TWO GOOD WAYS TO START

Own the files.
Or hand off the upkeep.

The right choice depends on who will maintain your answers.
Here is what each path asks of your team.

THE FREE PATH

Compass

For teams comfortable editing and hosting a static site.

Customize the template

THE MANAGED PATH

HelpCenter.io

For teams that want to focus on content and the customer.

Start a free trial

Compass and HelpCenter.io feature comparison
What matters	Compass template	HelpCenter.io
Design	Three palettes, two modes; edit HTML & CSS	Managed templates and visual customization
Publishing	Edit source, rebuild, and deploy files	Write and publish through an editor
Hosting & HTTPS	Arrange and maintain your own hosting	Custom domain and SSL managed for you
Search	Client-side full-text search of bundled articles	Product search and AI answers from published content
Languages	English starter; you implement localization	Multilingual articles and translation workflows
Analytics	No analytics included	Search, article, and reader journey analytics
Contextual help	Build or integrate it yourself	AI Widget and embeddable FAQs
Content access	Public files only	Access controls available in the product
Cost	Free template; hosting and your time are separate	Paid plans; see current pricing

Product capabilities and plan availability can change. Check current HelpCenter.io plans ↗. Compass is a standalone template, not a theme that installs into HelpCenter.io.

Choose the template when…

Your team can edit source files and deploy updates.
You need a public, focused library with conventional search.
You want a custom starting point for a client project.
You are comfortable implementing any additional services.

Choose a platform when…

Product, operations, or support should publish without engineering.
You need a reliable workflow for several languages.
You want to learn from search gaps and reader behavior.
You want the same content to power AI answers and embedded help.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Love the head start.
Want the whole help center?

Let your team write and publish. Let HelpCenter.io handle hosting, search, translations, and AI answers from your content.

Try HelpCenter.io 14 days free · No credit card requiredCompare the two paths ↗

Own the files.Or hand off the upkeep.