{"data":{"slug":"company-wiki-with-existing-suite","title":"Run your company wiki in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 instead of paying for Notion or Confluence","summary":"For teams of up to about 15 who already pay for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: move the wiki into a shared drive of Google Docs with a Google Sites front page (or SharePoint/OneNote on Microsoft 365). Includes an information architecture template, a Notion export-and-import checklist, AI prompts for cleanup, and the honest list of what you lose — mainly databases, Notion AI and slick page linking.","outcome":"I want one place where my team finds policies, how-tos and onboarding, without a separate Notion or Confluence subscription.","capabilities":["knowledge-base","docs-notes"],"replaces":[{"tool":"notion","scope":"full"},{"tool":"confluence","scope":"full"}],"requiredTools":[{"tool":"google-workspace","purpose":"Shared drive for wiki docs, Google Docs for pages, Google Sites (listed on all Business plans) as the internal front page, Drive search.","optional":false},{"tool":"microsoft-365","purpose":"Alternative stack: a SharePoint team or communication site with pages and a document library, plus a team OneNote notebook for informal notes.","optional":true},{"tool":"claude","purpose":"Clean up exported pages, rename files, draft the IA and rewrite stale docs during migration.","optional":true},{"tool":"chatgpt","purpose":"Alternative assistant for the same cleanup prompts.","optional":true}],"additionalMonthlyUSD":0,"difficulty":"moderate","skill":"basic","setupTime":"1–3 days for a typical small-team wiki (export, restructure, import, relink, front page)","illustrative":false,"evidenceStatus":"editorial","lastReviewed":"2026-10-13","links":{"page":"/workflows/company-wiki-with-existing-suite","api":"/api/v1/workflows/company-wiki-with-existing-suite","markdown":"/workflows/company-wiki-with-existing-suite.md"},"additionalCost":{"monthlyUSD":0,"explanation":"Uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 you already pay for. Google says shared drives became available on Business Starter from September 2024 (with fewer admin controls than higher plans), and Google Sites is listed on all Business plans. On Microsoft 365, SharePoint is included in plans that license it (check your admin centre)."},"timePerRun":"Ongoing: about 30 minutes a quarter for a wiki review","goodFitFor":["Teams of up to ~15 using Notion or Confluence mainly as a wiki: policies, how-tos, onboarding, meeting notes","Companies already on Google Workspace (Business Starter and up) or a Microsoft 365 plan with SharePoint","Teams that already write most documents in Google Docs or Word and keep copying them into the wiki"],"notFitFor":["Teams that rely on Notion databases as an app — relations, rollups, formulas, boards and views updated daily (CRM, project tracker, content calendar)","Engineering teams that depend on Confluence's Jira integration and page trees tied to tickets","Organisations that heavily use Notion AI or Notion Agent over their workspace","Large orgs needing granular page-level permissions, page analytics and verified-page workflows"],"before":"Pay per member for Notion (or Confluence). Pages, nested sub-pages and databases live there; people search Notion, @-link pages, and use Notion AI to summarise. Many documents also exist in Google Docs or Word, so content is split across two places.","after":"All wiki content lives as Google Docs in one shared drive with a simple folder tree and owners. An internal Google Site acts as the front page with search, a 'Start here' link and the top docs. People find things with Drive or Sites search and link docs with @-mentions. The paid wiki subscription is cancelled.","steps":[{"title":"Decide what moves and what doesn't","body":"List every Notion teamspace/top-level page (or Confluence space) and every **database**. Sort databases into two groups:\n\n- **Document lists** (meeting notes, policies, how-tos): these become folders of Docs.\n- **Apps** (relations, rollups, formulas, kanban boards updated daily): these don't fit a wiki. Move them to Google Sheets, a tool you already have, or keep a smaller Notion plan for that team. If most of your Notion is apps, stop here; this workflow isn't for you.\n\nAlso note integrations and embeds pointing at Notion."},{"title":"Design the structure before importing","body":"Use the **information architecture template** (artifact below): one shared drive called `Wiki`, numbered top folders, max two levels deep, an owner and review date on every doc.\n\nRun the **IA draft prompt** with your Notion sidebar (copy the page titles) to get a proposed mapping from old pages to new folders. Edit it with one or two colleagues; agreement here saves weeks of \"where is it?