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When you need to create professional user documentation, many specialists look for reliable help authoring tools and choose HelpSmith. In this article, we compare these popular software solutions: HelpSmith and Dr.Explain — their approaches, strengths, and limitations. Dr.Explain focuses on automating routine tasks, while HelpSmith emphasizes a broad technology stack and flexibility. Is Dr.Explain a worthy alternative to HelpSmith, and which help documentation software is right for your team?
HelpSmith and Dr.Explain: two approaches to user documentation
HelpSmith is a product from Divcom Software, first released in 2007. It has gained recognition for its balanced approach, wide range of output formats (CHM, Web Help, PDF, Word, ePub, Markdown), and built-in graphics tools. It is a choice for those who need extensive customization and a time-tested tool.
Dr.Explain is a product from Indigo Byte Systems, focused on maximum documentation speed. Its key features include automatic screenshot annotation and quick project generation in several popular formats. It is a suitable choice for developers and technical writers.
Comparison table: HelpSmith vs. Dr.Explain
Dr.Explain is often seen as an alternative to HelpSmith. Here is a table with the main parameters of these HAT tools:
| Parameter | HelpSmith | Dr.Explain |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Classic HAT, balanced and powerful | Tool with deep screenshot automation |
| Price and licensing | Perpetual: Standard (~$199), Pro (~$299), Ultimate (~$399). Floating licenses from $599 | Dr.Explain offers both perpetual licenses and annual subscriptions. Pricing starts at $290 per user (subscription) and $870 per user forever (one-time payment). Includes Free Restricted License. |
| Screenshot handling | Manual annotations + Capture Controls (partial recognition). Batch processing available. | Auto-capture, auto-annotation of UI via OS API, intelligent update |
| Export formats |
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Detailed comparison by key criteria
1. Interface
Dr.Explain's interface follows a classic Windows style with a hierarchical project tree and built‑in editor. Unlike HelpSmith's ribbon interface, Dr.Explain uses toolbars and menus – which may feel less modern but is familiar to users of older versions of Word or file managers. The main focus is on quick access to screen capture and annotation functions.
HelpSmith uses a modern ribbon interface, familiar to Microsoft Office users. This makes adaptation easier, but learning advanced features (conditional compilation, variables) takes time.
HelpSmith uses a ribbon interface similar to Microsoft Office. The start page is split into two columns: left – project actions, right – sample projects for learning. This approach is typical for many HAT tools and lowers the entry barrier for new users.
The sample projects demonstrate key features: conditional compilation, image handling, integration of web technologies. This is convenient for familiarization, but it is not a unique feature – similar templates exist in competing products.
HelpSmith's start page combines quick access to functions with learning materials – a standard practice for mid‑level desktop software. The emphasis on sample projects, clear separation of zones, and visible trial mode make the interface clear for beginners and convenient for experienced users.
Workspace organization
HelpSmith standardizes Microsoft Office patterns, significantly reducing the cognitive load during onboarding. The main elements are logically segmented:
- Ribbon: grouping by functional domains (File, Project, Write, Table, View, Help) minimizes clicks to access complex settings.
- Start Page: acts as a "command center". The left panel focuses on content creation, the right on learning and references. This is a classic but effective approach to user onboarding.
Let's look at HelpSmith's start screen. The "Search for a command or option" field in the header is a critical feature for software with broad functionality – it allows users to avoid searching through multi‑level menus. The "Sample Projects" block lets users not just read the help but "touch" working examples – the best way to quickly understand the project structure.
The toolbar is designed so that users accustomed to Word intuitively understand where to find the most needed tools. The Editor and XML tabs at the bottom give experienced users direct access to the code when fine‑tuning layout is required.
Icons and the overall style feel like a legacy of classic Windows 7–10 software. Transitioning to more modern flat elements could give the application a more contemporary look. The start page contains a lot of empty space. In future versions, such areas could be used to display operational data, for example, recent build logs or CI/CD integration status.
HelpSmith's interface does not try to impress users with futuristic design – instead it focuses on making technical writers feel "at home" from day one, using standard Windows environment tools.
Unfortunately, there is no quick preview of documents in different formats before export.
Now let's turn to Dr.Explain's interface.
Dr.Explain lets you start either from scratch or by importing existing files. On launch, you can quickly load your old documentation in DOCX format (preserving the project structure) and continue working with it, then export it to another format, for example HTML.
The workspace is not overloaded with elements, and all the most frequently used tools, designed in a modern minimalist style, are at hand. Notably, there are document preview tabs:
Priority in the interface is given to speed. Dr.Explain is suitable for technical writers who need to quickly convert an existing help system with minimal effort.
