If you’re anything like us, you probably thought Confluence Cloud and Confluence Data Center were the same thing. They’re both Confluence after all, right? To be fair, that’s pretty close to the truth.
At the end of the day, both the Cloud and Data Center versions of Confluence are where companies organize and share their knowledge. Both create a Wikipedia for your organisation’s project plans, company policies and team processes.
So which is right for you? We’ve put a TL:DR below if you just want the top line info. But if you need to go into detail, you can continue on after that section.
Our TL:DR for Confluence Cloud vs Confluence Data Center
- Choose Confluence Cloud for ease of use, scalability, and reduced maintenance needs. It’s perfect for dynamic and growing teams.
- Choose Confluence Data Center for extensive customization, stringent data control, and regulatory compliance. This is ideal for large enterprises and regulated sectors with their own IT teams.
- Integrate eesel AI with either for an affordable and effective way to enhance your documentation, ensuring seamless access to all your important info.
The key differences between Confluence Cloud and Confluence Data Center
At its core, it’s quite simple. Confluence Cloud is hosted by Atlassian, who deals with all your hosting and configuration needs. Whereas Confluence Data Center is self-hosted.
| Feature | Confluence Cloud | Confluence Data Center |
|---|---|---|
| Control & Maintenance | Hands-free updates | Self-managed infrastructure |
| Security | Limited control on Atlassian servers | Full data autonomy |
| Customization | Limited options | Higher customization options |
| Cost | Flexible, subscription-based | Higher upfront investment |
What is Confluence Cloud?
Confluence Cloud provides a streamlined platform for managing documentation. So it’s ideal for teams who want flexibility and remote access without the burden of on-site maintenance.
Its cloud-based infrastructure lets users collaborate in real-time from anywhere in the world. Users don’t need to install software – only an internet connection is needed.
Key advantages of Confluence Cloud
- Hands-free maintenance: Atlassian handles updates, security, and infrastructure, so teams aren’t distracted by software upkeep. Perfect for small organizations who lack IT support.
- Flexible, scalable plans: Starting with a free tier for up to 10 users, Confluence Cloud’s pricing scales as teams grow.
- Mobile-optimized access: Confluence Cloud’s lets teams access, edit, and share content from any device – great for remote workers.
- AI-enhancements with Atlassian Intelligence: Confluence Cloud, unlike Confluence Data Center, suggests content, identifies issues, and minimizes repetitive tasks for you, keeping documentation accurate and up-to-date.
- Integrations: Confluence Cloud integrates with Jira and other popular tools, reducing the need to switch between apps and enhancing team collaboration.
Confluence Data Center
Confluence Data Center is for organizations who need complete control over their data and infrastructure. It’s ideal for large enterprises and highly regulated industries.
Unlike Confluence Cloud, which is hosted by Atlassian, Confluence Data Center is self-hosted. So organizations can set their servers up to meet security and compliance requirements.
Key benefits of Confluence Data Center
- Complete infrastructure control: So IT teams can configure the platform to meet strict security and compliance standards.
- Enhanced security and compliance: Settings for data residency control and to keep sensitive data in designated regions.
- Scalable, high-availability architecture: Supports large teams and high data volumes. Scalable architecture minimizes downtime and ensures optimal performance.
- Customizable and integrative flexibility: Confluence Data Center supports extensive customization, including workflow configurations, permissions, and custom plugins.
- Optimized for distributed teams: Load balancing across clustered servers maintains steady performance, enabling reliable access regardless of team location. Confluence Data Center is ideal for large, distributed teams that rely on smooth and secure collaboration.
Limitations of each version
While both Confluence Cloud and Confluence Data Center offer some impressive features, they also have limitations that may influence your choice.
Key limitations of Confluence Cloud
- Limited data control: Confluence Cloud stores data on Atlassian servers, restricting control over data location and access. If you have strict data governance requirements you’ll want to choose the Data Center option.
- Less customization: Customization options are more limited compared to Data Center. You might encounter fewer options for custom workflows, permissions, and plugins.
- Dependency on Atlassian for updates: Atlassian manages the updates which means you have little control over the timing. Which can make things tricky if something unexpectedly changes.
- Fewer enterprise-level features: Certain advanced features are exclusive to Confluence Data Center, while AI features like Atlassian Intelligence are exclusive to Cloud.
Key limitations of Confluence Data Center
- Higher IT demands: You’ll need in-house IT people to mainten, update, and manage your servers. This can add overheads, especially for smaller teams with minimal IT support.
- No access to cloud-only features: Features exclusive to the cloud, such as Atlassian Intelligence, are unavailable in the Data Center. Organizations needing AI-powered productivity tools might find this restrictive.
- Higher initial costs: Confluence Data Center typically involves higher upfront investment, especially for more complicated setups.
- Longer deployment time: Setting up Confluence Data Center can be time-consuming, often requiring careful planning and dedicated IT resources.
Need to add ChatGPT? eesel AI works with both Confluence Data Center and Confluence Cloud
Time for a shameless plug! eesel AI (that’s us!) is a versatile, cost-effective tool that integrates with both Confluence Cloud and Data Center. It brings your documentation directly to your team, making knowledge easily accessible across platforms.
Here’s how eesel AI enhances the Confluence experience:
Why eesel AI is a great Confluence integration
- Centralized, instant access: eesel AI allows your team to query Confluence documents and receive answers on demand, no more manual searches flicking through your documentation. You can do this in the browser with the extension, or in your integrated platforms like your helpdesk, or team chat app.
- Customizable AI at a lower cost: Unlike typical AI tools, eesel AI lets you fully customize tone, responses, and behavior to match your brand’s voice. The flexible pay-per-reply model scales with your needs, making it an affordable and adaptable solution without large upfront costs.
- Multi-platform integration: Beyond Confluence, eesel AI integrates with numerous other platforms, including Zendesk, Intercom, and Google Drive. (Check out a few of them here.) This flexibility allows Confluence knowledge to reach customer support, internal communications, and more, providing information wherever your team or clients need it.
- Adaptive learning from real interactions: eesel AI can learn based on past interactions and help desk tickets. This adaptive learning ensures responses align with your team’s language and structure, enhancing both speed and quality in your Confluence integration.
- Detailed analytics for continuous improvement: eesel AI’s reporting tools offer insights into performance metrics like response times and deflection rates, enabling your team to adjust content as needed. This data helps identify knowledge gaps and maintain effective and reliable Confluence documentation.
Let’s sum things up
Confluence Cloud and Confluence Data Center differ mainly in their hosting and control. Confluence Cloud is a fully managed, Atlassian-hosted solution that handles all configuration, maintenance, and infrastructure updates. This makes it ideal for organizations seeking simplicity, scalability, and minimal IT overhead, such as growing teams, startups, and businesses preferring a subscription-based model without managing their own servers.
In contrast, Confluence Data Center is a self-hosted solution that offers complete control over data and infrastructure. This allows extensive customization, deep integration with existing systems, and compliance with strict security and regulatory standards. It is best suited for large enterprises and highly regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and government, where data sovereignty and tailored workflows are essential.
Integrating eesel AI can greatly enhance your Confluence environment by streamlining information retrieval, offering instant access to documentation, and automating routine tasks. This boosts productivity and ensures efficient support systems.
