Alfresco vs DocuShare vs M-Files comparison

The compared Hyland and Xerox solutions aren't in the same category. Hyland is ranked #7 in ECM , with an average rating of 6.8, and holds a 8.8% mindshare in the category. Xerox is ranked #19 in ECM , with an average rating of 7.0, and holds a 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of Hyland users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Xerox users who would recommend it.

Alfresco

Read 14 Alfresco reviews

3,139 Views
2,543 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

DocuShare

Read 4 DocuShare reviews

282 Views
254 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

M-Files

Read 2 M-Files reviews

977 Views
332 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Alfresco

DocuShare

M-Files

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Alfresco, DocuShare, and M-Files based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, OpenText, IBM and others in Enterprise Content Management.

To learn more, read our detailed Enterprise Content Management Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Mindshare comparison

Enterprise Content Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Alfresco	8.8%
SharePoint	15.0%
OpenText Documentum Content Management	10.2%
Other	66.0%

Enterprise Content Management

Enterprise Content Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
DocuShare	0.6%
SharePoint	15.0%
OpenText Documentum Content Management	10.2%
Other	74.2%

Enterprise Content Management

Document Management Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
M-Files	7.8%
Alfresco	15.9%
Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management	11.1%
Other	65.2%

Document Management Software

Featured Reviews

Karthi Keyan

Head Of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Streamlining document management with enhanced digitalization features needed

We used Alfresco as a document management system for automating and digitizing manual forms. Those were the main use cases The digitalization of workflow, forms, operations, and business processes has improved our organization. The most valuable features of Alfresco include its integration with…

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R Williams

Software Analyst at Altron

The new releases incorporate significant advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and language processing capabilities

Version control interface is very good. The new releases of DocuShare incorporate significant advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and language processing capabilities. For instance, when you upload a document into DocuShare, you no longer need to set up templates to identify and extract important fields. The system automatically reads the document and identifies key information. For example, in a contract document between two entities, it can recognize the contract start date, end date, reference number, and other relevant details without manual intervention. This automated process streamlines document management. You should know your requirements and understand your environment, as well as the goals you want to achieve. Try out the demo first to see if it fits your needs and objectives before making a decision. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

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Laurie NYlund

Director of IT at JH Kelly

Good workflows, and it is easy to use with a dashboard that improves contract visibility

My advice for anybody who is looking into implementing this product is to do a pilot first. After you do your research, do an actual pilot before you commit because everyone has nuances and you might find out that it is not what you want, or that it doesn't really do what you think it's going to do. It is not the simplest product to use but because of the robustness of its feature set in the ability with the workflows, and the APIs, to do just about anything you can imagine with it, that's very valuable. I wish it was a little easier to use because we have to spend more time than I'd like with new users, teaching them how it works. We try to hide all that from them but the setup time to get everything the way we wanted was probably two months. That is two months in one resource working on it half time a week, but it just took a lot of work to get the metadata set up, to get the workflows set up, and to get all the documents added to the repository. Now we've got versioning and we know where everything's at, the dashboard is great, but don't assume when they tell you that you'll be up and running in two weeks, that that is the truth. It takes much longer than you think. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable features of Alfresco include its integration with the scanning solution, the ability to search, and the capability to store and index to capture metadata."

"The product allows engineering teams and developers to introduce new things in a seamless and easy way."

"I like the ease of use, sections, and calendar."

"The digitalization of workflow, forms, operations, and business processes is also significant."

"The most valuable feature is the flexibility of the searching elements of the metadata."

"Alfresco's technical support is very fast and professional."

"Document repository."

"Alfresco allows broad searches with many index fields that you can search on, although the created fields and their values may not be intuitive."

More Alfresco pros

"The software development kit can be customized."

"Using M-Files means anybody on the executive team to go in and immediately look at a dashboard and know the status of a contract."

Cons

"I would like them to consider document capture functionality."

"The setup process for Alfresco was complex."

"If you don't have proper governance, things can go wrong. You have to make rules, such as one folder should not have more than 5,000 subfolders or children."

"The configuration of Alfresco is a big challenge."

