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Alfresco vs DocuWare vs Hyland OnBase comparison

The compared Hyland and DocuWare 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. DocuWare is ranked #3 in DMS , with an average rating of 10.0, and holds a 9.6% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of Hyland users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of DocuWare users who would recommend it.
Alfresco
Read 14 Alfresco reviews
  • 3,008 Views
  • 2,436 Comparison Views
78% willing to recommend
DocuWare
Read 2 DocuWare reviews
  • 683 Views
  • 601 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Hyland OnBase
Read 13 Hyland OnBase reviews
  • 3,580 Views
  • 2,184 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Alfresco, DocuWare, and Hyland OnBase based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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

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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
ProductMarket Share (%)
Alfresco8.8%
SharePoint15.0%
OpenText Documentum Content Management10.2%
Other66.0%
Enterprise Content Management
Document Management Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
DocuWare9.6%
Alfresco15.9%
Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management11.1%
Other63.4%
Document Management Software
Business Process Management (BPM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Hyland OnBase1.1%
Camunda16.0%
SAP Signavio Process Manager6.5%
Other76.4%
Business Process Management (BPM)
 

Featured Reviews

Karthi Keyan - PeerSpot reviewer
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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JavierGonzalez3 - PeerSpot reviewer
A comprehensive document management system that enables seamless workflow and robust scalability
In the past, there was a lot of manual work and paperwork involved, as documents had to be physically passed from desk to desk for approval. DocuWare allows for easy document management and workflow automation, eliminating the need for physical paperwork and streamlining the approval process. This has led to improved productivity and smoother workflow.
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Srinivas Rao Kagitha - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good dashboards and reports but fails to offer better migration features
The migration is a bit difficult in the tool. Whenever we make certain changes to workflow or other stuff, migrating the code from one environment to another is a bit tedious. The tool has an option for export and import, which is not robust. Most of the time, we need to do things stuff manually. For example, if we make any changes in the existing life cycle or any queues, we have to move those changes manually. There is no robust way to migrate code from one environment to a lower environment, like prod. When it comes to the product's technical support, the turnaround time is a bit longer than expected. The issue may be because there are a number of issues or a large number of customers who are reaching out to the support team for help. I believe that the solution's technical team can provide a solution more quickly.
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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

"Document repository."
"The digitalization of workflow, forms, operations, and business processes is also significant."
"Alfresco allows broad searches with many index fields that you can search on, although the created fields and their values may not be intuitive."
"Alfresco's technical support is very fast and professional."
"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 most valuable feature is the flexibility of the searching elements of the metadata."
"I like the ease of use, sections, and calendar."
"The product allows engineering teams and developers to introduce new things in a seamless and easy way."
More Alfresco pros
"DocuWare allows for easy document management and workflow automation, eliminating the need for physical paperwork and streamlining the approval process."
"For the most part, the initial setup is easy. There's good documentation."
"The retention module is one of the most valuable features. Whatever we scan onto the system can be identified and we are notified when the records are due to be disposed."
"OnBase is a remarkable tool. It is a well-done product. Hyland has a lot of experience in building it and looking for new things for clients in terms of functionalities. It has amazing stability, and it can grow horizontally and vertically. It is built for growth. Their technical support is also quite good and available throughout the year."
"It provided data security features, allowing restrictions on sensitive documents, such as who could view or modify them."
"Hyland OnBase is valued for its security, especially for those in the finance domain who require data confidentiality."
"The solution is very developed and we are not taking full advantage of its functionalities."
"The most valuable features are that it's very secure and provides audit trails for our documents."
"The product's initial setup phase is not difficult."
"Integrating Hyland OnBase with our systems enabled us to automate document designs and templates, which was extremely helpful in the finance and banking industry."
More Hyland OnBase pros
 

