10 best free and open-source intranet software for 2024

Jessica Tee Orika-Owunna
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Feb 26, 2025
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12
min read

An intranet software empowers you to build a central hub that stores your company’s documents, resources, and workflow processes in one central location.

This platform makes it easy for employees to quickly find the information they need (without needing to rely on internal SMEs) and perform better in their roles.This way, everyone has more time to focus on productive work, which ultimately boosts overall performance and employee engagement.

However, with over 200+ intranet software to choose from, finding the best solution for your needs takes time and effort.

To help narrow down your options, we've compiled a list of the top free intranet software for small businesses, based on ratings and reviews from real users. We compare each one's use case(s), features, and pricing, and share helpful tips for selecting the best open-source intranet solution for your business.

7 best free intranet software for small businesses in 2024

1. Softr

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.8/5 stars (351 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.7/5 stars (60 reviews)

Softr is a no-code intranet platform builder that allows you to create internal tools, such as an employee intranet portal,  for your business exactly how you prefer. 

The free intranet software offers responsive pre-built templates for different use cases, so you don’t have to build from scratch or break the bank. 

For example, you can create a team wiki that hosts all of your company’s resources, such as its policy handbook, training resources, project documentation, announcements, news and events, employee benefits, and more.

Other use cases include applicant tracking, employee onboarding, freelancer management, employee feedback tracking, and employee training management.

Softr is best for small businesses that want to streamline their workflows and improve communication without investing in multiple tools.

Setting up a portal using its templates takes less than 30 minutes, and you don’t have to write a line of code or hire a team of developers. You can create an employee portal that suits your company’s needs, as DS Automotive did using Softr.

Softr key features

Along with responsive templates and a no-code portal builder, Softr offers user permissions and membership options.

Its user group feature lets you create customized user experiences for different employee roles — you can give managers and employees different access levels.

For example, a manager on your team can add new employees, upload new documents, share company updates, approve or reject requests, review employee feedback, manage new employee onboarding, and more. 

On the other hand, employees can edit their profiles, see what’s new in the company, view their performance metrics, find information about their colleagues, access training materials and relevant resources, and more.

This feature works for all team types — whether you have remote workers, desk workers, or field teams. 

Other features that make Softr’s intranet platform builder stand out include:

  • Integrations like Zapier that automate repetitive tasks and workflows for you
  • Social features like group chat and activity feeds to keep everyone in the loop
  • Drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for non-technical users to build
  • Responsive designs that look and function well on desktop, tablet, and mobile
  • Integrations with data sources like Airtable, Google Sheets, HubSpot, SmartSuite, and BigQuery
  • SSL encryption and user authentication features to protect your data
  • Custom domain and custom branding to match your company’s identity 

Softr pricing

Softr offers a free forever plan that allows you to build unlimited apps, including your company intranet

With this plan, up to five employees and 100 external app users can access your intranet. Additionally, you can collaborate with up to five people and host your intranet on one custom domain.

You can upgrade to any of Softr’s paid plans to access more features.

Paid Plan Price Features
Basic US$49 /month Everything in Free, plus:
Custom CSS/JS
10 internal / 1000 external app users
Embed Softr apps
Option to buy extra custom domains
Professional US$139 /month Everything in Basic, plus:
Calendar, Inbox, Kanban
50 internal / 5000 external app users
10 workspace collaborators
Remove Softr branding
Business US$269 /month Everything in Pro, plus:
Org chart, Timeline, SMS login
100 internal / 10000 external app users
15 workspace collaborators
Downloadable mobile apps (PWA)
Enterprise Custom Everything in Business, plus:
SSO for app users (SAML, OpenID)
Security audit
Dedicated success manager
Team training
Custom invoicing

Softr integrations

Softr integrates with tools you already use in your workflow, such as Zapier, HubSpot, Drift, Google Analytics, Stripe, Hotjar, OpenAI, Documint, and Mailchimp.  

2. Zoho Connect

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.4/5 stars (112 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.3/5 stars (73 reviews)

Zoho Connect is a team collaboration tool that doubles as an intranet software, enabling teams to share information, collaborate on projects, and manage tasks.

The platform is best for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), remote and distributed teams, and departments within large organizations. 

