Software & SaaS · Ranked by price to features
10 Best Knowledge Base Software of 2026
By the Rankozo research desk · Updated November 12, 2026 · Next review December 27, 2026
Help Scout Docs is the best knowledge base software for small support teams in 2026: its Free plan includes 1 Docs site for 5 users, and Standard costs $25 per user per month billed annually. Freshdesk suits teams that want ticketing and a customer portal together at $19 per agent, and Zendesk suits large omnichannel teams from $55 per agent; BookStack costs $0 to self-host. Prices as of November 2026.
- Tools ranked
- 10
- With free plan
- 4
- Cheapest paid plan
- Confluence, $5.78
- per user per month
By the numbers
- $299,071 millionGartner's November 2024 forecast put worldwide end-user spending on SaaS at $299,071 million in 2025, up 19.2% from 2024.Gartner
- $1 trillionIDC forecasts global public cloud spending above $1 trillion in 2026, up 21%, with SaaS the largest category at more than half of the total.IDC
- $55.7MOrganizations spend an average of $55.7 million a year on SaaS in 2026, an 8% increase, according to Zylo's SaaS Management Index.Zylo
- $11,800HubSpot's average subscription revenue per customer was $11,800 in the second quarter of 2026, up 4% as reported, across 306,446 customers.HubSpot
- $39Microsoft raised the US list price of Microsoft 365 E3 by 8%, from $36 to $39 per user per month, effective July 1, 2026.Microsoft
- 20 to 37%Tropic's renewal data show AI-driven price increases of 20 to 37%, compared with a typical annual uplift of 3 to 9%.Tropic
Comparison table
| Tool | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help Scout Docs | 01 | 8.7 | 9.2 | $25per user per month | Yes |
| Freshdesk | 02 | 8.6 | 9.0 | $19per agent per month | No |
| Zendesk | 03 | 8.1 | 7.0 | $55per agent per month | No |
| Confluence | 04 | 8.0 | 8.6 | $5.78per user per month | Yes |
| HelpDocs | 05 | 8.0 | 7.6 | $99per month | No |
| Zoho Desk | 06 | 8.0 | 8.0 | Free plan | Yes |
| BookStack | 07 | 7.7 | 9.0 | Free | Yes |
| KnowledgeOwl | 08 | 7.7 | 7.0 | $100per month | No |
| Document360 | 09 | 7.6 | 6.4 | Check price | No |
| Helpjuice | 10 | 7.4 | 6.2 | Check price | No |
Click a column to sort. Prices are the cheapest paid plan quoted from each vendor's US pricing page; "Check price" means the US price check is pending.
How this ranking works
One method for every tool. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run hands-on tests. Value carries the most weight.
Full methodThis list is for support leads comparing what a self-serve help center costs. It covers help centers built into help desks, standalone knowledge base products priced per account, an internal wiki and a free self-hosted option. Tools are ranked by value first (40%), then features (35%) and ease of use (25%). Prices are the cheapest relevant paid plan in USD as shown on each vendor's page on November 12, 2026; where a page showed another currency or no list price, the price is marked pending.
The verdict
Help Scout Docs leads because a team of five can publish a help center for free and move to unlimited articles at $25 per user. Freshdesk is the cheapest verified help desk with a customer portal and knowledge base at $19 per agent. Zendesk has the most self-service features but its help center plans start at $55 per agent. Standalone tools like HelpDocs ($99 per month) and KnowledgeOwl ($100 per month) charge per account, which favors teams with few writers and many readers.
- 01Top value
Help Scout Docs
8.7/10The knowledge base built into Help Scout, a support platform with shared inboxes, live chat and an embeddable Beacon widget.
