Workativ Logo
  • Pricing

ellipse

Top 8 Glean alternatives in 2026 for AI search and productivity

09 Feb 20269 Mins
Deepa Majumder
Deepa Majumder
Senior content writer

Glean has become a popular choice for organizations looking to improve employee productivity through AI-powered search and knowledge discovery. By unifying data from tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and Confluence, Glean helps employees quickly find information, answers, and context across the enterprise.

However, as companies move beyond search-first use cases and start adopting AI agents for real work execution—such as IT support, HR requests, workflow automation, and ticket resolution—many teams find Glean’s capabilities limiting. Common challenges include high per-user pricing, limited action-taking automation, and a strong focus on knowledge retrieval rather than end-to-end task resolution.

That’s why businesses are increasingly exploring alternatives to Glean platforms that go beyond enterprise search to deliver conversational AI agents, no-code automation, predictable pricing, and faster time-to-value. In this guide, we’ll break down the best Glean alternatives, who they’re best suited for, and how they compare across automation depth, customization, and overall ROI.

Why look for an alternative to Glean?

Glean is strong in enterprise search, but many teams look elsewhere as their AI needs mature. Here are the most common reasons buyers evaluate alternatives to Glean:

Search accuracy can feel inconsistent at times

Based on G2 user feedback, a common concern with Glean is that search results don’t always surface the exact information users are looking for. While Glean is designed to unify knowledge across multiple tools, some users report that queries can return only partially relevant results, requiring additional searching or manual refinement.

For teams that rely on fast, precise answers, especially in IT, HR, or operational workflows, this inconsistency can slow resolution and reduce confidence in search-led self-service. This is often one of the first signals that organizations start evaluating alternatives that combine search with more deterministic AI agents or task-driven automation.

Limited customization and uneven relevance

Using Glean can feel restrictive when you want more control over how search behaves. Customization options are limited, which makes it hard to tune results by role, department, or specific operational context. On top of that, search relevance can be inconsistent—useful results show up, but they’re often mixed with links that don’t directly answer the question.

For teams trying to standardize internal support or scale self-service, this lack of control becomes a real bottleneck. When you can’t easily shape how the system prioritizes knowledge or adapts to different use cases, it’s natural to look for alternatives that offer deeper configurability and more predictable outcomes.

Search performance can feel slow for older content

In regular use, Glean doesn’t always feel as fast as you’d expect. Search results can take a few seconds to load, especially when you’re looking for older documents or less frequently accessed content. That delay might seem minor, but when search is used dozens of times a day, it adds noticeable friction.

For teams that rely on instant answers during IT, HR, or operational workflows, even small latency issues can interrupt momentum. Over time, this reinforces the feeling that search alone isn’t enough—and that faster, more responsive AI agents or workflow-driven alternatives may be a better fit.

Security constraints can limit real-world usage

In security-sensitive environments, Glean can feel underutilized. When key tools like Slack or email aren’t approved for integration, search results become incomplete, reducing overall usefulness. If the full stack can’t be connected, Glean’s value is naturally constrained, which leads many teams to explore alternatives better aligned with strict security and governance needs.

TL;DR: Glean AI alternatives at a glance

Tool

Best for

Key strengths

Pricing

Workativ

Enterprise AI agents and automation

End-to-end workflow automation, AI agents for IT and HR, deep integrations, strong governance and controls

Magic: $0/monthBusiness: $349/monthEnterprise: Custom

Moveworks

Employee support automation at scale

Autonomous issue resolution, IT and HR workflows, strong NLP and intent handling

Enterprise-only, quote-based

Leena AI

HR self-service and employee experience

HR knowledge automation, policy Q&A, employee request handling

Quote-based, per employee

Microsoft Copilot

AI assistance inside Microsoft ecosystem

Native Microsoft 365 integration, contextual answers across documents and email

Per-user (Microsoft 365 add-on)

Aisera

ITSM and enterprise service automation

AI service desk, multi-agent automation, enterprise-grade workflows

Enterprise, quote-based

Coveo

AI-powered enterprise search

Relevance tuning, personalization, advanced search analytics

Quote-based

Elastic Enterprise Search

Custom enterprise search builds

Developer-friendly APIs, high scalability, flexible indexing

Usage-based / subscription

Guru

Knowledge management and internal search

Verified knowledge base, browser and Slack extensions, simple AI answers

Tiered SaaS, per user

Top 8 Glean alternatives in 2026

As organizations adopt AI to improve employee productivity, many begin with enterprise search tools such as Glean to help teams find information faster. But over time, expectations shift. Leaders don’t just want better answers; they want issues resolved, requests completed, and work moved forward without manual effort.

