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    Manual.to Pricing: What You Need to Know When Choosing a Digital Work Instructions Platform

    John Ansley
    Post by John Ansley
    July 10, 2025
    Manual.to Pricing: What You Need to Know When Choosing a Digital Work Instructions Platform

    Manual.to is a platform that enables users to create step-by-step digital instructions that are easy to build, share, and update. It offers capabilities like video embedding, multi-language support, text-to-speech, and QR code generation, making it a strong contender for knowledge sharing, however it lacks AI and backend capabilities that Knowby provides at a competitive, transparent price.

    Despite offering some basic functionality, one recurring concern emerges quickly: Manual.to’s pricing model is vague, gated behind a sales process, and lacks published benchmarks. This can make it difficult for organisations to properly evaluate the true cost of Manual.to.

    In this article, we will explore the pricing of Manual.to to help you decide whether it’s a good software investment, or if a more pricing-transparent alternative, which provides a more robust feature set, is worth the chance instead.

    The Challenge with Manual.to’s Pricing Model

    When it comes to crafting digital instruction manuals, Manual.to delivers powerful features—step‑by‑step instructions, video and image support, branded URLs and QR codes, multi-language text-to-speech, and analytics. But the real hurdle? Its unclear and inaccessible pricing:

    • No published pricing tiers – only “Connect with an advisor for pricing”, dependent on the use case and company size. 
    • Uncertainty around public access costs – unclear whether pricing extends to external viewers
    • Lack of reviews from software review platforms - There’s not much feedback going on around yet for the software, let alone its pricing model. Here are some informative pages for reference: G2, Software Advice, Capterra

    Why this matters

    • Ambiguity makes budgeting unpredictable, especially for small- or mid-sized operations.
    • Having to talk to sales first makes it harder to get started or compare options easily.
    • Being seriously considered as a platform to be used can be difficult when the cost rationale is hidden.

    📌 The absence of clear user feedback online emphasises the lack of accessible data, and this vagueness can negatively impact purchasing trust and speed.

    Meet Knowby: A Smarter and More Transparent Alternative to Manual.to

    Knowby delivers better capabilities, while being upfront and simple about cost:

    Feature

    Manual.to

    Knowby Pro

    Annual Cost

    $10/user/month* (estimated ~$30k/year for 300 users)

    $3/user/month (~$10k/year for 300 users)

    Contract Flexibility

    Doesn’t have public information on contract flexibility

    No minimums, transparent pricing

    Deployment Time

    Hours

    Hours

    Ease of Use

    Moderate

    Built for non-tech users

    Platform Support

    Web & mobile

    ✅ Full support: mobile, offline, field-ready

    Trial Access

    ❌ Only on request

    ✅ 30-day free trial

    AI Instruction Creation

    ❌ Not available

    ✅ AI-powered guide builder

    Offline Access

    ❌ Not highlighted

    ✅ Fully offline-capable

    Compliance Enforcement

    ❌ Basic analytics only

    ✅ Mandatory step validation + proof

    Version Control

    ❌ Limited

    ✅ Central document management

     

    *Manual.to doesn’t advertise a free trial, but they might give you one if you ask nicely. What we know about their pricing is through our research, but you will need to contact them and start the sales process before you can find out pricing for your organisation and needs. Costs go down for large user numbers. 

    knowbys vs manual.to

    For an expanded comparison, visit the Knowby vs. Manual.to comparison page.


    🔍 Beyond Cost: Where Knowby Beats Manual.to

    Predictable and Fair pricing
    At just $3/user/month, Knowby keeps costs transparent and simple.

    No Hidden Sales Hoops
    Sign up directly and start a 30‑day free trial to access full features—no sales calls, no credit card required.

    Competitive Feature Set
    Offers AI-assisted guide creation, QR/link sharing, approval workflows, analytics, rich media tools, offline access, and branding all included.

    Scalable For Teams of All Sizes
    Knowby’s accessible pricing is designed for both small and large teams, with costs remaining reasonable as the team scales.

    Ethical and Low‑markup Approach
    What’s the catch? Spoiler alert: there isn’t one” Knowby relies on automation and minimal overhead to maintain affordability..

    AI-Powered Guide Creation
    Knowby uses generative AI to build structured instructions from videos, voiceovers, or files—saving hours of manual formatting.

    Compliance and Verification
    Unlike Manual.to, Knowby allows authors to require photos, comments, or approval at each step—ideal for regulated environments.

    Advanced Document Management
    With version history, rollback, and permission-based access, Knowby makes managing SOPs and technical content frictionless.

    Granular Tracking
    Knowby’s platform tracks not just who opened a guide, but who actually completed each step, when, and with what proof.

    Enterprise-Ready, Without the Bloat
    With features like offline mode, autosave, SSO, and mobile-first deployment, Knowby handles field operations at a fraction of the cost.

    "The cost of Knowby is very, very affordable. The value that we get out of the back end of Knowby as a company from our procedures and administration right through to after sales and the invoices that we pay at the end of the month, it's next to nothing compared to what we've what we're doing in other areas"

    Nick Langan General Manager, M2 Overland

     

    Conclusion

    If you're looking for a cost‑effective, transparent, and capable platform for work instructions, Knowby is a strong choice:

    • Transparent pricing saves time and budget headaches
    • Full feature parity (and more) compared to Manual.to
    • A free, no-commitment trial lets you test before you invest

    Recommendation: Don’t wait for a sales call to find out the cost of Manual.to. Try Knowby’s 30‑day trial and discover how much easier instruction management can be when pricing is clear, and powerful features come standard.

    All registered trade marks, company names, and brand names used on this website are the property of their respective owners. Information on product features and pricing are taken directly from the vendor's website, marketing materials and/or customer research. Features and prices may change. Check with the vendor for the latest pricing. Please contact us to report any corrections.

    Please note that while both platforms offer a range of features, the specific implementations and user experiences may vary. It is recommended to explore each platform's offerings in detail to determine the best fit for your organisation's needs.

    John Ansley
    Post by John Ansley
    July 10, 2025

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