Price
$25per user per month
Free plan with 1 Docs site; Standard from $25 per user per month billed annually, Plus $45, Pro $75
“Standard $ 25 per user/mo For growing teams looking to automate more tasks and move beyond email.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.2
- Features (35%)
- 7.8
- Ease of use (25%)
- 9.0
Best forsmall support teams publishing their first help center
Help Scout Docs ranks first for price-conscious support teams because the help center comes with the help desk instead of as a separate product. The pricing page says the Free plan includes 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, and the comparison table caps that free site at 10 articles, which is enough for a short FAQ. Standard costs $25 per user per month on annual billing and lifts articles to unlimited, adds a second Docs site and five Beacon widgets, plus live chat, SMS and social channels in the inbox. Plus at $45 adds a third Docs site and a secure customer portal, and Pro at $75 includes five sites with SSO and HIPAA compliance. Extra Docs sites cost $20 per month on any paid plan. The trade-off is that seats, not sites, drive the bill, so a 10 person team on Standard pays $250 per month. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓A free help center for up to 5 users with no time limit
- ✓Standard adds unlimited articles and a second Docs site at $25 per user
- ✓Help center, inbox and chat widget share one subscription
- ✕The Free plan caps a Docs site at 10 articles
- ✕Pricing is per user, so the help center cost grows with the support team
- ✕Envoy AI answers cost $0.75 per resolution on top of seats
- Free plan:
- Yes, 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, 10 articles
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Standard, $25 per user per month billed annually
- Docs sites:
- 1 to 5 by plan, extra sites $20 per month
- Annual discount:
- 16%
Bottom line: Help Scout Docs is the best choice for small support teams because the Free plan already includes a Docs site for 5 users. Upgrade to Standard at $25 per user when you need more than 10 articles.
- 02
Freshdesk
8.6/10A ticketing help desk from Freshworks that includes a customer portal, a knowledge base and Freddy AI Agent sessions.
Price
$19per agent per month
Growth from $19 per agent per month billed annually; Pro $55, Enterprise $89
“$19 /agent/month, billed annually Launch AI-powered service over email Growth” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 9.0
- Features (35%)
- 8.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.2
Best forsupport teams that want ticketing and a help center on one low agent price
Freshdesk is the cheapest verified way on this list to get a help center attached to full ticketing. The Growth plan costs $19 per agent per month billed annually and lists a customer portal and knowledge base, ticketing and a shared inbox, out-of-the-box analytics, and Freddy AI Agent with the first 500 sessions included. That AI agent can answer customers from your articles, which is the main reason a help center pays off. Pro at $55 per agent adds a multilingual help desk, custom dashboards, intelligent routing and multiple SLA policies, so teams that publish articles in several languages should budget for Pro. Extra AI Agent sessions cost $49 per 100 and Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent on Pro and Enterprise. The pricing page shows no permanent free plan, though the 14-day trial gives access to the Enterprise plan. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓$19 per agent is the lowest verified entry price on this list for a help desk with a knowledge base
- ✓500 AI Agent sessions are included before add-on charges
- ✓14-day trial starts on the Enterprise plan
- ✕No permanent free plan on the current pricing page
- ✕Multilingual help desk needs Pro at $55 per agent
- ✕Extra AI Agent sessions cost $49 per 100
- Free plan:
- No
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Growth, $19 per agent per month billed annually
- Free trial:
- 14 days on the Enterprise plan
- AI sessions included:
- First 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions
Bottom line: Freshdesk is the best choice for teams that need ticketing and a knowledge base together because Growth includes both at $19 per agent. Teams writing in several languages should price Pro at $55 instead.
- 03
Zendesk
8.1/10A customer service suite with ticketing, messaging, voice, a help center and AI agents.
