Enterprise DNA

Instead of MadCap Flare

Stop renting MadCap Flare. Own your documentation system.

We build your version around the manuals you maintain, bring your MadCap Flare content across and run it for you. Your authors, review rules and document layouts belong in your system.

MadCap lists Flare Desktop at US$3,150 per author per year. Flare Online plans are quoted separately.

Get your version built See it working
  • check_circleYour data in a database you own
  • check_circleOpen source, no lock-in
  • check_circleBuilt and run by Enterprise DNA

What the subscription covers

An annual author licence around content your business wrote

MadCap sells authoring, review and publishing tools. Keep the useful work: topics, review decisions and the exact instructions issued with each product version.

paid

An annual desktop author licence

Flare Desktop is listed at US$3,150 per author per year. Your total depends on how many author licences you buy and any volume agreement.

edit_document

A topic authoring environment

Flare stores individual topics as separate content files. Those instructions can also become reusable records in a database you own.

cloud

A separately quoted online plan

Flare Online adds cloud authoring and project management. Its listed Individual, Team and Business plans direct buyers to sales for a quote.

group

Reviewer seats tied to the plan

The online pricing page lists different reviewer allocations by tier. Build your review workflow around who actually checks each manual.

storage

Storage allowances

Online plans include different storage allowances. Your source archive and retained manual versions can live in storage your business controls.

description

Publishing and layout tools

Flare combines authoring with multi-channel output. We reproduce the layouts and document formats your team needs as part of your version.

What your version does

Run the documentation week from your own records

TOPICS

See the effect of every shared instruction

A reusable topic has an owner, a current revision and a clear list of manuals that depend on it.

  • check Keep each topic once and use it in several manuals
  • check Show which manuals are affected before changing an instruction
  • check Find maintained topics that appear in no manual
  • check Rank shared topics by the number of manuals waiting on them

REVIEWS

Make overdue reviews visible

A named reviewer checks the exact revision. Changing the content clears the previous approval.

  • check See overdue reviews by owner and age
  • check Require a reviewer different from the topic owner
  • check Set the next review date when a revision is approved
  • check Combine review status with manual deadlines in one answer

RELEASES

Keep exactly what each manual said

Retain an unchanged copy of a manual version, even after its shared topics are edited.

  • check Check approvals and review dates before retaining a release
  • check Keep the exact topic revisions used in each version
  • check Compare current topics with previously issued instructions
  • check Produce a branded manual draft and a review pack from the same records

CONTENT CHECKS

Expose conversion work before release

Imported content keeps its original source. Checks flag missing information and content that needs conversion.

  • check Flag images without a text alternative
  • check Check that source documents have a title and language
  • check Flag local links whose target cannot be found
  • check Block release while unsupported Flare features still need conversion

Make it yours

Design your own MadCap Flare replacement

Everything starts from the open-source base. Then it gets your name, the parts you run, your rules and your data from MadCap Flare. Try it here, and we build the real one.

2. What it runs

3. Make it fit

4. Your colour

Your business · your MadCap Flare replacement Your version
YB Your business

auto_awesome

Answered from your own database

Build my version

We build it from the open-source base, bring your MadCap Flare data across and run it for you.

What it looks like

Ask it like you would ask a colleague

Real answers from the demo data that ships with Technical Publications for Claude Code. It runs in Claude Code inside the Claude app, so it feels like any chat you already use.

forum

Technical Publications for Claude Code

Connected to your own database

Which documentation needs attention this week?

topic

Code
T-SPARE
Detail
Legacy adapter note
Owner
Jo
Due_on
2026-07-22
Reason
needs approval

topic

Code
T-EXPORT
Detail
Export a recording
Owner
Mere
Due_on
2026-10-08
Reason
review overdue

topic

Code
T-FAULT
Detail
Find the fault code
Owner
Ari
Due_on
2026-10-17
Reason
needs approval

manual

Code
PUB-SERVICE
Detail
Logger service manual
Owner
Ari
Due_on
2026-10-18
Reason
topic checks outstanding

manual

Code
PUB-OPS
Detail
Logger operator manual
Owner
Mere
Due_on
2026-10-25
Reason
topic checks outstanding

topic

Code
T-CLEAN
Detail
Clean the sensor
Owner
Ari
Due_on
2026-11-03
Reason
needs approval

Ask it anything

Ten questions to ask your documentation records

These questions run across topic ownership, review dates and retained manual versions. Every answer comes from your records.

chat_bubble Which shared topics block the most manuals?
chat_bubble Which authors have the oldest overdue reviews?
chat_bubble Which manuals are due with unapproved content?
chat_bubble Which topics are maintained but used nowhere?
chat_bubble Which approved topics have passed their review date?
chat_bubble Which topics changed after their last release?
chat_bubble Which reviewers approved the current revisions?
chat_bubble Which manuals mix languages?
chat_bubble Which manuals have no retained release snapshot?
chat_bubble Where would a shared-topic edit have the widest effect?