2. Content creation and management
HelpSmith supports powerful conditional compilation mechanisms (conditional tags, expressions). You can create different versions of documentation (beginners/experts, different platforms) from a single source. Dr.Explain also provides conditional export (conditional text and images) and global variables, allowing flexible content management, but its set of conditions is somewhat less extensive than HelpSmith's.
3. Automation of routine tasks
The main conceptual difference between the tools lies in their approach to documenting visual interfaces.
HelpSmith includes an Image Tool for manually adding callouts and annotations. The Capture Controls function helps recognize some UI elements but does not fully automate the process. However, HelpSmith allows batch processing of screenshots and is suitable for projects where manual control over every detail is important.
Dr.Explain offers deep UI interception and analysis via system APIs. The program automatically numbers buttons, input fields, lists, creates callouts on the image, and generates placeholder text blocks for descriptions. The intelligent update feature lets you replace a screenshot when the UI changes while preserving already written texts. This provides a speed advantage when interfaces are updated frequently.
If your team spends a lot of time updating screenshots, Dr.Explain will speed up the process. If you need full control over the visual appearance of each annotation, HelpSmith offers more flexibility.
Comparison of screenshot annotation process in HelpSmith and Dr.Explain
Below is an analysis of how each tool handles the task of creating annotated screenshots, and in which cases one might be preferable over the other.
| Criteria | HelpSmith | Dr.Explain |
|---|---|---|
| Core technology | Manual or semi‑automatic addition of callouts with batch processing and precise customization of each element. Capture Controls recognizes simple controls (buttons, fields). | Deep UI analysis via system APIs, automatic recognition of buttons, fields, menus, toolbars, and web pages. |
| Capture process | 1. Take a screenshot.
2. Optionally enable "Capture Controls". 3. Manually add or edit callouts. Batch processing of several images is supported. | 1. Press the screen capture button.
2. Select the window to capture. 3. Automatically get a screenshot with numbered callouts and ready‑made placeholder text blocks. |
| Speed | Moderate. Requires manual operations, but batch processing speeds up mass edits. | High. Allows you to produce a draft of the documentation in minutes. |
| Depth of automation | Recognizes simple elements, menus are not processed. Full control over each callout's position and style. | Recognizes almost all types of controls, including menus and complex web interfaces. Callout style is configurable globally, but individual adjustments are more complex. |
| Web interface handling | Possible, but as a static image – without automatic recognition of HTML elements. | Automatically analyzes and annotates HTML pages, recognizing input fields, buttons, etc. |
| Intelligent update | When replacing a screenshot, callouts are not automatically re‑attached – manual adjustment is required. | When replacing a screenshot, existing callouts and texts are preserved and automatically attached to new elements. |
| System load | No built‑in browser engines (WebView2) – low memory consumption, but no automatic annotation of web interfaces. | Uses several msedgewebview2.exe processes, which collectively increase memory usage (see Performance section). |
Which approach to choose depends on your team's priorities.
- HelpSmith and capture controls: Requires manual activation, recognizes only basic elements (buttons, input fields). Menus are not processed. However, HelpSmith supports batch processing of screenshots and gives full control over each callout (position, color, font, shape) – important for projects with strict visual style requirements.
- Dr.Explain and full automation: Simply select a window, and the program automatically places callouts and creates text blocks. This saves enormous time when the UI changes frequently and allows you to quickly create drafts of the documentation.
- Intelligent screenshot update: Dr.Explain automatically re‑attaches callouts after image replacement. HelpSmith requires manual relinking, but with batch processing this may not be critical if the interface changes are small.
If speed of draft creation, frequency of UI updates, and minimal manual operations are critical for you – Dr.Explain will be preferable. Its automation speeds up work by 3‑5 times when documenting frequently‑changing applications.
If you need full manual control over each callout, precise adherence to corporate style, as well as low memory consumption (e.g., working on limited hardware) – HelpSmith offers more flexibility. Moreover, its batch screenshot processing allows efficient management of large image sets.
Recommendation: download trial versions of both products and test them on your actual documentation task to see the difference in speed and usability in your specific environment.
4. Output formats and publishing
HelpSmith supports more formats: CHM, Web Help (HTML), PDF, Word, ePub, Markdown. Dr.Explain covers the core ones: HTML, CHM, PDF, DOCX. For most projects, Dr.Explain's set is sufficient; if you need ePub or native Markdown – HelpSmith is preferable.
5. Readiness for AI and RAG systems
Both tools are suitable for creating documentation that will be used with LLMs and enterprise search systems.
HelpSmith exports to Markdown – the "native" language for language models. Also, its Web Help generates semantically clean HTML with a proper heading hierarchy.
