams often replicate Slite's simple docs in Notion without leveraging the extra capabilities.
Which Slite Alternative Should You Choose?
The right alternative depends on why you're considering a switch and what you value.
If you need more power and flexibility: Notion is the obvious upgrade. Same price as Slite ($10/user/month) but with databases, project management, and extensive customization. The learning curve is the trade-off.
If you want to save money: Nuclino costs half what Slite does ($5/user/month) and delivers similar core functionality. You lose AI features and some polish, but for basic team documentation, it works fine.
If you're in a large organization: Confluence offers enterprise-grade permissions, templates, and Atlassian ecosystem integration. It's less pretty than Slite but more robust for complex org structures.
If knowledge discovery is critical: Guru or Slab emphasize surfacing information contextually and integrating with your workflow. They cost more than Slite but deliver knowledge differently.
If you liked Slite but want a few extras: Honestly, Slite might still be your best option. It sits in a nice middle ground between simple (Google Docs) and complex (Notion). Sometimes the grass isn't greener.
The truth is, Slite does its job well. Most teams switch because they outgrow the simplicity and need databases, advanced permissions, or deeper integrations. If you haven't hit those limits yet, staying with Slite is perfectly reasonable.
But if you have hit limits, Notion offers the most bang for buck at the same price. For most teams leaving Slite, that's where they land.