This is where many search-first platforms begin to show limitations. While they excel at surfacing documents and links, they often fall short in executing workflows, automating internal processes, or delivering measurable operational outcomes. For IT, HR, and operations teams, the real value lies in AI systems that can understand intent and take action, not just point to information.

As a result, companies are increasingly evaluating Glean alternatives that combine knowledge access with AI agents, automation, and predictable pricing models. These platforms are designed to support high-volume internal use cases, reduce support load, and scale without per-employee cost inflation.

The tools below are among the most credible alternatives available today—starting with a platform that takes an action-first approach to employee AI.

Workativ 

Workativ is an employee AI agent platform designed to help organizations improve employee productivity and operational efficiency by combining enterprise search, Knowledge AI, and workflow automation in one system.

At its core, Workativ helps employees get the right answer faster and resolve queries, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s built to support internal service experiences where employees need both, including 

  • Accurate, trusted information such as policies, SOPs, troubleshooting guides, benefits, and HR/IT knowledge 

  • Real execution, such as raising a ticket, checking status, updating a request, triggering access workflows, and routing to the right team.

This makes Workativ a strong alternative to Glean for companies that want enterprise search plus action-driven AI agents that deliver measurable outcomes.

Most important features and who they benefit

Workativ offers outstanding features that elevate the employee experience. For example, 

Knowledge AI and enterprise search for employee productivity and efficiency

As an enterprise search platform for employees, Workativ is purpose-built for internal support use cases that require speed, accuracy, and clarity.

Unified enterprise search across internal knowledge

 Workativ connects policies, SOPs, internal documentation, and help content into a single searchable experience, reducing time spent switching between tools.

Answer-first Knowledge AI

Instead of returning a long list of links, Workativ delivers direct, contextual answers, which improves efficiency for repetitive HR and IT questions.

Search optimized for employee support

Unlike generic enterprise search tools, Workativ understands intent behind operational queries like access issues, benefits questions, or troubleshooting requests—making it a more practical Glean alternative for internal teams.

Continuous knowledge improvement

Built-in insights help teams identify gaps, outdated content, and common failure points, allowing search quality to improve over time.

Workativ is ideal for organizations evaluating alternatives to Glean that need search plus automation.

  • IT teams gain scalable self-service and faster ticket deflection.

  • HR teams improve policy discovery, onboarding support, and employee experience.

  • Operations and shared services benefit from standardized, repeatable workflows.

  • Business leaders gain measurable ROI tied to productivity and resolution outcomes.

Value proposition: Why Workativ is a better alternative to Glean

What differentiates Workativ from Glean and other enterprise search tools is its action-first design.

  • Search plus execution: Workativ connects Knowledge AI directly to workflows, so answers lead to outcomes—not just documentation.

  • Built for internal productivity use cases: It’s designed specifically for employee support, not just enterprise-wide knowledge discovery.

  • Predictable, transparent pricing: Unlike Glean’s per-employee pricing model, Workativ uses a usage-aligned approach that scales more predictably.

  • Faster time to value: With no-code configuration and prebuilt internal support patterns, teams can deploy and iterate quickly.

For organizations seeking a Glean alternative that improves employee productivity, reduces internal support workload, and delivers measurable efficiency gains, Workativ offers a compelling, future-ready option.

Key features of Workativ

  1. No-code AI Agent Studio: Workativ’s no-code AI Agent Studio enables teams to design, configure, and deploy AI agents for HR and IT use cases without development effort, significantly reducing implementation time and accelerating time-to-value.