Dr.Explain, thanks to its auto‑annotation, creates a strictly structured description of interfaces: each UI element receives clear metadata. This facilitates knowledge extraction for RAG systems, where it is important to distinguish between "Submit button" and "description of the submit function".
Both tools handle the task – the choice depends on whether you need Markdown specifically or automatic UI annotation.
6. Price and total cost of ownership (TCO)
HelpSmith costs $199–399 and offers floating licenses (from $599). Dr.Explain offers both perpetual licenses and annual subscriptions. Pricing starts at $190 per user (one‑time payment).
From a TCO perspective, it's important to consider not only license price but also training time, support, and integration. Dr.Explain wins on startup speed (auto‑annotation). HelpSmith may require more learning time, but its extended formats and conditional compilation pay off on large projects.
7. Team project management (Git and version control)
Both tools use binary project formats (.hsp and .drproject), which makes it difficult to view changes through standard Git diffs. However:
- HelpSmith allows exporting the project to an XML representation (via scripts or manually), enabling storage of text‑based versions in Git and change comparison. This method requires additional setup.
- Dr.Explain has no built‑in XML export, so teams must either use external tools or lock files (check via lock files).
By default, neither tool is designed for multiple authors working simultaneously on the same file. It is recommended to split documentation into modules and assign areas of responsibility.
8. Scalability and working with large projects (500+ pages)
- Modularity: both allow creating master projects with external file includes, but synchronizing changes requires discipline.
- Recommendation: test both tools on a representative fragment of your documentation.
9. Trade‑offs
HelpSmith: requires manual screenshot updates; the interface may feel overloaded for beginners; English‑only support; floating licenses are expensive.
Dr.Explain: classic Windows application style (menus instead of ribbon) which may feel less modern; default annotation styling looks simple; custom design requires CSS editing; no built‑in XML export for Git; only runs on 64‑bit Windows (32‑bit systems are not supported).
10. System requirements and performance
Both products are native Windows applications. HelpSmith is available for x86 and x64 (distribution ~65 MB). Dr.Explain is 64‑bit only (does not work on 32‑bit systems, but such systems are already rare in corporate environments). We recommend measuring resource consumption on your own projects using Process Explorer.
Let's compare RAM usage (Private Bytes and Working Set) for running instances of Dr.Explain and HelpSmith based on Process Explorer data.
The test PC ran Windows 11, 16GB RAM, and an Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K 4GHz CPU (results may differ on other configurations).
| Process | PID | Private Bytes (KB) | Working Set (KB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr.Explain.exe | 15300 | 223,824 | 258,948 |
| HelpSmith.exe | 15136 | 155,588 | 131,380 |
Please note: the data shown is accurate only at the moment the screenshot was taken and depends on the current user activity in each program.
- Dr.Explain: consumes significantly more RAM. Keep in mind that a chain of child processes (msedgewebview2.exe) runs under this process, which also collectively use system resources.
- HelpSmith: consumes less RAM both in terms of Private Bytes and Working Set compared to Dr.Explain's main process.
Important clarification: Dr.Explain uses the built‑in Microsoft Edge WebView2 browser engine to display web interfaces and automatically annotate HTML pages. This explains the higher memory usage (child msedgewebview2.exe processes). HelpSmith does not have this feature, so its memory footprint is lower – this is not "better", just a different architecture with a different set of capabilities.
Decision checklist
- Need full control over each annotation? → HelpSmith
- Need ePub or Markdown? → HelpSmith
- Important to work with Git via XML? → HelpSmith
- Need complex conditional compilation (5+ variants)? → HelpSmith (more flexible content output settings).
- UI changes frequently, and screenshots are a bottleneck? → Dr.Explain (automatic annotations).
- Limited budget and a large team? → Dr.Explain (lower initial cost, easier to scale).
- Quick preview of the final document in different formats before export matters? → Dr.Explain (built‑in preview tabs).
- Your technical writers work on Linux/macOS? → neither will work (both run only on Windows).
Conclusion
The choice between HelpSmith and Dr.Explain depends on your priorities: HelpSmith offers more output formats (ePub, Markdown) and powerful conditional compilation. Dr.Explain excels at screenshot automation and provides a quick preview of the final result before export.
HelpSmith is suitable for teams that need ePub/Markdown formats, complex conditional compilation, and maximum flexibility. Dr.Explain is the choice for IT teams that want to automate routine screenshot work, easily integrate into CI/CD, and benefit from modern AI‑ready scenarios (RAG).
The best strategy: download trial versions of both products and test them on your team's real tasks. Pay special attention to the scenario of updating screenshots after an interface change – this is where the differences are most pronounced.