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Glean competitors: 17 search alternatives for 2025

by Monika Kisielewska•16 min read•January 13, 2025

1. Qatalog

Qatalog offers a secure, efficient, and affordable alternative to Glean due to its unique approach to RAG indexing. Unlike Glean's enterprise search, which relies on storing copies of your information, Qatalog’s unique approach eliminates the need for data indexing. This means you can implement Qatalog in days instead of months while avoiding costly storage and technical overhead.

With Qatalog, your data remains secure. With nothing stored on third-party servers, you significantly reduce the risk of breaches and ensure complete control over your information.

Qatalog’s ensures consistently accurate answers, making it ideal for teams using live databases like Salesforce, BigQuery, or Snowflake. Its scalability accommodates large datasets without sacrificing performance.

For just $15 per user, Qatalog connects data from multiple sources and simplifies your operations. Users experience its benefits from day one. 

What makes Qatalog the best alternative to Glean chat?

Qatalog is designed with security, speed, and cost-effectiveness in mind, making it the perfect solution for small to mid-market companies and industries that prioritize data privacy.

  • Maximum security: Qatalog doesn’t store or index your data. Searches happen in real-time, and data is immediately discarded after retrieval. Your information remains fully protected with end-to-end encryption and compliance with ISO 27001, SOC2-Type II, HiTrust, and GDPR.
  • Quick implementation: With plug-and-play integrations, Qatalog works out of the box—no technical expertise or data migration required. You can get started in days, not months.
  • Cost-effective solution: By eliminating data storage and reducing technical overhead, Qatalog keeps costs low while delivering high performance.

Additionally, Qatalog offers:

  • Seamless search across data types: Effortlessly search both unstructured and structured data across multiple platforms and file types.
  • Permissions control: Administrators maintain full control over access and ensure searches respect existing user and data permissions.
  • Intuitive user experience: Qatalog’s chat-like interface makes it easy to ask questions and retrieve accurate answers quickly.

Pricing

2. Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is an AI tool for business with robust features designed to enhance the capabilities of Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. It can replace Glean in organizations looking to improve productivity within Microsoft applications. However, it may not fully meet the needs of those looking for a dedicated knowledge management solution with functionalities offered by dedicated platforms like Qatalog.

Key features

  • Contextual assistance: Uses advanced natural language processing to provide contextual suggestions and automate repetitive tasks.

  • Integration with Microsoft ecosystem: As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, Copilot integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools. However, organizations must already invest in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem to benefit fully from Copilot.

Pricing 

  • Various pricing tiers, primarily depending on the specific features and applications included. 

Related: Compare Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT and see Microsoft Copilot alternatives.

3. Coveo

Coveo is a strong Glean competitor, especially for businesses seeking customer-facing search solutions. While Glean focuses primarily on internal knowledge management, Coveo extends its capabilities to external search. With advanced machine learning, Coveo delivers personalized search experiences that improve employee productivity and customer engagement.

Key features

  • Data indexing: Consolidates data from various sources into a single searchable index.

  • Machine learning: Learns from user behavior to improve search relevance over time.

  • Platform integrations: Supports CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and customer service systems.

  • Customizable campaigns: Allows businesses to tweak search relevance and create time-sensitive campaigns.

Pricing 

  • Tiered pricing starts at $18 per month.

  • Enterprise plan upon request.

  • Free trial available.

4. Sinequa

Sinequa is an enterprise search platform and Glean alternative built for large-scale organizations with complex data environments. While Glean is suited for straightforward knowledge retrieval, Sinequa unifies structured and unstructured data from diverse sources to provide deep insights. However, due to its advanced capabilities, the implementation process can be challenging and may require significant technical expertise.

Key features

  • Entity extraction and concept mining: Enables deeper data analysis.

  • RAG technology: Searches for relevant information from datasets and generates contextual content based on that information. 

  • Multiple data connectors: Built-in support for 300+ structured and unstructured data formats.

  • UI builder: No-code tool for configuring and maintaining the search user interface.

Pricing

  • Sinequa employs a subscription-based pricing model.

  • The cost depends on the volume of data (number of documents and records) ingested into the platform.

Related: What's retrieval augmented generation (RAG)? Easy guide to AI-powered search

5. Algolia

Algolia provides a federated search and discovery API that allows developers to build powerful and fast search experiences. Algolia is known for its speed and relevance in delivering search results. It’s a popular Glean competitor, which developers can use to tailor the search experience to their specific needs. 

Key features

  • Speed and scalability: Provides fast, typo-tolerant search results.