  2. Extensive knowledge and data source connectors: Workativ seamlessly integrates with enterprise knowledge sources, including SharePoint, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, Confluence, Notion, ServiceNow, and Freshservice, enabling AI agents to deliver responses grounded in up-to-date internal information.

  3. AI workflows and orchestration: Workativ supports AI-driven workflows that manage complex, conditional logic across multiple actions. This removes the need to overload prompts with edge cases and enables predictable, auditable execution—something Glean alternatives are increasingly prioritized as AI usage grows.

  4. Knowledge AI with GPT-powered RAG: Workativ uses GPT-based Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to deliver accurate, context-aware answers grounded in trusted internal knowledge. This ensures responses are reliable, auditable, and aligned with company data—making it a strong Glean alternative for internal support use cases.

  5. Shared live chat inbox: Workativ offers a unified inbox where human agents can monitor AI conversations, collaborate internally, and seamlessly take over interactions without losing context.

  6. Pre-built AI agent templates: Workativ provides industry-ready AI agent templates for IT, HR, and operational use cases, enabling organizations to launch production-grade agents quickly with minimal configuration.

  7. Multichannel deployment: AI agents built on Workativ can be deployed across Slack, Microsoft Teams, web portals, and internal communication channels, ensuring employees can access support wherever they work.

  8. Enterprise-grade AI security and guardrails: Workativ is built with SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR-aligned controls, RBAC, audit logs, and AI guardrails. Features such as PII redaction, prompt-injection protection, and secure execution ensure AI operates safely in regulated environments.

  9. Multilingual platform for global audiences: With out-of-the-box language detection and translation across 90+ languages, Workativ enables enterprises to support global workforces with consistent, localized AI interactions.

  10. White-label flexibility: Workativ allows organizations to fully rebrand their AI agents by customizing logos, colors, and UI to match their brand identity—without additional licensing or add-on costs.

  11. Action-driven automation beyond question answering: Workativ’s AI agents can trigger real actions—such as creating tickets, submitting requests, updating records, or initiating approvals—allowing employee issues to be resolved end to end within a single interaction.

Together, these features of Workativ provide much more flexibility and freedom in adopting the platform seamlessly and 

Pros: 

  1. Integrated AI-driven automation: Workativ automates repetitive HR and IT support queries, resolving a large share of employee requests without human intervention from a single platform.

  2. Easy to adopt and use: Designed with an intuitive interface that requires minimal learning, enabling faster adoption across business and support teams.

  3. Extensive enterprise integrations: Workativ integrates with 100+ enterprise tools across ITSM, HRMS, access management, email, and expense systems to automate workflows end-to-end.

  4. Multi-agent architecture for complex workflows: Workativ uses a multi-agent reasoning engine to break down and execute multi-step processes reliably, reducing errors and hallucinations.

  5. AI reasoning visibility (AI Thoughts): Workativ AI agents provide transparent reasoning and traceability behind AI responses, improving observability and trust in automated decisions.

  6. Advanced insights and analytics: Get customizable dashboards for tracking AI performance, querying trends, topic analysis, and optimization opportunities.

  7. Enterprise-grade security and compliance: Built with ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, and enterprise security controls to safeguard sensitive internal data.

  8. Cost-effective for enterprise use cases: Workativ delivers high-performance AI automation at a more affordable price point than many enterprise platforms, with a free plan available to evaluate core capabilities.

Cons: 

  1. May be perceived as “SMB product” by some enterprises: Workativ’s affordable pricing and free entry plan can sometimes be perceived as a budget-tier solution by enterprise buyers who associate higher price points with premium positioning.

  2. Advanced AI analytics available in higher tiers: While core AI capabilities are included across plans, more advanced analytics, deeper insights, and enhanced AI performance dashboards are available only in the Business and Enterprise tiers.

​​Ratings

Workativ is consistently rated highly by users for its depth of automation, ease of integration, and ability to handle both HR and IT support use cases from a single platform.

  • G2: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.7/5)

  • Capterra: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.6/5)

  • Gartner Peer Insights: Positive feedback for AI-driven service automation and workflow execution

Pricing: 

One of the biggest reasons buyers consider Workativ a strong alternative to Glean is its published, easy-to-understand pricing.