Price
$55per agent per month
Support Team from $19 per agent per month paid yearly; Suite Team with help center and AI Knowledge Base $55, Suite Professional $115
“Suite Team For teams ready to unify support channels and automate resolutions with AI Agents. $55 agent/month paid yearly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 7.0
- Features (35%)
- 9.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.0
Best formid-size and large support teams that need help centers across channels
Zendesk has the broadest set of self-service tools on this list, but support teams pay for that breadth. Its pricing page describes the Suite plans as equipped with ticketing, messaging, live chat, help center and voice support, and Suite Team at $55 per agent per month paid yearly adds AI Agents, an AI Knowledge Base and omnichannel routing to the $19 Support Team ticketing plan. The comparison table lists a knowledge builder that drafts a knowledge base from ticket history, contextual self-service in the web widget and mobile SDK, generative search, knowledge connectors and help center localization in more than 40 languages on higher tiers. Suite Professional at $115 adds AI writing tools and skills-based routing. Monthly billing costs more: $69 on Suite Team and $149 on Suite Professional. The 14-day trial opens Suite Professional by default. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓The deepest help center feature set here, including generative search and knowledge connectors
- ✓Suite Team adds messaging, live chat and telephony to the help center
- ✓14-day trial of Suite Professional
- ✕The help center plans start at $55 per agent, nearly three times Freshdesk Growth
- ✕Monthly billing raises Suite Team to $69 per agent
- ✕Several knowledge features are listed as add-ons
- Free plan:
- No
- Help center plan:
- Suite Team, $55 per agent per month paid yearly
- Monthly billing:
- $69 per agent on Suite Team
- Free trial:
- 14 days of Suite Professional
Bottom line: Zendesk is the best choice for larger support operations because Suite Team ties the help center to AI Agents, chat and voice at $55 per agent. Small teams get a help center for less from Help Scout or Freshdesk.
- 04
Confluence
8.0/10Atlassian's team wiki with spaces, page trees, databases and Rovo AI search.
Price
$5.78per user per month
Free for 10 users; Standard from $5.78 per user per month, Premium $11.16
“Standard Everything you need to get started $5.78 per user / month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 8.6
- Features (35%)
- 7.6
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.6
Best forsupport teams documenting internal procedures and runbooks
Confluence is on this list for the internal half of support knowledge: macros, escalation runbooks and troubleshooting steps agents read before they answer. The pricing page lists a Free plan for 10 users with up to 2 GB storage, and Standard at $5.78 per user per month adds Rovo Search, Chat and Agents, free guest access, advanced permissions and 250 GB of storage. Premium at $11.16 adds unlimited storage, admin insights and a 99.9% uptime SLA. The limit for a customer help center is design: Confluence organizes pages in spaces and page trees for teams, and it does not ship a branded public help center with a contact widget like Help Scout Docs or Zendesk. Teams on Jira Service Management often pair the two. SSO and SCIM require Atlassian Guard Standard on every plan below Enterprise. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓The cheapest verified paid seat on this list at $5.78 per user
- ✓Free for teams of up to 10
- ✓Free guest access on Standard lets outside readers view shared pages
- ✕Built as an internal wiki, not a branded public help center
- ✕Free plan is limited to 2 GB storage and 50 automation steps per month
- ✕SSO needs a separate Atlassian Guard subscription below Enterprise
- Free plan:
- Yes, up to 10 users
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Standard, $5.78 per user per month
- User limit:
- 250,000 per site on paid plans
- Storage:
- 2 GB Free, 250 GB Standard
Bottom line: Confluence is the best choice for internal support documentation because 10 users work free and Standard costs $5.78 per user. Use a dedicated help center tool for public customer articles.
- 05
HelpDocs
8.0/10A dedicated knowledge base tool priced per account with included editors and unlimited viewers.