  • Filters to sort results: Offers extensive options for adjusting search relevance and ranking (e.g. geo-search).

  • Analytics and A/B testing: Helps optimize search performance and user experience.

Pricing

  • Generous free plan for developers in the early stages of building and testing their applications.

  • Pay-as-you-go and enterprise plans available.

Elastic Enterprise Search is Elastic’s search as service solution, built on Elasticsearch. Elastic Search includes advanced capabilities that save development and search management time. This Glean alternative is particularly useful for e-commerce companies and the financial services sector, where speed is crucial for executing transactions.

Key features

  • Unified search: Across apps, websites, and workplaces.

  • Client libraries in multiple programming languages: Including Node.js, PHP, Python, and Ruby, to facilitate interaction with its APIs.

  • Flexible deployment: Available for cloud, on-premises, or hybrid setups.

Pricing

  • Tiered pricing starts at $95 per month.

  • Premium plan for enterprises with custom needs.

Related: Elasticsearch alternatives to try.

7. Lucidworks Fusion

Lucidworks Fusion is a Glean competitor that uses the latest generative AI to provide dynamic and personalized search experiences across different sectors. It is especially effective in large-scale, complex environments, where customization and flexibility are crucial, such as the public sector. 

Key features

  • AI-powered relevance: Provides personalized search and AI recommendation algorithms in the e-commerce section (e.g., dynamic recommendations, navigation optimization).

  • Range of deployment options: Cloud-based and self-hosted solutions.

  • Composability: Offers scalable and configurable technology to meet evolving business requirements.

  • Multi-language searches: Supports over 70 languages.

Pricing

  • Lucidworks for Commerce is priced by requests per year.

  • Lucidworks for the Workplace is priced by records indexed.

8. Amazon Kendra

Amazon Kendra is a cloud-based search service that improves customer interactions and boosts workforce productivity. It supports integration with various AWS services such as Amazon S3, RDS, and WorkDocs, and provides connectors for other data sources like Microsoft SharePoint and Salesforce. Amazon Kendra is pre-trained across 14 industry domains, allowing it to extract more accurate answers for various business use cases. This makes it a versatile alternative to Glean enterprise search.

Key features

  • Advanced search tool: Provided by AWS, built on the OpenSearch foundation.

  • Natural language processing: Provides accurate, context-aware answers.

  • Machine learning: Continuously learns from user interactions to improve accuracy.

Pricing

  • Enterprise Edition is priced at $1,008 per month.

  • Developer Edition is priced at $810 per month.

9. Mindbreeze InSpire

Mindbreeze InSpire is an AI-powered insight engine combining enterprise search with knowledge management. It indexes and searches structured and unstructured data across corporate environments, providing seamless access to information. It’s a scalable alternative to Glean, offering organizations flexibility in setting up their systems.

Key features

  • 360-degree view: Aggregates information across multiple systems for a comprehensive view.

  • Natural language processing: Enhances search query understanding and relevance.

  • Flexible deployment: Offer on-site deployment with its simplified appliance model or through cloud platforms like AWS and Microsoft Azure. 

Pricing

  • The cost depends on the number of indexed documents.

  • For example, the SaaS version of Mindbreeze InSpire costs €83,000 per year for up to 1 million documents, while the on-premises version costs €35,800 per year for the same document capacity. 

10. Guru

Guru is one of the alternatives to Glean chat that centralizes company knowledge and integrates it into existing workflows. It offers a combination of enterprise AI search, intranet, and wiki functionality, providing a suite of AI knowledge management tools. See a detailed GetGuru vs Glean comparison page.

Key features

  • Chrome extension: Provides quick access across cloud-based tools.

  • Knowledge base: Allows migration of company knowledge into Guru.

  • Advanced permissions: Tailored access control based on roles.

Pricing

11. ChatGPT for Enterprise

ChatGPT for Enterprise lacks out-of-the-box enterprise search and built-in connectors for popular enterprise tools that make other specialized solutions like Glean attractive. However, it can be integrated with company-specific knowledge using APIs or custom-built systems and serve as a highly adaptable alternative to Glean. Check out a secure and more integrated alternative to ChatGPT for business.

Key features

  • Natural language understanding: ChatGPT processes queries and answers questions in natural language, making it adaptable to different domains.

  • Data security: Meets high privacy and security standards but processes data externally, which may raise concerns for some organizations.

  • Versatile integration: Requires technical expertise to configure but can connect to various systems through APIs.

  • Unlimited GPT-4 access: No usage caps.