Zoho key features

Some of the unique features that set Zoho apart include:

  • Forums: Zoho offers forums where team members can initiate discussions, seek feedback, and share insights on various topics
  • Polls: Zoho’s polling feature lets you create surveys and polls to gather opinions, feedback, or votes from team members
  • Article Templates: Zoho Connect provides pre-designed article templates for creating structured content such as announcements, newsletters, or knowledge base articles
  • Dashboard: Zoho Connect's dashboard provides a centralized hub for accessing important updates, notifications, and key metrics
  • Custom User Roles: Zoho Connect allows administrators to create custom user roles tailored to the organization's hierarchy and workflows. 

Zoho pricing

Zoho provides a 15-day free trial for all its plans, so you can explore the platform fully before committing. During this trial period, users have complete access to the features and functionalities included in the selected plan.

Zoho integrations

Zoho integrates with popular applications like Zapier, Zoom, Asana, and Google Drive and Zoho apps such as Writer, Campaigns, Projects, and Sheet.

3. Confluence by Atlassian

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.7/5 stars (‎3,740 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.5/5 stars (3,382 reviews)

Confluence is an intranet platform that empowers small and large teams to organize work, create content, collaborate on projects, and share knowledge in one place.

The platform has pre-built templates that streamline the creation of common documents such as meeting notes, project plans, and technical documentation. 

Confluence key features

Some of the unique features that set Confluence apart include:

  • Wiki: Confluence provides a wiki-style platform for creating and organizing your company’s documentation, policies, and other knowledge assets. Users can collaborate on pages, share insights, and update content in real-time
  • Content collaboration: Users can leave comments, suggestions, and feedback on pages, and automatically tracks version history for pages
  • Spaces: Confluence organizes content into customizable spaces, enabling teams to create dedicated areas for projects or departments
  • Labels and Tags: Users can assign labels and tags to pages, making it easier to categorize content and find what they need
  • User controls: Administrators can set granular permissions to control access to spaces and pages and ensure sensitive information remains secure 

Confluence pricing

Confluence offers a free forever plan for ten users. Signing up gives you access to:

  • Unlimited pages and spaces
  • Up to 3 active whiteboards per user
  • Apps and integrations support
  • Atlassian community support
  • Up to 2 GB file storage
  • Templates for Marketing, Product, Program Management and more

If you want to upgrade, you get a 30-day free trial for Confluence’s standard and premium pricing plans.

Confluence integrations

Confluence integrates with Jira and other Atlassian tools such as Trello, Bitbucket, and Bamboo., as well as popular tools like Google Drive, Box, Salesforce, and Slack.

4. Jostle

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.5/5 stars (199 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.4/5 stars (71 reviews)

Jostle is a cloud-based social intranet software for distributed teams. The platform includes features such as employee directories, news feeds, discussion forums, event calendars, and instant messaging.

Jostle is best for remote teams, especially those with employees in different parts of the world, as you can target information to specific teams, roles, or locations.

Jostle key features

Jostle has an instant messaging feature (Discussions) that lets team members have 1:1 chats, team-wide conversations, or forums for the entire organization. You can also publish news to update your team with the latest internal news. 

Jostle pricing

Jostle offers a 30-day free trial for teams with fewer than 15 people. If your company has more than 15 employees, you can calculate the fees on Jostle’s pricing page

Jostle integrations

Jostle integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Zapier, and other tools your team might already use. 

5. Bitrix24

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.1/5 stars (‎536 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.2/5 stars (‎838 reviews)

Bitrix24 offers a free intranet portal that combines features such as project management, CRM, document management, and HR tools.

The software is best for SMEs looking for an all-in-one platform to manage communication, collaboration, project management, and CRM in one place. It is flexible in deployment and available both on-premise and via the cloud. 

Bitrix24 key features

Bitrix24 offers features such as:

  • 5 GB free storage 
  • Knowledge bases
  • Polls and discussions
  • CRM and contact center
  • File sharing and access permissions
  • Integrated social media messengers 
  • Employee directory, etc

Bitrix24 pricing

Bitrix24 offers a free forever plan that allows you to add unlimited users and access its basic features, such as task management and collaboration tools. The intranet software also offers a free 15-day trial period, allowing you to test out some features available on its high-tier plans. 

Bitrix24 integrations

Bitrix24 integrates with popular tools like Trello, Jira, Stripe, Miro Boards, and MailChimp.

6. Notion 

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.7/5 stars (5,445 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.7/5 stars (2,182 reviews)

Notion is a digital workspace software for creating employee intranets. The software has free company intranet templates from which you can choose.

Notion is best for small teams and startups looking for a central hub for project management, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. 