Workativ pricing tiers include, 

  • Magic plan – $0/month

Designed for getting started, this plan includes core AI agent capabilities, limited chat sessions, basic analytics, and training on documents and websites.

  • Business plan – $349/month

A production-ready plan that includes higher session limits, multiple AI agents, workflow automation, integrations, advanced analytics, and branding removal. Ideal for growing IT and HR teams.

  • Enterprise plan – Custom pricing

Tailored for large organizations with custom session volumes, advanced security features (SSO, RBAC), dedicated support, and enterprise-grade governance.

Why pricing matters vs Glean

Glean typically follows a per-employee pricing model, which can become expensive as adoption grows. Workativ’s usage-aligned approach avoids this “seat tax,” making it easier to roll out AI agents broadly without unpredictable cost increases.

For organizations evaluating a Glean alternative that goes beyond enterprise search and delivers measurable productivity gains through Knowledge AI, AI workflows, and automation, Workativ stands out as a practical, future-ready option.

Why choose Workativ over Glean?

When comparing Workativ and Glean, the core difference comes down to what problem you’re trying to solve. Glean is primarily designed for enterprise search and knowledge discovery. Workativ is built for employee productivity, operational efficiency, and execution.

  • Action-first AI, not just search

Glean helps employees find information. Workativ helps them get work done. With built-in AI workflows, employees can raise tickets, request access, check statuses, and complete tasks directly from chat without switching tools or escalating to human teams.

  • Knowledge AI designed for employee support

Workativ’s Knowledge AI is purpose-built for IT, HR, and internal operations. Using GPT-powered RAG, answers are grounded in trusted internal data and optimized to resolve real employee issues, not just surface documents.

  • Enterprise AI search with outcomes attached

While both platforms offer enterprise search, Workativ connects search directly to next actions. This reduces resolution time and support load, turning search into a productivity driver rather than a standalone experience.

  • No-code agent and workflow builder

Workativ’s no-code Agent Studio allows teams to configure AI agents, knowledge sources, and workflows without engineering effort. This makes it easier to adapt and scale compared to Glean’s search-first configuration approach.

  • Predictable, transparent pricing

Glean’s per-employee pricing model can become expensive as adoption grows. Workativ uses a usage-aligned pricing approach, making costs easier to forecast and scale across the organization.

  • Built for measurable ROI

Workativ is designed to track impact through metrics such as deflection rates, resolution times, and workflow completion. This helps IT, HR, and finance teams clearly connect AI investment to business outcomes.

  • Stronger fit for operational and regulated environments

With enterprise-grade security, governance controls, and auditability, Workativ fits organizations where AI must operate safely within defined boundaries.

Choose Workativ over Glean if your goal is not just faster search, but end-to-end employee self-service, workflow automation, and measurable productivity gains. For organizations moving beyond enterprise search into AI-driven execution, Workativ is a more complete and scalable Glean alternative.