Pricing

  • ChatGPT for Enterprise pricing isn’t public.

12. Atlassian Confluence

Confluence by Atlassian is a popular collaboration and enterprise intranet platform that allows teams to create, share, and collaborate on content in a centralized workspace. It’s a popular alternative to Glean for users looking to streamline operations using other Atlassian apps, such as Jira and BitBucket.

Key features

  • Collaborative editing: Multiple users can edit documents simultaneously.

  • Seamless integrations with Atlassian native products: while integrating third-party tools may be limited.

  • Templates and blueprints: Provides various templates for different types of content.

  • Permissions and security: Granular administrative controls over who can view or edit content.

Pricing

  • Free tier available for small teams.

  • Standard plan starts at $5 per user/month.

  • Premium and Enterprise plans available with additional features.

13. Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines note-taking, project management, and internal knowledge search. Its flexibility makes it a competitive solution to Glean and would suit organizations looking to unify team knowledge into a single source of truth. Notion generative AI for knowledge management is available as a paid add-on.

Key features

  • Customizable pages: Create databases, wikis, and documents tailored to your needs.

  • Collaboration tools: Real-time collaboration with team members.

  • Integration capabilities: Connects with various third-party apps and services.

  • Templates: Extensive library of templates for different use cases.

Pricing

  • Free tier available with basic features.

  • Paid plans start at $12 per seat per month.

  • Enterprise pricing available upon request.

  • Notion AI paid an extra $10 per member per month.

14. IBM Watson Discovery

IBM Watson Discovery is an AI enterprise search tool and content analytics engine. It’s one of Glean’s alternatives that is designed for enterprise use. It excels in extracting meaningful insights from large volumes of unstructured documents. However, some users may face a steep learning curve before effectively using AI capabilities. 

Key features

  • Advanced AI and NLP: Leverages natural language processing to understand and analyze data.

  • Customizable search experience: Tailor search algorithms to meet specific business requirements.

  • Integration with IBM Ecosystem: Works seamlessly with other IBM products and services.

Pricing

  • Flexible cost based on usage and features.

15. ServiceNow Knowledge Management

ServiceNow offers a robust knowledge management solution as part of its IT Service Management (ITSM) suite. It helps organizations create, manage, and share knowledge effectively. If you require extensive customization and have the necessary resources to resolve complex issues, it may be a good alternative to Glean Technologies.

Key features

  • Centralized knowledge base: Consolidates information for easy access.

  • Integration with ITSM: Seamlessly integrates with ServiceNow’s IT service management tools.

  • Analytics and reporting: Provides insights into knowledge base usage and effectiveness.

Pricing

  • Part of the broader ServiceNow platform.

  • Cost varies based on modules and usage.

Google Cloud Search leverages Google's powerful search technology to provide enterprise search capabilities across various data sources within an organization. It’s one of the top Glean competitors best for organizations using Google Workspace. However, compared to other Glean alternatives, its limited customization options might not satisfy the needs of companies with complex workflows.

Key features

  • Unified search experience: Searches across Google Workspace, third-party apps, and on-premises data.

  • AI and machine learning: Enhances search relevance with AI-driven algorithms.

  • Limited customization and extensibility: Custom APIs are required to integrate with apps outside Google Workspace.

Pricing

  • Based on the number of users and data sources.

17. Bloomfire

Bloomfire is a knowledge management platform that makes organizational knowledge easily accessible and searchable for all employees. It is a viable alternative to Glean enterprise search for various industries, including healthcare, construction, and manufacturing.

Key features

  • Content creation and sharing: Easy-to-use tools for creating and sharing knowledge.

  • Powerful search functionality: Advanced search capabilities to find relevant information quickly.

  • Collaboration tools: Enables discussions and feedback on knowledge articles.

  • Analytics and reporting: Tracks usage and engagement with knowledge content.

Pricing

  • Pricing available upon request.

What is the best Glean alternative for SMBs and mid market companies?

The best Glean alternative for mid-market companies is Qatalog. It offers a cost-effective, secure, and efficient solution tailored to the needs of small and mid-market organizations. With AI-powered semantic search, Qatalog simplifies knowledge discovery by providing real-time access to data from multiple sources without the need for storing or indexing data. This eliminates the technical overhead and costly data storage typically associated with Glean and its alternatives.

Integrating Qatalog with your existing tech stack, doesn't require technical know-how, enabling easy adoption and streamlined operations across your organization. Its intuitive, ChatGPT-like interface allows teams to quickly find answers and resolve issues independently, reducing reliance on human support and boosting productivity.

