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Alfresco vs DocuWare vs OpenText Content Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Document Management Software category, the mindshare of Alfresco is 15.4%, up from 12.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of DocuWare is 10.4%, down from 11.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Content Manager is 10.7%, up from 7.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Document Management Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Alfresco15.4%
DocuWare10.4%
OpenText Content Manager10.7%
Other63.5%
Document Management Software
 

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…
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.
Maurice Riverso - PeerSpot reviewer
Our our official repository and it has disposal management and retention management
The security architecture is the only problem as it's a little bit complex and too torturous at times. So it could be improved a little bit, but it is regarded as a very good system in Australia. It's probably overly subscribed. Also, what's missing is what people would like, which is basically online collaboration. That's a problem. But it has so many other things to offer that SharePoint, I'm sure, will not have. So, that will be an interesting issue to come up. It's not very good at providing stable and robust add-ins to Microsoft. That's a bit of a problem with Content Manager. They're kind of very volatile. So, that's been definitely something that could be improved.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"The most valuable feature is the flexibility of the searching elements of the metadata."
"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."
"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."
"Alfresco's technical support is very fast and professional."
"You can meet your users' expected features without having Alfresco's involvement."
"For the most part, the initial setup is easy. There's good documentation."
"DocuWare allows for easy document management and workflow automation, eliminating the need for physical paperwork and streamlining the approval process."
"We like how the solution allows us to have retention of records and workflows, as well as its fire plan."
"An advantage is integration with your IP directory."
"The most valuable features of OpenText Content Manager are its stability, reliability, security, and workflow engine."
"It has a robust search but has often been difficult for people to learn."
"The product can be integrated with different solutions."
"For a records management system, Content Manager is a really good system."
"I did not face issues with the product's scalability...The solution's technical support is good."
"The tool's implementation has made life easier for customers. It is sold by SAP. The integration between SAP and the solution is good, making it easy to access the documents. It is widely recognized as a market leader in enterprise document management."
 

Cons

"Alfresco could improve workflow digitalization and enhance artificial intelligence capabilities."
"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 setup process for Alfresco was complex."
"I would like them to consider document capture functionality."
"I think the presentation layer could be improved - currently, it's too complex, and there are too many features cluttered all over the screen."
"Alfresco has a very steep learning curve, and unfortunately, during the learning process, it's very easy to make errors, which often are unforgiving."
"Currently, documents in Alfresco are stored on a file server, which, while good for performance, is a security risk."
"Metadata, auto class, disposition log, and legal hold."
"Its graphical user interface could be more user-friendly."
"It should have collaboration features."
"OpenText Content Manager needs to improve its user interface. Its installation process is difficult and can be made easier."
"The product could improve its scalability."
"The stability of the solution is an area of concern where improvements can be made."
"Pricing is an issue, as it is too expensive."
"The ease of use should be addressed."
"Due to very limited use in the industry, vendor and contract support are hard to find."
"It's not very good at providing stable and robust add-ins to Microsoft."
"Support could be enhanced. The first line of support consists of individuals who lack experience with some key aspects. When you create a support ticket, the time to resolve the issue may be prolonged because the first person may not understand the system or the solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you buy Alfresco through a partner, there is usually a OEM licensing option."
"There are costs for any upgrade or additional functions."
"It is cheaper compared to head-to-head competitors."
"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."
"I rate the product price an eight or nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive. The solution is expensive."
"The solution's licensing cost depends on the customer domain. Though its costs are high, the product is worth the money. You have to pay a one-time cost and support costs."
"The fees incurred are for the licensing and maintenance."
"I would suggest that you do a thorough evaluation of all competing products and look for support for these products in your local area."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Government
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
20%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
7%
Retailer
6%
Government
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

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 Business8
Midsize Enterprise6
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...
What needs improvement with Alfresco?
Currently, the challenge is the general availability to users. Initially, they had poor documentation, but over the y...
What is your primary use case for Alfresco?
This is mainly for unstructured document management systems with workflow and data classification.
What do you like most about DocuWare?
DocuWare allows for easy document management and workflow automation, eliminating the need for physical paperwork and...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for DocuWare?
The licensing and implementation cost for DocuWare can range between forty thousand to fifty thousand dollars. While ...
What needs improvement with DocuWare?
Its graphical user interface could be more user-friendly.
What do you like most about Micro Focus Content Manager?
An advantage is integration with your IP directory.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Content Manager?
Pricing is a disadvantage as it is very expensive, especially in this market.
What needs improvement with Micro Focus Content Manager?
Pricing is an issue, as it is too expensive. Support and services need to be more user-friendly. The support has been...
 

Also Known As

No data available
No data available
Micro Focus Content Manager, HPE Records Manager, HPE Content Manager
 

Overview

 

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
Missouri State Courts
Find out what your peers are saying about Hyland, Microsoft, DocuWare and others in Document Management Software. Updated: September 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.