Choosing the right internal knowledge and search tool is a critical decision for any team, especially as the average employee spends nearly 20% of their time looking for internal information. With several platforms in the market, it can be tricky to find the one that fits your team's specific needs. This article dives into Haystack, exploring what it offers and how it compares with Guru, another leading knowledge management solution. By the end, you'll have a clearer sense of which tool aligns best with your business objectives.

What is Haystack?

Haystack is an internal search platform that helps companies find scattered knowledge across multiple tools and applications. It's designed for organizations struggling with knowledge silos, integrating with Google Workspace, Slack, and other workplace tools to centralize information access.

Its core function revolves around improving searchability—helping users surface relevant information quickly from different applications, files, and chats, which can reduce, by as much as 35 percent, the time employees spend searching for information. Teams working in tech-heavy industries like software development and IT often gravitate toward Haystack for this reason, especially those using multiple cloud-based tools in their workflows.

Haystack software key features

Haystack distinguishes itself by focusing on fast, accurate search capabilities across a fragmented tech stack. Here's a look at some of its standout features:

Powerful search capabilities

Haystack's main selling point is its ability to search across multiple platforms and tools. Whether the information is buried in emails, cloud storage, or chat logs, Haystack surfaces it through a unified search bar, reducing time spent hunting for resources.

Customizable search filters

Users can narrow down their queries using customizable filters, helping them find the most relevant results from vast datasets. This feature is particularly useful for large enterprises where information is stored in many different locations.

Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations

With seamless integration into communication platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams, Haystack ensures that employees can search for knowledge directly within the apps they already use for collaboration.

Additional integrations

Beyond collaboration tools, Haystack offers integrations with platforms like Google Workspace, Jira, and Confluence, further extending its search capabilities to different facets of an organization's workflow.

Who uses Haystack

Haystack is particularly valuable for mid-sized to large organizations dealing with multiple tools and large amounts of data. It's a popular choice for industries such as technology, software development, and consulting—where speed, accuracy, and the ability to navigate complex datasets are critical. Engineering teams and IT departments often favor Haystack for its efficiency in bringing together information from scattered sources.

Haystack pricing and plans

Haystack follows a custom pricing model with no public pricing available. Here's what to expect:

• Custom quotes: Pricing varies based on organization size, needs, and user count

• Sales consultation required: You must contact their team for specific pricing details

• Budget planning challenge: Difficult to compare costs without initial consultation

Pros and cons of Haystack

Like any tool, Haystack comes with its advantages and limitations. Here's a closer look at both.

Pros

• Integration with other tools: Haystack connects seamlessly with popular tools such as Slack, Google Workspace, and Jira.

• Search functionality: Its search engine is fast and customizable, making it easy to surface the right information quickly.

• Customization and scalability: The platform can scale with growing teams, and its search filters allow users to tailor results to their specific needs.

Cons

• Learning curve: Some users report that setting up and customizing Haystack can take time, a common challenge as 61% of supervisors report they spend more time getting technology to work than they'd like, particularly for non-technical users.

• Limited focus: While it excels at search, Haystack lacks robust knowledge management features beyond information discovery.

Guru vs. Haystack

Both Guru and Haystack improve knowledge access but with different approaches:

Guru's strengths

• AI-powered knowledge verification: Automatically prompts content owners to confirm the accuracy of information, ensuring employees access up-to-date knowledge. This helps close a common gap, as research shows that while 92% of executives are satisfied with workplace tech, only 68% of staff agree.

• Browser extension and contextual knowledge cards: Deliver relevant information within workflows, minimizing the need for app switching.

• Pages: Provide customizable, branded homepages that act as a hub for essential information. These pages help centralize updates, announcements, and resources, improving alignment across teams​.

• Knowledge Agents: Custom AI agents that serve different departments by surfacing the most relevant content. For example, sales teams receive quick access to product updates, while IT teams get immediate answers to technical questions. These agents ensure every team finds exactly what they need without sifting through irrelevant data​.

• Deep integrations with Slack, Salesforce, and Zendesk: Embed knowledge directly into daily workflows, helping employees access key information within the tools they use most frequently.

• User-friendly interface and quick setup: Guru's design makes it easy to adopt and reduces time spent on onboarding.

Haystack's strengths

• Powerful search capabilities: Searches across multiple platforms, quickly surfacing information stored in different systems.

• Customizable search filters: Fine-tune search queries to deliver precise results, especially useful for large datasets.

• Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations: Allow users to search for content directly within their chat tools, reducing friction.

• Integration with Google Workspace, Jira, and Confluence: Extends search functionality to document collaboration and project management platforms.

What customers are saying

Customer feedback reveals key differences in user experience:

Haystack User (G2):

• Integration strength: \"Well-connected to our listserv and company documents\"

• User experience: \"Easy to use, clean design, search feature works well\"

Guru User (Capterra):

• Workflow integration: \"Easy to access information without interrupting workflow\"

• Productivity impact: \"Robust search functionality significantly enhances productivity\"

Make the right choice for your team's knowledge needs

Both Haystack and Guru offer valuable ways to improve knowledge accessibility, but each brings a unique approach. If your team needs powerful search across multiple platforms, both tools provide effective solutions. Haystack excels at surfacing information from disparate sources, while Guru does the same, alongside its robust, AI-verified knowledge base—ensuring your team finds not just any information, but the right information.

For teams looking to build a reliable, organized knowledge base with proactive knowledge delivery, Guru is the better choice. With its combination of AI-powered verification, contextual knowledge cards, and seamless integrations, Guru ensures employees always have the most accurate, up-to-date knowledge at their fingertips.

Looking to empower your team with trusted knowledge? Try Guru today and boost productivity with AI-driven assistance—the right tools can raise the productivity of knowledge workers by up to 25%.