Notion key features

Some of the unique features that set Notion apart include:

  • Blocks-Based Editing: Users can create custom pages with various content blocks, including text, images, videos, embeds, to-do lists, and databases
  • Drag-and-Drop Functionality: You can easily rearrange and organize content blocks within pages to suit individual preferences and workflow needs
  • Nested Hierarchies: You can organize content with nested pages and sub-pages so other users can navigate through complex information easily
  • Offline Mode: Notion's desktop and mobile apps support offline access, so you and your team can view and edit their content even without an internet connection, and all changes are synced once you’re back online
  • Workflow Automation: Users can create custom workflows and automate repetitive tasks using features such as templates, reminders, and conditional formatting

Notion pricing

Notion is free to use. However, for teams, you have:

  • Limited block trial
  • Collaborative workspace
  • Basic page analytics
  • 7-day page history
  • Invite ten guests

To get access to more features, see Notion’s pricing page.

Notion integrations

Notion integrates with popular tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Todoist, Asana, Zapier, Zendesk, HubSpot, and Google Analytics.

7. Connecteam

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.7/5 stars (201 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.8/5 stars (326 reviews)

Connecteam offers a free intranet platform for small businesses to store documents and resources, create a knowledge base, and communicate with their teams.

The tool is best for non-desk employees who perform their duties in various locations such as retail stores, manufacturing facilities, and construction sites.

Connecteam key features

One unique feature that sets Connecteam apart is Smart groups. 

With this feature, the software selects users with similar profile attributes and puts them in a group so you can message or assign tasks without manually selecting them every time. 

Other features include a company news feed, knowledge base, in-app chat where employees can share files and voice messages, and task manager. 

Connecteam pricing

Connecteam is free for small businesses with up to ten users — you get full access to all features. To get more details on the features of the free and paid plans, visit Connecteam’s pricing page

Connecteam integrations

Connecteam integrates with Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, and Paychex.

3 Best Open-Source Intranet Software for 2024

8. Liferay

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.2/5 stars (55 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.6/5 stars (13 reviews)

Liferay is a low-code, open-source digital experience platform for small businesses and enterprise brands to build intranets, employee portals, and customer portals. 

It includes features such as content management, document management, collaboration tools, and social networking capabilities.

Liferay is best for users with some technical background who want to create an intranet for employees. 

However, if you have no coding knowledge, consider the no-code options on this list, as Liferay has a steep learning curve.

Liferay key features

Some of the unique features that set Liferay apart include:

  • Role-based permissions and content: This feature ensures that managers and employees have access to the information and tools relevant to their roles
  • Asset management and search capabilities: Liferay provides a centralized repository for storing and managing digital resources such as documents, images, videos, and other media files. Its search function lets users quickly and accurately find the information they need to do their work
  • Content management system: Liferay's CMS offers features for creating, managing, and delivering digital content across multiple channels. The features include WYSIWYG Editor, which makes it easy for content authors to create and edit web pages without needing HTML or coding skills

Liferay pricing

Liferay is open-source and freely available for download. It includes core functionalities like content management, collaboration tools, and user management. But you only have access to a 30-day free trial. After that, you have to request a quote via Liferay’s website.

Liferay integrations

You can connect Liferay with software you already use, such as Salesforce, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, and Mulesoft.

9. dotCMS

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.1/5 stars (105 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.2/5 stars (41 reviews)

dotCMS is a Java-based, open-source platform to build, manage, and deploy content-based applications and internal tools like employee intranets.

The platform best suits small and medium businesses who want to create content experiences for different employee profiles. 

However, while dotCMS offers a user-friendly interface, it has a steep learning curve, especially for users with limited technical expertise. You’ll have to invest additional resources in training and onboarding them, which could stretch your budget.

dotCMS key features

Some of the unique features that set dotCMS apart include:

  • Content Management: dotCMS lets you and your team create, organize, and manage various types of content, such as documents, policies, announcements, and employee resources
  • User Authentication and Access Control: The software has access control features to ensure that only authorized users have access to specific sections or content within the intranet
  • Customizable Workflows: You can define workflows for content creation, review, and approval processes, ensuring you’re putting out the right info. 

dotCMS pricing

dotCMS offers both Community (open-source) and Enterprise editions. The Community edition is free to download and use. The Enterprise version, on the other hand, comes with additional features, support, and services, and its pricing depends on your organization's requirements, usage, and deployment environment.

dotCMS integrations

dotCMS integrates with Amazon API Gateway, Azul Systems, Amazon S3, Cloud Foundry, Confluence, HubSpot, Marketo Engage, and more. 