Workativ vs Glean: feature-level comparison

Feature/capability

Workativ

Glean

Core focus

Employee productivity, AI agents, and workflow execution

Enterprise search and knowledge discovery

Knowledge AI

Purpose-built Knowledge AI for IT, HR, and internal operations

Knowledge indexing and retrieval across enterprise tools

Enterprise AI search

Unified, conversational enterprise search optimized for support use cases

Strong enterprise-wide search across apps and documents

Answer vs link experience

Answer-first with contextual guidance

Primarily link and document-driven results

GPT-powered RAG

Yes, responses grounded in trusted internal data

Yes, focused on search relevance and summarization

AI agents

Native AI agents designed for employee self-service

Limited agent-style execution

AI app workflows

Built-in, no-code workflows with conditional logic and orchestration

Not designed for workflow automation

No-code agent studio

Yes, full no-code Agent Studio for building and managing AI agents

Limited configuration, search-centric

Task execution

Can create tickets, request access, check status, trigger approvals

Primarily surfaces information, limited action-taking

Shared live chat inbox

Yes, with seamless AI-to-human handoff

No native shared live inbox

Multi-channel deployment

Slack, Microsoft Teams, web chat

Web and browser-based experiences

Analytics and insights

Deflection, resolution rates, workflow performance, knowledge gaps

Search usage and engagement insights

Enterprise security & governance

RBAC, auditability, controlled AI behavior

Strong enterprise security and compliance

Pricing model

Usage-aligned with published tiers

Per-employee, enterprise pricing

Best suited for

IT, HR, and internal ops teams focused on outcomes

Organizations prioritizing search and discovery

Moveworks 

Moveworks is an enterprise-grade AI platform that automates employee support, particularly for IT and HR use cases. It uses conversational AI and automation to understand employee intent, surface relevant knowledge, and resolve common issues without human intervention. Moveworks is often evaluated as an alternative to Glean by large enterprises that want AI-driven self-service rather than search alone.

Key features:

  • Agentic AI reasoning engine: Plans and executes multi-step employee requests such as access provisioning, software issues, and HR tasks across multiple enterprise systems.

  • Workflow automation: Automates common IT and HR requests directly within conversations, reducing manual ticket handling and support workload.

  • Enterprise search and knowledge discovery: Finds relevant answers across connected tools and internal knowledge sources to support faster issue resolution.

  • Autonomous issue resolution: Resolves repetitive IT issues like password resets, account unlocks, and ticket updates without human intervention.

Pros

  • Strong at scale: Well-suited for large enterprises handling high volumes of repetitive employee support requests.

  • Mature intent recognition: Excels at understanding complex IT-related queries across large and diverse user bases.

Cons

  • High cost: Pricing is enterprise-only and quote-based, which can become expensive as adoption grows.

  • Longer deployment time: Implementation and customization typically require significant setup time and professional services support.

Ratings:

  • G2: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

Moveworks is highly rated for its enterprise automation depth, AI reasoning capabilities, and ability to resolve complex employee requests at scale.

Pricing:

  • Enterprise plan — Custom pricing

Moveworks does not publish standard pricing and follows a demo-led, enterprise sales model. Pricing typically depends on organization size, number of employees, integrations (ITSM, HRIS, IAM), and support requirements. Industry reports and customer feedback often place Moveworks’ annual cost at ~$200,000 to $1M+, making it suitable primarily for large enterprises.

  • No free plan

  • No self-serve trial

Leena AI 

Leena AI is an employee experience and HR automation platform focused on HR self-service and internal support. It is often evaluated as an alternative to Glean when organizations want conversational access to HR knowledge combined with basic request handling, rather than broad enterprise search.

Key features:

  • Conversational AI for HR support: Provides a chat-based interface that answers employee questions related to policies, benefits, leave, onboarding, and HR processes.

  • HR knowledge automation: Surfaces answers from HR documents, FAQs, and internal knowledge bases to reduce dependency on HR teams.

  • Employee request handling: Supports structured HR requests such as leave queries, policy acknowledgements, and basic workflows.

Pros

  • Strong HR focus: Well-suited for organizations prioritizing HR self-service and employee experience.

  • Easy employee adoption: Simple conversational interface makes it accessible for non-technical users.

Cons:

  • Limited beyond HR use cases: Less suitable for IT, finance, or broader enterprise automation compared to full employee AI platforms.

  • Pricing scales with headcount: Per-employee, quote-based pricing can become expensive as workforce size grows.

Rating

Leena AI is generally rated around 4.3–4.5 out of 5 on G2, with positive feedback on HR automation and usability.

Pricing

Leena AI offers custom pricing, typically based on the number of employees and HR use cases supported.

Microsoft Copilot 

Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant embedded across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, designed to help employees find information, summarize content, and draft responses within tools they already use. It’s often evaluated as an alternative to Glean by organizations that are deeply invested in Microsoft products and want AI-driven assistance layered directly into daily workflows.

Key features:

  • M365-native AI assistance: Provides contextual AI support directly within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

  • Enterprise-grade security & compliance: Inherits Microsoft’s identity, access controls, and compliance frameworks.

  • Contextual knowledge access: Uses Microsoft Graph to surface information from emails, files, meetings, and chats.

Pros:

  • Deep Microsoft ecosystem integration: Seamlessly fits into existing Microsoft 365 workflows.

  • Low adoption friction: Employees use Copilot inside tools they already know.