\" later.\n\nOn Google Workspace **Business Starter**, shared drives work but with fewer admin and security controls than higher plans; check your admin console settings."},{"title":"Export from Notion (or Confluence)","body":"In Notion, a workspace owner exports the **entire workspace** as **Markdown & CSV** (desktop or web only), including subpages. Export an **HTML** copy too as an archive.\n\nThings Notion's help centre warns about:\n- Download links **expire after 7 days**; big exports can take **up to 30 hours**.\n- Other members' **private pages are not included**; ask people to export their own.\n- Full-page databases export as a **CSV plus one Markdown file per row/page**; only the current or default view is exported.\n- Callout blocks come out as HTML.\n\nFor Confluence, use its space export options and expect similar cleanup."},{"title":"Clean up and import into Google Docs","body":"Work through the **migration checklist** (artifact below). In short:\n\n1. Rename files (Notion adds long IDs) and arrange them in the new folder tree locally.\n2. Use the **Page cleanup prompt** on messy pages: fix headings, convert HTML leftovers, flag outdated content.\n3. Import: in Google Docs, **File > Open > Upload** a `.md` file to convert it into a Google Doc, or upload to Drive and **Open with > Google Docs**. Google started rolling out native `.md` viewing and editing in Docs in October 2026; convert the docs people edit often so comments and smart chips work as usual.\n4. Open each database CSV in Google Sheets."},{"title":"Relink and build the front page","body":"Exported internal links point at local `.md` files, not at the new Docs. Fix the **top 20 most-used docs first**, replacing links with links or @-mention chips to the new Google Docs. Fix the rest as people report them.\n\nCreate an internal **Google Site** (restricted to your organisation) as the front page: search box, a \"Start here\" button, the top 8 docs, team sections and an \"ask here\" line. On Microsoft 365, use a SharePoint communication site home page with quick links and a document library web part instead."},{"title":"Microsoft 365 variant","body":"If you're on Microsoft 365 instead of Google:\n- Create a **SharePoint team site** called Wiki. Use **pages** for front-door content (Start here, policies people read) and a **document library** with the same folder tree for Word docs.\n- Use the site's **team OneNote notebook** for informal notes and meeting notes.\n- Import Notion Markdown by converting to Word (ask your AI assistant to convert each `.md` to clean `.docx`-ready text, or open the HTML export in Word) and uploading to the library.\n- Microsoft Copilot Chat (included with eligible business plans at no extra cost) can help draft and summarise; grounding answers on your organisation's files depends on licensing."},{"title":"Cut over, verify, then cancel","body":"Set a cut-over date. Put a \"Moved to …\" banner on the Notion home page and make it read-only. Ask three colleagues who weren't involved to find 10 common answers using only the new wiki (see verification checklist).\n\nCancel or downgrade Notion/Confluence at the **renewal date**, keeping the export zip in a restricted archive shared drive."}],"prompts":[{"title":"IA draft prompt","purpose":"Map your existing Notion/Confluence pages onto the new folder structure.","text":"We're a {{team_size}}-person {{company_type}} moving our wiki from {{old_tool}} to {{new_suite}}.\nHere is our current page tree (indentation = nesting):\n{{page_tree}}\nUsing this target structure: {{target_folder_tree}}\nProduce a table: old page | new folder | new doc title (phrased as people would search) | action (migrate / merge with X / archive / delete) | suggested owner role.\nFlag pages that look like databases used as apps, duplicates, and anything that looks out of date.","variables":["team_size","company_type","old_tool","new_suite","page_tree","target_folder_tree"]},{"title":"Page cleanup prompt","purpose":"Tidy an exported Markdown page before importing it into Google Docs.","text":"Clean up this page exported from {{old_tool}} so it imports well into Google Docs. Rules:\n- Keep all facts. Don't add new information.\n- One H1 title: \"{{new_doc_title}}\". Logical H2/H3 headings.\n- Convert any HTML (e.g. callouts) into Markdown: callouts become a bold \"Note:\" paragraph.\n- Replace internal links to .md files with [[LINK: page name]] placeholders so I can relink them.\n- Add this header table at the top: Owner {{owner}} | Last reviewed {{review_date}} | Review every {{review_interval}} | Status Current.\n- At the end, list anything that looks outdated (old dates, people who may have left, retired tools).