10. Nuxeo

G2 ratings and total reviews: 4.0/5 stars (76 reviews)

Capterra ratings and total reviews: 4.2/5 stars (32 reviews)

Nuxeo (now part of Hyland) is an open-source content services platform that makes building smart content-based applications, such as an intranet easy.

The platform is commonly used for managing digital assets, product assets, enterprise content, documents, and knowledge.

Nuxeo key features

Some of the unique features that set Nuxeo apart include:

  • Content management: Nuxeo allows organizations to manage digital assets, documents, images, videos, and other content types 
  • Digital asset management: You can store, organize, and manage digital assets within Nuxeo, including metadata management, versioning, and access control
  • Workflow automation: Managers can define and automate workflows for content creation, review, approval, and publication processes 
  • Search tools: The software has advanced search capabilities that help users quickly find and discover relevant content

Nuxeo pricing

Nuxeo offers a free 30-day trial of its online services. Visit its pricing page for specific pricing details and quotes.

Nuxeo integrations

Nuxeo integrates with popular tools such as Office 365, Adobe Sign, Nextgen, and SAP SuccessFactors.

How to choose the best free intranet software for your small business

Selecting the right free intranet platform helps to make team communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing seamless.

To choose the best platform for your business, follow these eight tips:

  1. Identify the top three goals you want to achieve with your intranet. Understanding your goals will help you select the right features
  2. Consider your budget. Are you willing to spend money on a paid solution, or do you need to stick to a free option? This will help narrow down your options
  3. Research different free intranet software available (like the ones above). Look at their features and see if they match what you need
  4. Test the intranet software. Many tools offer free versions, free trials, or demos, so try them out first to see how the software works for you and is easy to use
  5. Make sure the software you choose keeps your data safe — check if it has features like user authentication and data encryption
  6. Check to see if the tool has help resources or customer support. Look for resources like help docs, tutorials, and responsive customer support. It's important to know you can get assistance if you run into any issues
  7. Gather feedback from other businesses or colleagues who have used any of the intranet platforms you’re considering to hear what they have to say
  8. Read reviews on platforms like G2 and Capterra to see what users have to say about the product you’re considering

What are the most important features of an intranet software platform?

The best intranet software platforms have these features:

  • User-friendly interface that doesn't require technical expertise to navigate — you should be able to build and customize your intranet without feeling overwhelmed by technical jargon or complex processes
  • Flexible customization options that let you personalize various aspects of the intranet, including its appearance, functionality, and workflow processes
  • Drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for you to create and modify intranet pages without needing coding skills or extensive training
  • A library of pre-designed templates that serve as starting points for building intranet pages, saving you time and effort
  • Built-in collaboration features such as document sharing, version control, commenting, etc that make teamwork and communication easier
  • Granular access controls and permissions settings to regulate access to content and features based on roles, departments, and hierarchy
  • Responsive design to ensure users can access and interact with the intranet seamlessly, regardless of the device they are using
  • Seamless integration with third-party applications and systems you already use, such as CRM, ERP, HRIS, and productivity tools
  • Security measures, including data encryption and user authentication, to protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access
  • Scalable and reliable infrastructure that can grow with your business needs without experiencing any performance issues or downtime

Start with a free no-code intranet software 

Free intranet software eliminates upfront costs, making it an affordable option for your small business. Plus, you can test the software for a trial period, and if it doesn't meet your needs, you can switch to another platform without worrying about losses.

Starting with a no-code intranet software builder also gives you access to responsive templates, which you can use to build your intranet without writing a line of code. 

The good news is that you can try Softr for free to build your company intranet, client portal, and other internal tools (and for as long as you like) and see if it fits your business needs. 

Sign up for free today to find out

FAQs about intranet software

What is an intranet?

An intranet is a central hub for internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing within companies of all sizes and industries. It ensures secure access for authorized employees, promotes teamwork, and boosts productivity. 

Why is it important to use intranet software?

Intranets (and Intranet software) provide a centralized communication and collaboration platform for on-site, remote, and hybrid teams. Everyone can share updates and knowledge, as well as communicate and collaborate in real time. This keeps the entire team aligned, engaged, and productive. 

What is Softr
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Join 700,000+ users worldwide, building client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, project management systems, inventory management apps, and more—all without code.
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Jessica Tee Orika-Owunna

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