Cons:

  • Not built for service automation: Lacks native capabilities for HR or IT ticket resolution and workflow orchestration.

  • Dependent on Microsoft stack: Value is limited outside Microsoft-centric environments.

Ratings

  • G2: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (Ratings vary by Copilot product and use case)

Pricing

  • Microsoft Copilot — Paid add-on pricing

Copilot is sold as an add-on to Microsoft 365 licenses, with pricing varying by product edition and agreement type. It does not offer a standalone free plan and is typically licensed per user.

Aisera 

Aisera is an AI-driven service management platform that automates IT and enterprise service operations. It is often considered an alternative to Glean by organizations that want AI to resolve service requests and operational issues rather than only surface knowledge. Aisera is designed for enterprises looking to reduce manual ticket handling and improve service efficiency across IT and shared services.

Key features: 

  • AI service desk automation: Automates IT and enterprise service requests such as incident resolution, service requests, and knowledge-based answers.

  • Conversational AI for IT and operations: Provides chat-based support to understand user intent and guide employees through troubleshooting and service workflows.

  • Enterprise knowledge integration: Pulls answers from ITSM tools, internal knowledge bases, and operational systems to support faster resolution.

Pros:

  • Strong ITSM focus: Well-suited for organizations with mature IT service management environments.

  • Broad enterprise automation coverage: Extends beyond search into service resolution and operational workflows.

Cons:

  • Complex implementation: Setup and customization often require significant configuration and service effort.

  • Enterprise-heavy pricing: Quote-based pricing can be costly for mid-sized teams.

Ratings

  • G2: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.4/5)

Pricing

  • Enterprise plan — Custom pricing

Aisera does not publish standard pricing and follows a demo-led enterprise sales model. Pricing varies based on organization size, number of automated use cases, integrations, and support scope. It is generally positioned for mid-market and large enterprises, with costs scaling as AI automation depth increases.

Coveo 

Coveo is an AI-powered enterprise search and relevance platform focused on finding and personalizing information at scale. It’s often considered an alternative to Glean by organizations that prioritize advanced search relevance and personalization over workflow execution or employee support automation.

Key features:

  • AI-powered enterprise search: Delivers highly relevant search results across connected enterprise content and applications using machine learning.

  • Relevance tuning and personalization: Uses behavioral signals to personalize results based on role, context, and past interactions.

  • Content indexing across systems: Connects to multiple data sources to index documents, knowledge bases, and applications.

Pros:

  • Strong search relevance: Well-known for high-quality ranking and personalization capabilities.

  • Flexible for complex environments: Suitable for large enterprises with diverse content sources.

Cons:

  • Limited actionability: Focuses on search and discovery, not task execution or workflow automation.

  • Requires configuration effort: Tuning relevance and personalization can be resource-intensive.

Ratings:

Coveo is typically rated around 4.3–4.5 out of 5 on G2, with praise for search accuracy and flexibility.

Pricing:

Coveo uses a quote-based enterprise pricing model, with costs influenced by indexed content volume, use cases, and deployment scope.

Elastic Enterprise Search 

Elastic Enterprise Search is a developer-centric search platform built on the Elastic Stack, designed for organizations that want to build and customize enterprise search experiences. It is often evaluated as an alternative to Glean when teams prefer owning search infrastructure rather than using an out-of-the-box SaaS product.

Key features:

  • Custom enterprise search engine: Enables teams to build tailored search experiences across internal documents, applications, and data sources.

  • App Search and Workplace Search: Supports both application-level search and internal content search within a unified Elastic environment.

  • Advanced indexing and relevance controls: Offers fine-grained tuning of relevance, ranking, and filtering logic.

Pros:

  • Highly customizable: Ideal for organizations that want full control over search behavior and relevance logic.

  • Scales well with data volume: Proven performance for large, complex enterprise environments.

Cons:

  • Requires engineering ownership: Setup, tuning, and maintenance demand technical expertise.

  • Not employee-ready out of the box: Lacks built-in workflows or conversational AI for self-service.

Rating:

Elastic Enterprise Search is generally rated around 4.4–4.6 out of 5 on G2, particularly for flexibility and performance.