Price
$99per month
Sprout from $99 per month billed annually ($129 monthly), Bloom $239, Harvest $399
“Includes HelpDocs AI $129 $99 /month billed annually Get started 5 editors” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 7.6
- Features (35%)
- 8.0
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.6
Best forsupport teams that want flat pricing for a public knowledge base
HelpDocs prices the knowledge base as a product rather than as a seat add-on, which suits support teams with a few writers and many readers. Sprout costs $99 per month billed annually or $129 monthly and includes 5 editors, unlimited viewers, 1,000 AI credits per month, AI drafts and rewrites, 3 languages, the Lighthouse widget and custom CSS and JavaScript. Bloom at $239 per month adds 15 editors, 20 languages, advanced permissioning, an audit trail and embedded JWT SSO. Harvest at $399 adds 25 editors, unlimited languages and SAML and OIDC SSO, with extra editors at $25 each. The pricing FAQ says only people who log in to the dashboard count as editors. For a team of five writers, Sprout costs less than five Zendesk Suite Team seats, but more than Help Scout Standard for the same number of users. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓Flat account price instead of per-agent seats
- ✓Anonymous viewers are unlimited and free
- ✓14-day trial with no credit card
- ✕$99 per month is more than a small team pays on Help Scout or Freshdesk
- ✕Sprout is limited to 5 editors and 3 languages
- ✕No free plan
- Free plan:
- No
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Sprout, $99 per month billed annually
- Editors included:
- 5 on Sprout, 15 on Bloom, 25 on Harvest
- Free trial:
- 14 days, no credit card
Bottom line: HelpDocs is the best choice for teams with a few writers and many readers because Sprout includes 5 editors and unlimited viewers for $99 per month. Larger writing teams should compare Bloom against per-seat tools.
- 06
Zoho Desk
8.0/10A help desk from Zoho with Express, Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions and a free edition for three users.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 8.0
- Features (35%)
- 8.2
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.8
Best forteams already on Zoho apps that want a low-cost help center
Zoho Desk earns a place for teams that want a free starting point and room to grow into a multi-brand help center. The pricing page says the free edition offers three user licenses, and paid editions run from Express through Standard, Professional and Enterprise with yearly billing saving up to 34%. Feature lists on the same page include an answer bot that replies from knowledge base articles, a multilingual help center that publishes articles in over 40 languages, a multi-brand help center with separate self-service portals, and a community forum. From our location the page displayed prices in INR, so we could not verify USD figures and have marked the price pending; check the US page before you budget. Zoho Desk is strongest for companies that already use Zoho CRM or other Zoho apps. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓Free edition covers three users
- ✓Multi-brand help center suits companies with several product lines
- ✓Answer bot reuses knowledge base content for replies
- ✕The pricing page showed INR from our location, so USD prices are unverified
- ✕Help center features vary by edition and need the comparison table to confirm
- ✕Most value comes when you also use other Zoho apps
- Free plan:
- Yes, three user licenses
- Editions:
- Free, Express, Standard, Professional, Enterprise
- Help center languages:
- Over 40
- USD price:
- Check pending
Bottom line: Zoho Desk is the best choice for multi-brand companies on a budget because its help center can run separate portals per brand and the free edition covers three users. Confirm the USD price on the vendor page before buying.
- 07
BookStack
7.7/10A free, open source, self-hosted wiki that organizes content into books, chapters and pages.
Price
Free
Free and open source to self-host; paid support plans available
“There is no cost to downloading and installing your own instance of BookStack.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.0
- Features (35%)
- 6.6
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.2
Best forteams with IT help that want a zero license cost wiki
BookStack is the cheapest option on this list in license terms. Its site says there is no cost to downloading and installing your own instance, the software is MIT licensed, and content sits in books, chapters and pages with full-text search across all of them. Configuration lets you change the name and logo and decide whether the whole system is publicly viewable, so a small team can run a basic public help site. It includes a WYSIWYG editor, an optional Markdown editor with live preview, built-in diagrams.net drawing and community translations into many languages. The cost moves to hosting and upkeep: BookStack runs on PHP with Laravel and MySQL, and the project currently flags a critical PHP security update on its homepage, a reminder that patching is your job. There is no ticketing, contact widget or AI answering, so it fits teams that only need articles. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓No license fee at any team size
- ✓Can be set to public viewing for a simple customer help site
- ✓Full control over hosting and data
- ✕You host, update and secure it yourself
- ✕No built-in ticketing, chat widget or AI answers
- ✕Branding beyond name and logo needs your own work
- Price:
- Free to download and self-host
- License:
- MIT
- Hosting:
- Self-hosted
- Stack:
- PHP, Laravel, MySQL
Bottom line: BookStack is the best choice for teams with server skills because it costs $0 to self-host under the MIT license. Teams without IT support should pick a hosted tool.
