What are the implications of using multiple Spaces in Confluence

[Asier Vadillo]

Hi Atlassian Community,

I'm planning our Confluence information architecture and wondering about the consequences of creating many Spaces versus fewer consolidated ones. Does having a large number of Spaces affect performance, loading times, or computational overhead? Are there any impacts on licensing costs, pricing per user, or hidden storage costs? I'm also curious about how multiple Spaces might affect search functionality, user experience, and administrative maintenance burden. I want to balance good content organization with system efficiency, so any insights from your experience would be really helpful!

Thanks in advance!

[Mia Tamm _Simpleasyty_]

Hi @Asier Vadillo 

On our experience, having multiple Spaces in Confluence doesn’t really impact licensing or performance (load times, storage, or costs), since licensing is based on users rather than the number of Spaces.

The main differences show up in other areas:

• Search: With many Spaces, search results can become harder to navigate if you don’t use good naming conventions, labels, or overview pages. Users may not know which Space to look in.

• Administration: More Spaces mean more effort in managing permissions, maintaining consistency, and avoiding duplication.

• Organization: Multiple Spaces are useful for clearly separating teams, departments, or major projects. But too many can fragment information and make knowledge harder to find.

• Scalability: A smaller number of well-structured Spaces (with clear page hierarchies and labeling practices) is easier to maintain than dozens of loosely managed ones.

My recommendation is to define clear criteria from the start:

• We only create a new Space if there’s a strong justification (e.g., a team with distinct permissions or processes).

• Use labels, templates, and naming conventions to improve search and consistency.

• Periodically review and merge/archive Spaces that are no longer relevant.

In short: the technical impact is minimal, but the organizational and user experience impact is significant. Striking a balance between clarity for users and simplicity for administrators is key.

— Mia Tamm from Simpleasyty