Pricing:

Elastic uses a subscription-based pricing model, typically based on deployment type, usage, and infrastructure scale.

Guru 

Guru is a knowledge management and internal information platform designed to help teams create, verify, and access trusted knowledge. It’s often considered an alternative to Glean for organizations that prioritize curated, accurate content over broad enterprise-wide search and automation.

Key features:

  • Verified knowledge base: Enables teams to create and maintain trusted content with verification workflows to keep information accurate and up to date.

  • Contextual knowledge delivery: Surfaces relevant answers directly within tools like Slack, browser extensions, and internal workflows.

  • Internal search across knowledge cards: Allows employees to quickly find validated answers without scanning long documents.

Pros:

  • High trust in content: Strong emphasis on accuracy and ownership makes it ideal for compliance-sensitive information.

  • Easy adoption: Lightweight interface integrates smoothly into existing employee workflows.

Cons:

  • Limited automation: Focuses on knowledge access rather than task execution or workflow automation.

  • Not a full enterprise search replacement: Best for curated knowledge, not broad system-wide discovery.

Rating:

Guru is typically rated around 4.6–4.8 out of 5 on G2, with users praising content trust and ease of use.

Pricing:

Guru offers tiered, per-user pricing based on team size, features, and knowledge management needs.

Essential features to consider when choosing a Glean alternative

When evaluating a Glean alternative, it’s important to look beyond surface-level search and focus on features that actually improve employee productivity, efficiency, and outcomes. Below are the most critical features to assess, explained in a practical, buyer-friendly way.

Knowledge AI with answer-first intelligence

Knowledge AI delivers direct, contextual answers from internal documents, policies, and SOPs instead of forcing employees to open multiple links. The core problem it solves is wasted time—employees still spend nearly 30% of their workday searching for information even with traditional enterprise search. For example, when an employee asks about a reimbursement policy, Knowledge AI summarizes the exact policy and eligibility rules instead of returning five documents. The outcome is faster answers, fewer follow-ups, and reduced dependency on HR or IT teams.

Enterprise AI search across internal systems

Enterprise AI search unifies knowledge from documents, ticketing tools, intranets, and collaboration platforms into a single experience. This addresses the fragmentation problem where employees must jump between systems to find answers. For instance, an IT admin searching for “VPN access issue” can see SOPs, past tickets, and troubleshooting guides in one place. The outcome is reduced context switching, faster discovery, and higher confidence in search results.

GPT-powered RAG for accuracy and trust

GPT-powered Retrieval Augmented Generation grounds AI responses in trusted internal data, preventing hallucinations and incorrect guidance. The pain point here is unreliable AI answers, which can lead to policy violations or operational errors. For example, when an employee asks about leave eligibility, the AI responds only based on the latest HR policy, not generic assumptions. The outcome is higher trust in AI responses and safer enterprise-wide adoption.

AI workflows and task automation

AI workflows allow the platform to take action, not just provide information. This solves the problem of “search without resolution,” where employees still have to manually raise tickets or submit requests. For example, when an employee asks for Salesforce access, the AI explains the policy and automatically initiates the access request workflow. The outcome is faster resolution, fewer handoffs, and lower support workload.

No-code AI agent and workflow configuration

No-code configuration enables IT and HR teams to update AI behavior, knowledge sources, and workflows without engineering involvement. The problem it addresses is slow iteration caused by developer dependency. For instance, HR can update how the AI responds to a policy change on the same day it’s published. The outcome is faster adaptation, continuous improvement, and reduced operational bottlenecks.

Shared live chat inbox with seamless human handoff

A shared live chat inbox ensures smooth escalation from AI to human agents with full conversation context preserved. This solves the frustration employees face when they must repeat information after escalation. For example, an IT agent can immediately see what steps the AI already tried before taking over. The outcome is faster human-assisted resolution and a better employee experience.

Analytics tied to real productivity outcomes

Outcome-driven analytics track metrics like deflection rates, resolution times, and workflow completion rather than just search usage. The problem with many search tools is the lack of clear ROI visibility. For example, an IT team can see that 40% of password reset requests are fully resolved by AI. The outcome is clearer ROI measurement and data-driven optimization.