Aditionally, Qatalog’s scalable pricing and 14-day free trial allow mid-market companies to experience its benefits before committing, with plans starting at just $15 per user per month.

What are the best Glean competitors for e-commerce integration?

Some of the best Glean competitors for e-commerce integration are Algolia, Coveo, and Bloomreach Discovery. These tools offer scalable, AI-powered search solutions tailored to the needs of online retailers. They also integrate well with e-commerce platforms, offering AI-driven personalization and product recommendations for improved product discovery and shopping experience.

Which Glean alternative prioritizes data securitu?

Companies that prioritizes data privacy choose Qatalog's secure enterprise search that does not require store or copy data on third-party servers and inherits your existing permissions. It retrieves real-time information directly from your sources, ensuring that sensitive data remains secure and fully under your control. This approach makes Qatalog an ideal choice for organizations that need to comply with strict privacy regulations, such as GDPR.

With end-to-end encryption and compliance with industry standards like ISO 27001, SOC2-Type II, and HiTrust, Qatalog provides robust data protection without compromising on performance or usability.

Qatalog's focus on privacy, security, and efficiency makes it the perfect alternative for companies that care deeply about safeguarding their data while improving knowledge management.

What is the most flexible alternative to Glean AI?

ChatGPT for Enterprise is the most flexible Glean alternative due to its extensive customization capabilities. It can integrate with various internal systems via APIs and custom plugins. Unlike other options with pre-built connectors, ChatGPT’s adaptability is a key strength. However, this flexibility requires more technical expertise for setup compared to easier plug-and-play solutions like Qatalog or Coveo, which offer faster deployment and built-in integrations.

Criteria for evaluating Glean alternatives

If you'd like to compare Glean vs other tools in terms of their capabilities and suitability for your business needs, here are some important points to consider.

1. Data security and privacy

The safety of your company data is paramount. When evaluating vendors like Glean, you’ll want to know whether the platform copies or stores data on external servers, as this increases the risk of a data breach. Some Glean competitors emphasize enhanced data security to address safety concerns.

On the other hand, Qatalog ensures that no data is copied or indexed on third-party servers, which minimizes external exposure. It also complies with strict privacy regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and other industry-specific regulations to protect sensitive information.

2. Integration and customization

Seamless integration with existing tools is critical for company-wide adoption. Narrow down the choice to vendors that support systems your team relies on. Also, look for the ability to tailor the platform to your organization’s specific needs. You'll want to know how customizable search relevance, workflows, and dashboard settings are. Can you adapt the platform to different team requirements? Are there options for role-based access or personalized dashboards?

3. Scalability

As your business grows, your knowledge management tool must grow with it. Ask whether the platform can scale to handle larger datasets, user bases, or additional integrations. How well does it perform when processing high volumes of data across multiple departments or global teams?

4. Ease of adoption

In the current market, businesses need tools that can be easily adopted across the entire organization. Consider whether the platform requires significant training and is intuitive enough for technical and non-technical users. Some Glean alternatives come with built-in connectors, making them usable from day one, while others require assistance for management and implementation. Additionally, evaluating the support offered during the setup process is important—does the vendor provide hands-on guidance, training resources, or ongoing technical support?

5. AI capabilities

Advanced AI features transform knowledge management. You might ask how AI enhances search, personalization, or content recommendations. Does it use natural language processing (NLP) to deliver better results? Can it automatically suggest content based on user queries, or predict what information employees need in real time?

6. Pricing

Determining which Glean alternative has the best pricing structure depends on your specific needs and budget. Many vendors offer competitive pricing and innovative features at a fraction of Glean's contract cost.

For example, Algolia and Coveo, offer scalable pricing models based on usage and features, which can be advantageous for businesses looking to control costs.

Pay-as-you-go options make it flexible for smaller businesses or those with fluctuating needs. But as a business needs grow, the cumulative costs can surpass those of fixed-price plans, making it less cost-effective in the long term.

Qatalog provides a clear pricing plan starting at $15 per month per user, which is ideal for organizations seeking predictable costs. Additionally, it offers enterprise plans to cater to the needs of large organizations.

The best option will depend on how your organization balances cost, scalability, and feature requirements.

7. Support for structured and unstructured data

Knowledge management systems must handle data from various formats and sources. Only some Glean alternatives can unify structured data from databases and unstructured documents like documents, PDFs, or emails. For example, Qatalog, Sinequa, Lucidworks Fusion can help businesses efficiently manage and search through large volumes of mixed data, while others may need additional developer resources for full implementation.

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