MadCap Flare Selected as Top Authoring Application in Two Technical Writer Surveys

MadCap Flare has been selected as the top authoring application in two surveys of technical writers. Flare was identified as the authoring application of choice by more than 39 percent of respondents to the surveys conducted on behalf of the HAT-Matrix.com and I’d Rather Be Writing technical communications blogs. The surveys represent the first time that Flare, which debuted in March 2006, has seen “higher customer use than any other competing solution–including legacy applications that have been on the market for more than a decade,” according to a press release distributed widely on the Internet.

Absent actual sales comparison data, there’s no way to actually know which vendor is the “top authoring application” used by technical writing pros. Odds are, Microsoft Word is still the dominant software tool (perhaps, not by choice, but because it’s so ubiquitous). Adobe FrameMaker, long perceived as the the number one selling software tool designed specifically to handle long documents (such as those created by technical writers and engineers), still commands a large market share, with MadCap Flare an up-and-coming and popular alternative.

Look for our technical communication authoring tools survey in January 2009 for more information. It may be interesting to compare the results.