\nPage:\n{{page_markdown}}","variables":["old_tool","new_doc_title","owner","review_date","review_interval","page_markdown"]},{"title":"Stale content review prompt","purpose":"Run the quarterly review faster.","text":"Here is a list of wiki docs with owner and last-modified date: {{doc_list}}\nToday is {{today}}. Flag every doc not modified in {{stale_months}} months, group by owner, and draft a short message to each owner asking them to confirm, update or archive their docs by {{deadline}}.","variables":["doc_list","today","stale_months","deadline"]},{"title":"Find-it test prompt","purpose":"Generate realistic questions to test whether people can find things in the new wiki.","text":"We're a {{team_size}}-person {{company_type}}. Based on this wiki folder tree: {{folder_tree}}\nWrite 15 realistic questions employees ask in their first 3 months (e.g. \"How do I claim expenses?\"). For each, name the doc that should answer it. I'll ask colleagues to find each answer and time them.","variables":["team_size","company_type","folder_tree"]}],"artifacts":[{"title":"Wiki information architecture template","kind":"template","language":"markdown","content":"# Company wiki – information architecture template ({{company_name}}, ≤15 people)\n\n## Where things live\n- **Front page:** Google Site \"{{company_name}} Wiki\" (internal-only), or a SharePoint communication site / team site home page on Microsoft 365.\n- **Content:** one shared drive (Google) or one document library (SharePoint) called `Wiki`. Docs, not pages, hold the content.\n- **Rule:** every wiki doc lives in `Wiki`, never in someone's My Drive / OneDrive. Personal drafts move in when they're ready.\n\n## Folder tree (max 2 levels deep)\nWiki/\n├── 00 Start here/            → Welcome, How this wiki works, Who to ask for what, Glossary\n├── 01 Company/               → Mission & values, Org chart, Holidays & time off, Benefits, Expenses\n├── 02 Policies/              → Security & passwords, Data handling, Remote work, Code of conduct\n├── 03 How we work/           → Meetings & rituals, Tools we use (and who owns each), Writing guide\n├── 04 Teams/\n│   ├── Sales/                → Playbook, Pricing rules, Proposal templates\n│   ├── Delivery/             → Project kickoff checklist, QA checklist, Client handover\n│   └── Ops & Finance/        → Month-end close, Invoicing, Vendor list\n├── 05 Onboarding/            → First day, First week, Role checklists\n├── 06 Templates/             → Meeting notes, Project brief, Decision record, Post-mortem\n├── 07 Decisions/             → YYYY-MM-DD decision records (one doc each)\n└── 99 Archive/               → Outdated docs (moved, never deleted, prefix \"ARCHIVED – \")\n\n## Naming conventions\n- Doc titles are questions or nouns people search for: \"How do I submit expenses?\", \"Expense policy\".\n- No dates in titles except decision records and meeting notes: `2026-10-13 – Decision – Switch wiki to Google Drive`.\n- No \"final\", \"v2\", \"new\" in titles. Version history handles that.\n\n## Every doc starts with this header block\n| Owner | Last reviewed | Review every | Status |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| @name | YYYY-MM-DD | 6 months | Current / Draft / Archived |\n\n## Front page (Google Sites / SharePoint) sections\n1. Search box (Sites search, or SharePoint search)\n2. \"Start here\" button → 00 Start here\n3. Top 8 most-used docs (embed or link) — check the list quarterly\n4. Team sections → link to each 04 Teams subfolder\n5. \"Recently changed\" — a manually updated list or an embedded Drive folder view\n6. \"Can't find it? Ask in {{chat_channel}}\" with the wiki owner's name\n\n## Permissions\n- Shared drive / library members: everyone in the company as Contributor (Google) or Member (SharePoint); 2 people as Managers/Owners.\n- Sensitive areas (HR cases, salaries) do NOT go in the wiki. Use a separate restricted shared drive or library.\n- Guests/contractors: share individual folders, not the whole wiki.\n\n## Ownership & upkeep\n- Wiki owner: {{wiki_owner}} — runs a 30-minute review each quarter.\n- Each folder has an owner listed in \"00 Start here/Who to ask for what\".\n- Docs not reviewed in 12 months get flagged; owner updates or archives."},{"title":"Notion → Google Workspace migration checklist","kind":"checklist","language":"markdown","content":"# Notion → Google Workspace migration checklist\n\n## A. Before exporting (week 1)\n- [ ] List every Notion top-level page and teamspace; mark each: migrate / archive only / delete.\n- [ ] List every Notion **database**. For each: is it a document list (fine as a folder) or an app (relations, rollups, formulas, boards people update daily)? Apps need a separate plan (Google Sheets, AppSheet, or keep Notion for that team).\n- [ ] List integrations, automations, embeds and forms that point at Notion.