What it does
Help+Manual is a documentation authoring tool with a WYSIWYG XML editor and single-source publishing. Its product page describes using conditional tags to create different output variants for different channels, with topic and layout templates available for more advanced control.
Write once, conditionally publish different versions
Help+Manual is positioned as a documentation tool that combines a word-processor-like authoring interface with XML editing and multi-channel publishing. Authors can mark content with conditional tags and generate different outputs for each channel without post-processing, while power users can adjust topic and layout templates. The vendor links separate user manuals for Help+Manual and HelpXplain, so this record is limited to the Help+Manual authoring product.
This is a specialist help-authoring environment rather than a collaborative wiki. The product site offers a free trial, but platform requirements, current license terms, and team collaboration behavior were not checked; no documentation project was built.
Strengths
- Conditional tags support channel-specific output from a shared documentation project.
- The product combines visual authoring with access to XML-level templates for advanced control.
Watch out for
- The product is designed for help authoring and publishing, not a hosted knowledge base or general wiki.
Best for
- Technical writers who need to maintain one project and publish tailored help outputs to multiple channels
Sources
- Help+Manual - The most popular help authoring and documentation tool (Oct 25, 2026)
- Welcome to Help+Manual (Oct 25, 2026)