Cons

"I would like them to consider document capture functionality."
"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."
"The setup process for Alfresco was complex."
"The configuration of Alfresco is a big challenge."
"I think the presentation layer could be improved - currently, it's too complex, and there are too many features cluttered all over the screen."
"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."
"Alfresco could improve workflow digitalization and enhance artificial intelligence capabilities."
More Alfresco cons
"It should have collaboration features."
"Its graphical user interface could be more user-friendly."
"The migration is a bit difficult in the tool."
"An area for improvement would be the training - getting our people up to speed on how to use it required more training than we expected due to the complexity of the solution."
"The solution’s initial setup is a little difficult."
"Software malfunctioning usually occurs when we receive documents from external sources."
"The look and feel could be better. The integration with the user could be better. It could also be more user-friendly."
"We need to troubleshoot why our reports didn't get downloaded in a day. There is a workflow feature which powerful but also complicated."
"We found the size of images to be a restriction, though this may have been due to the API used rather than the Hyland application."
"The application could potentially be more open-source, allowing integration with more solutions."
More Hyland OnBase cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you buy Alfresco through a partner, there is usually a OEM licensing option."
"It is cheaper compared to head-to-head competitors."
"There are costs for any upgrade or additional functions."
"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."
"While the price may be considered slightly high, it is still reasonable within the context of other options available on the market."
"The tool's price is high."
"There are a number of different types of licenses. There are concurrent licenses, individual licenses and imaging licenses."
"OnBase is reasonably priced."
"The solution costs around $6,000 per month."
"They can do better in terms of the pricing model. It is a really expensive tool in Latin America. They should have different prices for different regions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
12%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
20%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
7%
Retailer
6%
Government
15%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
Insurance Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise8
 

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
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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hyland OnBase?
I find pricing to be on the higher side due to its monolithic architecture. I would rate it six out of ten. Transitio...
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What needs improvement with Hyland OnBase?
I believe the reporting features need improvement, as other competitors in the market provide better analytics. Hylan...
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What is your primary use case for Hyland OnBase?
I was a vendor managing Hyland OnBase ( /products/hyland-onbase-reviews ) for Hyland, not as a direct user but as a b...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Alfresco Logo
OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Alfresco
Compared 14% of the time
SharePoint vs Alfresco Logo
SharePoint vs Alfresco
Compared 9% of the time
OpenText Content Management vs Alfresco Logo
OpenText Content Management vs Alfresco
Compared 9% of the time
IBM FileNet vs Alfresco Logo
IBM FileNet vs Alfresco
Compared 8% of the time
OpenText Content Manager vs Alfresco Logo
OpenText Content Manager vs Alfresco
Compared 4% of the time
More Alfresco Competitors
M-Files vs DocuWare Logo
M-Files vs DocuWare
Compared 16% of the time
Open Bee vs DocuWare Logo
Open Bee vs DocuWare
Compared 13% of the time
OpenText Content Manager vs DocuWare Logo
OpenText Content Manager vs DocuWare
Compared 12% of the time
Laserfiche vs DocuWare Logo
Laserfiche vs DocuWare
Compared 11% of the time
Broadcom Output Management Suite vs DocuWare Logo
Broadcom Output Management Suite vs DocuWare
Compared 7% of the time
More DocuWare Competitors
OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Hyland OnBase Logo
OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Hyland OnBase
Compared 10% of the time
OpenText Content Management vs Hyland OnBase Logo
OpenText Content Management vs Hyland OnBase
Compared 10% of the time
SharePoint vs Hyland OnBase Logo
SharePoint vs Hyland OnBase
Compared 9% of the time
IBM FileNet vs Hyland OnBase Logo
IBM FileNet vs Hyland OnBase
Compared 8% of the time
Microsoft Power Apps vs Hyland OnBase Logo
Microsoft Power Apps vs Hyland OnBase
Compared 5% of the time
More Hyland OnBase Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Alfresco
September 2025
Alfresco reportDownload Alfresco product report
Buyer's Guide
Document Management Software
September 2025
DocuWare reportDownload DocuWare product report
Buyer's Guide
Hyland OnBase
September 2025
Hyland OnBase reportDownload Hyland OnBase product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
No data available
OnBase
 

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
Automates business processes by managing any type of document, regardless of format or source, in a central document pool.
DocuWare

Hyland OnBase is acclaimed for its robust document management, automating workflows, and improving organizational efficiency across various industries. Praised for its ability to manage records compliantly, especially in regulated sectors like healthcare and finance, the tool also integrates smoothly with other enterprise systems. Users benefit significantly from streamlined processes, reduced manual tasks, and enhanced data accuracy, boosting productivity and customer satisfaction.

Hyland
 

Sample Customers

Over 1,300 companies from 180 different countries. Including EuroStar, Saks Fifth Avenue, NASA Langley Research Center, and KLM.
King Hussein Cancer Center, Smart Choice, Tippecanoe County
Honda France Industries, Hill County Texas, Hylant Group, ING Lease France, State of South Carolina, Syracuse University, Swindon College, Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Rochester Institute of Technology, Moen, Odense University Hospital
Buyer's Guide
Enterprise Content Management
September 2025
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