"Alfresco could improve workflow digitalization and enhance artificial intelligence capabilities."

"Currently, documents in Alfresco are stored on a file server, which, while good for performance, is a security risk."

"Alfresco has a very steep learning curve, and unfortunately, during the learning process, it's very easy to make errors, which often are unforgiving."

"I think the presentation layer could be improved - currently, it's too complex, and there are too many features cluttered all over the screen."

More Alfresco cons

"The user interface could be improved."

"The integration with other products needs to be improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license for Alfresco is expensive - not the maximum, but close. There are also extra costs once you start building integrations, as implementation seems to be very costly."

"There are costs for any upgrade or additional functions."

"It is cheaper compared to head-to-head competitors."

"If you buy Alfresco through a partner, there is usually a OEM licensing option."

Information not available

"They have an Optical Character Scanning module but we didn't buy it because it's ridiculously expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	3

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alfresco?

The pricing of Alfresco starts at $100,000, which can be expensive for small projects. There is often a transition fr...

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What needs improvement with Alfresco?

Currently, the challenge is the general availability to users. Initially, they had poor documentation, but over the y...

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What is your primary use case for Alfresco?

This is mainly for unstructured document management systems with workflow and data classification.

See all answers

What needs improvement with DocuShare?

The user interface could be improved.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for DocuShare?

We use the solution for electronic document filing.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering DocuShare?

Version control interface is very good. The new releases of DocuShare incorporate significant advancements in artific...

See all answers

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Comparisons

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Alfresco

Compared 14% of the time

Hyland OnBase vs Alfresco

Compared 10% of the time

SharePoint vs Alfresco

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs Alfresco

Compared 9% of the time

IBM ECM vs Alfresco

Compared 4% of the time

More Alfresco Competitors

SharePoint vs DocuShare

Compared 100% of the time

More DocuShare Competitors

SharePoint vs M-Files

Compared 26% of the time

Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management vs M-Files

Compared 13% of the time

IBM FileNet vs M-Files

Compared 11% of the time

Newgen OmniDocs vs M-Files

Compared 8% of the time

DocuWare vs M-Files

Compared 8% of the time

More M-Files Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Alfresco

October 2025

Download Alfresco product report

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

September 2025

Download DocuShare product report

Buyer's Guide

Document Management Software

September 2025

Download M-Files product report

Overview

The Alfresco Digital Business Platform offers open, secure content services to let you unlock the value from your most important business information. Give users access to their content wherever and however they work with Alfresco’s open, flexible, and highly scalable cloud-native content services platform. Easily integrate and connect with everyday business applications. Find, view, collaborate on, govern, and securely share digital content—and get information to the right person at the right time.

Hyland

Xerox DocuShare's Content Management System gives you the easiest method to manage all of your paper and digital documents

Xerox

M-Files is the leading platform for knowledge work automation. With M-Files, knowledge workers can find information faster, work smarter, and achieve more. M-Files features an innovative metadata-driven architecture, embedded workflow engine, and advanced artificial intelligence that enable customers to eliminate information chaos, improve process efficiency, and automate security and compliance. By embedding automation and GenAI into its core, M-Files' platform not only increases efficiencies for organizations but also empowers knowledge workers to focus on what truly matters—innovation and strategic growth. With 10 global offices, M-Files serves more than 5,000 customers in 100 countries. Start your free trial OR Schedule a demo. For more information, visit www.m-files.com.

M-Files

Sample Customers

Over 1,300 companies from 180 different countries. Including EuroStar, Saks Fifth Avenue, NASA Langley Research Center, and KLM.

Lincoln Public Schools, West Orange School District, Tulane University, Niagara Catholic School District, Arig, Co-operative Financial Services, Mizuho Capital Markets Corporation, Volksbank Romania and Iron Mountain, Hammersmith Hospital, Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd., Kaiser Permanente, Convergys Inc., Honeywell, Universal Pictures, McGraw Hill Construction Information Group

Crowe UK, Stearns Bank, Head Energy, OMV, TK Elevator

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

September 2025

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