Switching

How to switch from MadCap Flare

A move usually involves exporting the full Flare project, importing its topics and manual order, then checking conversion work before you retire Flare.

  1. 1

    Export your Flare project

    Export the entire project from MadCap Flare, then extract the exported archive if it is zipped. The import uses the project to bring across topics, manual order and original source files. Existing online comments and permissions need a separate plan. If you cannot find the project export option, check with MadCap Flare.

  2. 2

    Load the project

    Load the exported project into a fresh database using the import process. If your import setup offers a test run, use it first. Otherwise, start with the import and check the results before treating the new system as your source of truth. The import retains the original source files, so you can review the content that needs conversion.

  3. 3

    Check flagged content

    Review the import results for unsupported features and other items that need attention. Unknown proprietary markup is retained and blocks a release until it is converted. Conditions, snippets and page layouts may also need conversion or reproduction. Compare representative manuals with the old output, and confirm that the content and layouts you need are covered before moving on.

  4. 4

    Run both systems side by side

    Keep MadCap Flare available for a short period while you check the new records and manuals against your current output. Confirm that manual order is right, required content has been converted, and reviewers can complete their checks. Your reviewers still decide whether the instructions are correct. Resolve any gaps before relying on the new system for released manuals.

  5. 5

    Switch off MadCap Flare

    Once you have checked representative manuals and resolved the conversion work that blocks release, move your team to the new system and stop using MadCap Flare for this documentation process. Keep the exported project as a source copy for reference. If online comments or permissions matter to your team, make sure their separate plan is in place before you retire Flare.

construction

Where the real effort goes

The main work is usually mapping your own fields and review rules, converting Flare features and layouts you still need, and deciding what history to bring. The import brings topics, manual order and original source files, while online comments and permissions need a separate plan. Enterprise DNA handles this setup and conversion work when you have them install and run the system.

Not ready for a call?

Get your MadCap Flare switch plan by email

We will send you the step-by-step plan for moving your business off MadCap Flare, what the move really involves, and how we would do it for you.

One email with your plan. No spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.

Three ways to make it yours

Start with the free version or have your documentation system built

Open source

Do it yourself

Free code

  1. 1 Clone the repo, then run npm install, npm test and npm run demo.
  2. 2 Open it in Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Cursor.
  3. 3 Export the Flare project to a folder and run import madcap-flare with a dry run first.
  4. 4 Review the conversion findings, render a manual and compare it with the original before switching.
Get it on GitHub

Built around your business

We customise it

One setup fee, then a retainer

  • check Your topic fields, product editions and review rules
  • check Your MadCap Flare content brought across and checked
  • check Your manual layouts and required document formats
  • check A web front end or a different stack if your team wants one
Get your version built

Omni by Enterprise DNA

We run it for you

One setup fee, then a monthly retainer

  • check Installed and operated through Omni by Enterprise DNA
  • check Access controls, backups and recovery checks for your team
  • check Overdue reviews and blocked manuals brought into the weekly review
  • check Your system maintained as products, authors and review requirements change
Book a call with Sam

Questions

Instead of MadCap Flare, answered

What does MadCap Flare cost compared with this? expand_more

MadCap lists the desktop licence at US$3,150 per author per year. Its online plans require a quote. The free version here has no software licence fee. Hosting and your chosen assistant can have their own costs. Enterprise DNA builds and runs your version for one setup fee, then a retainer.

Can we bring our existing Flare manuals across? expand_more

Yes. Export the entire Flare project to a folder, or extract its exported archive. The import brings across topics, manual order and original source files. Existing online comments and permissions need a separate plan. We check representative manuals against the old output before you switch.

Will our conditions, snippets and page layouts still work? expand_more

We convert those features and reproduce the layouts you need as part of your version. The free base retains the original source and flags unsupported features for conversion. A manual cannot pass the release checks with unconverted Flare content.

Does it keep a reliable record of what we released? expand_more

Yes. Each retained version holds the exact topic revisions and the finished manual copy. Later edits do not change it. Content changes clear previous approval, so the current revision needs a fresh review. Your reviewers still decide whether the instructions are correct.

Can our team keep a screen editor and its own review process? expand_more

Yes. Enterprise DNA can build the editing and review screens your team wants, along with your fields and approval rules. We set up access and operations around your business. The free version starts with local documents and an assistant working from your records.

Show Sam one manual and your Flare bill

In a 30-minute call, walk through a representative manual, how it gets reviewed and the layouts you need. Sam will scope your version and the content conversion with you. One setup fee, then a retainer.

Book 30 minutes with Sam Get the free version

Technical Publications for Claude Code is free and open source, published by Enterprise DNA.

Done paying for MadCap Flare?

Get your version built