- 08
KnowledgeOwl
7.7/10A dedicated knowledge base platform with internal and external knowledge bases and per-author add-ons.
Price
$100per month
Basic from $100 per month, Pro $250, Business $500; extra authors $25 each
“Basic $ 100 /mo Pro $ 250 /mo Business $ 500 /mo” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Value (40%)
- 7.0
- Features (35%)
- 8.2
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.0
Best forteams with one or two writers publishing a branded help center
KnowledgeOwl is a focused help center product that charges by plan plus authors. The pricing page shows Basic at $100 per month, Pro at $250 and Business at $500, and says every plan includes 1 author and 1 knowledge base, with extra authors at $25 and extra knowledge bases at $50 per month. Readers are unlimited, both private and public, and the platform supports internal and external knowledge bases. Pro is described as the plan to build a professional, branded help center with API access, and Business adds SSO and granular permissions. Yearly billing saves 10%, B Corporations and non-profits get 25% off, and trials run 30 days. The model favors a team with one or two dedicated writers; a support team where ten agents write articles would pay $325 per month on Basic, including nine extra authors. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓Unlimited readers on every plan
- ✓30-day free trial
- ✓25% discount for B Corporations and non-profits
- ✕Base price includes only one author
- ✕Pro at $250 is needed for API access
- ✕No free plan
- Free plan:
- No
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Basic, $100 per month
- Included:
- 1 author and 1 knowledge base
- Free trial:
- 30 days
Bottom line: KnowledgeOwl is the best choice for a single dedicated writer because Basic includes 1 author and unlimited readers for $100 per month. Teams with many writers will find per-agent tools cheaper.
- 09
Document360
7.6/10A knowledge base platform for help centers, product documentation, internal knowledge and API docs, with Eddy AI.
- Free plan
- No
- Value (40%)
- 6.4
- Features (35%)
- 8.8
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.0
Best fordocumentation teams running several public and private knowledge bases
Document360 has one of the fullest documentation feature lists here, but it no longer publishes list prices. Its pricing page reads "Customized pricing built around your needs" and asks what you want to create, from a help center to API docs, before a sales contact. Documented features include Markdown and Advanced WYSIWYG editors, article revision history, category management, multiple knowledge bases as private and public projects, reusable content blocks and variables, glossary management and global find and replace. For self-service it lists a support ticket deflector, interactive decision trees, embedded help and Eddy AI search and chatbot. The page lists SOC2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022 and GDPR. Because there is no published price, Document360 scores lowest on value among hosted tools here; teams comparing prices should get a quote before shortlisting it. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓Covers help centers, user manuals, SOPs and API docs in one platform
- ✓Private projects for confidential content alongside public ones
- ✓Ticket deflector and decision trees aimed at self-service
- ✕The pricing page shows customized pricing through a form, with no list prices
- ✕You must talk to sales before you can compare cost
- ✕More setup than a help center built into a help desk
- Pricing:
- Customized, request through the pricing page
- Projects:
- Multiple public and private knowledge bases
- Editors:
- Markdown and Advanced WYSIWYG
- Compliance listed:
- SOC2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, GDPR
Bottom line: Document360 is the best choice for teams running many public and private knowledge bases because it supports multiple projects with reusable content. It publishes no list price, so get a quote first.
- 10
Helpjuice
7.4/10A knowledge base platform that builds a customized design for each customer, priced by plan with user allowances.
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 6.2
- Features (35%)
- 8.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.8
Best forcompanies that want a fully custom-designed knowledge base
Helpjuice sells a knowledge base with design service attached. The pricing page says that when you sign up the team will handcraft your knowledge base design until it matches your brand, and the entry plan includes 30 users and 12GB of file storage with live collaboration, workflows and localization, including AI article translation into more than 40 languages. The middle plan raises users to 100 and adds SSO and the AI Suite of AI Writer, AI Search and AI Chatbot, and the top plan includes unlimited users. The free trial runs 14 days with full access and no credit card. From our location the page showed plan amounts without a currency symbol, so we marked the USD price pending. The entry plan does not include the AI Suite, which matters if you want AI answers from your articles. We compared documented features and published prices.