\n- [ ] Note who has private pages they want to keep (exports skip other people's private pages).\n- [ ] Freeze big restructures in Notion until the move is done.\n\n## B. Export\n- [ ] Workspace owner: Settings → export **entire workspace** (desktop or web only) as **Markdown & CSV**, with subpages. Also export as **HTML** as an archival copy that keeps the look.\n- [ ] Download promptly: Notion's export links expire after 7 days, and a large export can take up to 30 hours to arrive.\n- [ ] Each member exports their own private pages they want kept.\n- [ ] Unzip into a local folder; keep the original zip in a restricted \"Notion archive\" shared drive.\n\n## C. Prepare files\n- [ ] Rename files to drop the long ID suffix Notion adds (ask an AI assistant or use a bulk-rename tool).\n- [ ] Map Notion's folder tree to the new IA (see IA template). Move files locally first.\n- [ ] Databases: open each CSV in Google Sheets; delete columns nobody uses; keep the CSV as the record.\n- [ ] Images and attachments: check they're in the export folder next to each page.\n\n## D. Import into Google Docs\n- [ ] Small batches: Google Docs → File → Open → Upload the `.md` file (it converts to a Google Doc). Or upload to Drive, right-click → Open with → Google Docs.\n- [ ] Large batches: upload `.md` files to the shared drive and convert the most-used ones first; leave rarely used pages as Markdown files (Drive can preview and Docs can now open .md files without converting, rolling out from October 2026).\n- [ ] Spot-check 10 converted docs: headings, tables, code blocks, images, callouts (Notion exports callouts as HTML).\n- [ ] Re-insert images that didn't come across.\n\n## E. Fix links\n- [ ] Internal links in the export point at local files, not Google Docs. Search each doc for links ending in `.md` and replace them with links (or @-mention smart chips) to the new Google Docs. Start with \"Start here\" and the top 20 docs.\n- [ ] Update links in chat tools, email signatures, bookmarks and other docs that pointed at Notion URLs.\n\n## F. Build the front page\n- [ ] Create the internal Google Site; add the sections from the IA template; restrict it to your organisation.\n- [ ] Add the shared drive folders and top docs.\n\n## G. Cut over\n- [ ] Announce the date; for 2 weeks, add a banner at the top of the Notion home page: \"Moved to <link>. Read-only from <date>.\"\n- [ ] Run the verification checklist with 3 colleagues who weren't involved.\n- [ ] Downgrade or cancel Notion at the renewal date; keep the export archive."}],"limitations":["No Notion-style databases: relations, rollups, formulas and multiple views don't exist in Docs; Sheets covers only simple tables.","No Notion AI or Notion Agent over the whole wiki. Gemini in Docs is listed on Workspace Business Standard and Plus, not Starter; Copilot's work-data grounding depends on Microsoft licensing.","Page linking is clunkier: no backlinks or nested sub-pages inside a page; you rely on folders, links and @-mention chips.","Exported internal links break and must be relinked by hand.","Google Sites is a simple front page; it isn't a full wiki engine with page trees and inline editing of every doc.","On Business Starter, shared drives lack some admin and security controls available on higher plans."],"risks":[{"type":"migration_complexity","severity":"medium","note":"Large or deeply nested workspaces take longer than expected; broken links and missing images are common. Migrate the top-used content first."},{"type":"data_portability","severity":"medium","note":"Exports skip other members' private pages and only export one database view. Have each person export what they need and keep the original zip archived."},{"type":"functionality_loss","severity":"high","note":"Teams using Notion databases as apps lose them. Identify these before cancelling and give them a new home."},{"type":"collaboration","severity":"low","note":"People may keep docs in personal drives. The 'everything lives in the Wiki shared drive' rule and a named owner prevent sprawl."},{"type":"security","severity":"low","note":"Check sharing settings on the shared drive and Site so internal content isn't shared publicly or with the wrong guests."