Enterprise-grade security and governance

Enterprise-grade security ensures role-based access, auditability, and controlled AI behavior aligned with company policies. This addresses compliance and data exposure risks. For example, HR-related queries are only accessible to authorized users even when using the same AI assistant. The outcome is safer AI deployment with confidence from security and compliance teams.

The best Glean alternatives don’t stop at enterprise search. They combine Knowledge AI, accurate retrieval, automation, and governance to help employees get work done—not just find information.

Choosing the right Glean alternative in 2026

By 2026, the way organizations think about enterprise AI has clearly shifted. Finding information is no longer enough. Employees expect AI to understand intent, deliver accurate answers, and help complete tasks without friction. This is why many teams evaluating a Glean alternative are moving beyond search-first platforms toward solutions that drive real productivity and operational outcomes.

When choosing the right alternative, it helps to start with your primary goal. If your focus is purely on discovering information across tools, search-centric platforms may still work. But if your organization is aiming to reduce internal support load, improve employee experience, and show measurable ROI, you’ll want a platform that combines Knowledge AI, enterprise search, and action-oriented automation.

Look for solutions that ground responses in trusted data, support no-code configuration, and integrate seamlessly with your existing systems. Equally important is pricing clarity—platforms that scale based on usage rather than employee count make it easier to expand adoption without unexpected cost spikes.

This is where platforms like Workativ stand out. Designed for employee productivity and internal operations, Workativ brings together Knowledge AI, enterprise AI search, AI workflows, and enterprise-grade governance in one system. More importantly, it’s built to help teams move from “finding answers” to getting work done, with faster time-to-value and predictable costs.

The right Glean alternative in 2026 isn’t just the one with the smartest search—it’s the one that helps your teams resolve issues faster, automate repetitive work, and continuously improve employee experience.

Start with a free Magic Plan or book a personalized walkthrough to see how Workativ can automate employee support across HR and IT— end to end.

FAQs

What is the best alternative to Glean in 2026?

The best Glean alternative depends on your goals. If you only need enterprise search, search-first tools may be sufficient. However, organizations focused on employee productivity, internal support automation, and measurable outcomes often choose platforms like Workativ, which combine Knowledge AI, enterprise search, and workflow execution.

How is a Glean alternative different from Glean itself?

Glean is primarily designed for enterprise search and knowledge discovery. Most Glean alternatives extend beyond search to include AI agents, task automation, and workflow orchestration, allowing employees to complete requests instead of just finding information.

Are Glean alternatives better for IT and HR teams?

Yes, many alternatives to Glean are built specifically for IT, HR, and shared services. They focus on resolving employee requests such as access issues, policy questions, onboarding tasks, and ticket updates, which reduces support workload and improves employee experience.

What features should I prioritize when evaluating a Glean alternative?

Key features to look for include Knowledge AI with accurate answers, enterprise AI search across systems, GPT-powered RAG for reliability, AI workflows for task execution, no-code configuration, analytics tied to outcomes, and enterprise-grade security.

How does pricing typically differ between Glean and its alternatives?

Glean usually follows a per-employee pricing model, which can become expensive as adoption grows. Many Glean alternatives use usage-aligned or outcome-based pricing, making costs easier to forecast and scale across the organization.

Is a Glean alternative suitable for large enterprises?

Yes. Many alternatives are designed specifically for large and distributed enterprises, offering enterprise-grade security, governance, and integrations while providing faster time to value and clearer ROI compared to traditional search-only platforms.

Supercharge enterprise support with AI agents
Deliver faster, smarter, and cost-efficient support for your enterprise.
logos
Auto-resolve 60% of Your Employee Queries
With AI Agents & Automation.
cta

About the Author

Deepa Majumder

Deepa Majumder

Senior content writer

Deepa Majumder is a writer who nails the art of crafting bespoke thought leadership articles to help business leaders tap into rich insights in their journey of organization-wide digital transformation. Over the years, she has dedicatedly engaged herself in the process of continuous learning and development across business continuity management and organizational resilience.

Her pieces intricately highlight the best ways to transform employee and customer experience. When not writing, she spends time on leisure activities.

Deepa Majumder