- ✓Custom design work included on every plan
- ✓Unlimited users on the top plan
- ✓14-day trial with unlimited articles
- ✕The pricing page showed plan amounts without a currency symbol from our location, so USD is unverified
- ✕AI Suite is not included on the entry plan
- ✕Plans are priced well above per-seat help centers for small teams
- Free plan:
- No
- Users on entry plan:
- 30
- Free trial:
- 14 days, no credit card
- USD price:
- Check pending
Bottom line: Helpjuice is the best choice for brands that want a custom-designed help center because design work is part of every plan. Confirm the USD price and AI Suite tier before committing.
What to check before you pay
Decide between per-seat and per-account pricing
Help desks such as Help Scout, Freshdesk and Zendesk charge per agent, so the help center cost scales with the support team. HelpDocs and KnowledgeOwl charge per account with included editors or authors and unlimited readers. Five agents on Freshdesk Growth cost $95 per month on annual billing, while HelpDocs Sprout is $99 per month for 5 editors.
Check article and site limits on free plans
Help Scout's Free plan includes 1 Docs site but caps it at 10 articles, and Confluence Free covers 10 users with 2 GB of storage. Count your articles and sites before relying on a free tier.
Price the tier with the languages you need
Multilingual help centers often sit on higher tiers. Freshdesk's multilingual help desk is on Pro at $55 per agent, and HelpDocs moves from 3 languages on Sprout to 20 on Bloom at $239 per month.
Add AI usage to the base price
AI answers are often metered. Help Scout charges $0.75 per Envoy resolution, Freshdesk includes 500 AI Agent sessions then charges $49 per 100, and HelpDocs Sprout includes 1,000 AI credits per month.
Separate public help centers from internal wikis
A customer help center needs branding, search and a contact widget. Internal runbooks need permissions and page trees. Confluence and BookStack are strong for internal documentation but are not branded help center products.
FAQ
What is the best knowledge base software for customer support?
Help Scout Docs is the best knowledge base software for small support teams. Its Free plan includes 1 Docs site for 5 users and Standard costs $25 per user per month billed annually. Larger omnichannel teams should compare Zendesk Suite Team at $55 per agent.
What is the cheapest knowledge base software?
BookStack is the cheapest because it is free to download and self-host under the MIT license. Among hosted tools with verified USD prices, Confluence Standard is $5.78 per user per month and Freshdesk Growth is $19 per agent per month with a customer portal and knowledge base.
Is there free knowledge base software for a help center?
Yes. Help Scout's Free plan includes 5 users and 1 Docs site with up to 10 articles, and Zoho Desk has a free edition with three user licenses. BookStack is free to self-host.
How much does Zendesk's help center cost?
Zendesk's help center comes with the Suite plans, which start at $55 per agent per month paid yearly for Suite Team. Monthly billing raises Suite Team to $69 per agent, and Suite Professional is $115 per agent paid yearly.
Is Confluence a good knowledge base for support teams?
Confluence is good for internal support documentation but not for a branded public help center. It is free for 10 users and Standard costs $5.78 per user per month, with free guest access for outside readers.
How much does Document360 cost?
Document360 does not publish list prices. Its pricing page offers customized pricing through a request form, so you need a quote from sales.
Which knowledge base tools charge per account instead of per agent?
HelpDocs and KnowledgeOwl charge per account. HelpDocs Sprout is $99 per month billed annually with 5 editors and unlimited viewers, and KnowledgeOwl Basic is $100 per month with 1 author and unlimited readers.
Questions or corrections: editorial@rankozo.comSee our disclosure. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page before buying.
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