}],"verificationChecklist":["Every Notion database has been classified, and each one used as an app has a working new home (or a deliberate decision to keep a small Notion plan).","The full workspace export (Markdown & CSV plus HTML archive) is downloaded and stored in a restricted archive location.","The top 20 most-used docs are in the shared drive with working internal links and images.","Three colleagues not involved in the migration found answers to 10 'find-it test' questions in under 2 minutes each using Drive or Sites search.","The Google Site (or SharePoint home page) is restricted to your organisation, and guests can only see folders shared with them.","Every top-level folder has a named owner and a review date.","Notion has been read-only for at least two weeks with no requests to switch back before you cancel at renewal."],"savingsMethodology":"Savings = paid wiki seats × price per seat per month (annual ÷ 12 if billed annually) − incremental cost ($0, since Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is already paid). If you keep a smaller Notion plan for a team using databases as apps, subtract those seats. Migration time (1–3 days) and quarterly upkeep are not monetised.","example":{"scenario":"A 10-person agency on Notion Plus (billed annually) used purely as a wiki, already paying for Google Workspace Business Standard.","currentMonthlyUSD":100,"newMonthlyUSD":0,"assumptions":["Notion Plus is $10 per member per month on yearly billing, per notion.com/pricing on 2026-10-13 (the page's default billing toggle is yearly; monthly billing costs more). 10 members × $10 = $100.","Google Workspace is already paid for; shared drives and Google Sites are available on its Business plans.","No Notion databases are used as apps, so no Notion seats are kept."]},"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[{"url":"https://www.notion.com/pricing","title":"Notion pricing","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Plus $10 and Business $20 per member/month with the yearly toggle as page default; Free plan has block limits for multi-member workspaces."},{"url":"https://www.notion.com/help/export-your-content","title":"Notion Help: Export your content","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"PDF, HTML, Markdown & CSV; full workspace export on desktop/web only; links expire after 7 days; exports can take up to 30 hours; others' private pages excluded; databases export as CSV plus Markdown per page."},{"url":"https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2024/08/shared-drive-access-business-starter.html","title":"Google Workspace Updates: Shared drives for Business Starter","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Business Starter got shared drives from September 2024, without some admin-level and security controls."},{"url":"https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/10/preview-edit-and-collaborate-on-Markdown-files-natively-across-Drive-and-Docs.html","title":"Google Workspace Updates: Markdown files natively in Drive and Docs","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Gradual rollout from 2026-10-05 to all Workspace customers and personal accounts."},{"url":"https://support.google.com/docs/answer/12014036","title":"Google Docs Help: Use Markdown in Docs","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Import .md via File > Open > Upload or Drive > Open with Google Docs; Paste from Markdown; export via File > Download > Markdown."},{"url":"https://workspace.google.com/pricing","title":"Google Workspace pricing","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Page served in THB from our location, so prices were not used. Feature rows: Gemini in Gmail on Starter/Standard/Plus; Gemini in Docs and eSignature on Standard and Plus, not Starter; Gemini app basic access on Starter, expanded on Standard/Plus; Google Sites on all."},{"url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/sharepoint-online-service-description/sharepoint-online-service-description","title":"Microsoft Learn: SharePoint service description","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Team and communication sites, pages, document libraries and team OneNote notebook available across plans that include SharePoint."},{"url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/manage","title":"Microsoft Learn: Manage Microsoft Copilot Chat","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Copilot Chat available at no extra cost for users signing in with an Entra work/school account on qualifying plans incl. Microsoft 365 Business Basic/Standard/Premium and E3/E5; renamed from Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat; page dated 2026-10-12."}],"verifiedBy":"agent:claude-research","notes":"Editorial guide. Notion price and export behaviour, Google shared-drive and Markdown support, and SharePoint features checked today. Confluence pricing page did not render for our fetcher, so Confluence costs are not quoted. The Microsoft 365 variant is described at a higher level than the Google route."}},"meta":{"apiVersion":"v1","dataVersion":"4f1b9f55d2a1","dataGeneratedAt":"2026-10-13T14:29:58.201Z","docs":"/docs/api","evidenceLegend":"/docs/data-model#evidence","disclaimer":"Prices and capabilities change. Check each item's evidence status and verification date. Savings are estimates, not guarantees."}}