Alfresco vs Hyland OnBase vs OpenText Extended ECM comparison

Alfresco and Hyland OnBase are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. Alfresco is ranked #9 with an average rating of 6.3, while Hyland OnBase is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.7. Alfresco holds a 7.6% mindshare in ECM, compared to Hyland OnBase’s 6.7% mindshare. Additionally, 77% of Alfresco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Hyland OnBase users who would recommend it.

Alfresco

Read 13 Alfresco reviews

2,157 Views
1,715 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

Hyland OnBase

Read 13 Hyland OnBase reviews

2,084 Views
1,343 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

OpenText Extended ECM

Read 21 OpenText Extended ECM reviews

3,102 Views
2,381 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Alfresco

Hyland OnBase

OpenText Extended ECM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Alfresco, Hyland OnBase, and OpenText Extended ECM 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: May 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

May 2025

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Helped 851,174 peers since 2012

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 May 2025, in the Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of Alfresco is 7.6%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hyland OnBase is 6.7%, up from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Extended ECM is 11.4%, up from 10.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Content Management

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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Phemy Lekalakala

Manager of Information Systems at University of the Witwatersrand

Stable content and workflow management solution with a valuable retention module

We use this solution for record management and digitization of records. We also use it for workflows and to build online forms 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.…

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Jaideep MS

Practice Director at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees

Enables effective document control yet requires better affordability and clarity

I use extended ECM for procurement, sales, engineering documents, and sometimes invoices and accounts payable or receivable The version controls and the business workspace part integrate well with SAP and OpenText, providing granular level control over who accesses the workspace. The seamless…

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

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

"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."

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

"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 feature is the flexibility of the searching elements of the metadata."

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

"The solution is very developed and we are not taking full advantage of its functionalities."

"We found the setup process to be okay since they do offer a troubleshooting guide."

"The solution's most valuable features are integration and flexibility."

"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."

"The product's initial setup phase is not difficult."

"Hyland OnBase is valued for its security, especially for those in the finance domain who require data confidentiality."

"It provided data security features, allowing restrictions on sensitive documents, such as who could view or modify them."

"The most valuable features are that it's very secure and provides audit trails for our documents."

More Hyland OnBase pros

"Most of our customers are very fond of the upgraded smart user interface."

"OpenText Extended ECM's most valuable features include permissions and security models. I also like the tool's ability to add metadata and use it to categorize information."

"WebReports has a lot of capabilities that offer good opportunities to customize the applications the way we want to."

"The ability to add metadata and use that to categorize information is a valuable feature of OpenText Extended ECM."

"Scalability is great. We can extend areas horizontally and vertically."

"Simplicity to roll out, features available, customization options."

"The solution's automatic document numbering, state management, and process flow are very useful features to go through the full cycle of the document."

"Smart Viewing videos are most valuable for the end users. The end users like the look and feel of Smart View. It's similar to SharePoint, with the latest HTML5 features, filters, and everything. It's like online shopping."

More OpenText Extended ECM pros

Cons

"The configuration of Alfresco is a big challenge."

"The setup process for Alfresco was complex."

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

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

"Metadata, auto class, disposition log, and legal hold."

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

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

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

"The look and feel could be better. The integration with the user could be better. It could also be more user-friendly."

"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."

"Software malfunctioning usually occurs when we receive documents from external sources."

"We are struggling with duplicates and would like to have OCR functionality when using this solution."

"For user experience, they would have to do more with the interface. It is not easy to work with and is a little messy. It is getting better, but it is not yet good enough. Other products are comparatively doing better in terms of the user interface. I have been hearing about Box, which is very easy to use and learn for the users. OnBase has to work on this aspect. It should have BPM capabilities. We compete with tools that provide the BPM feature and support those standards. 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."

"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."

"I find OnBase's monolithic architecture to be expensive, and adopting microservices could be beneficial."

More Hyland OnBase cons

"The cost of the product could be improved."

"There are no additional features that I would like to see. I am pretty happy with it, but their support could be a bit better."

"A dashboard with information would be nice to see."

"Initially there can be stability issues due to unknown factors such as usage of the system, quantity of documents ingested, load during peak hours."

"User interface needs improvement (at least in the version we are using, desktop client)."

"The initial setup can get really complicated, and it takes time."

"The solution's performance, stability, and consistency could be improved."

"More out-of-the-box automation features should be added to OpenText Extended ECM."

More OpenText Extended ECM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

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

"The solution costs around $6,000 per month."

"OnBase is reasonably priced."

"The tool's price is high."

"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."

"There are a number of different types of licenses. There are concurrent licenses, individual licenses and imaging licenses."

"The solution is expensive."

"The product is pricey."

"The tool's pricing is confusing to the end customer."

"The licensing is not that complex for the core products, but it becomes more complicated for some additional modules."

"Both Open Text ECM and IBM File share are expensive."

"The pricing is costly. It's costly to integrate with Office 365 and to go back and forth with the sales team."

"It is a little more expensive than our previous solution, but because of the fact that it has become a rallying point for different groups to come under, it might end up paying off better in the long run by not having seven siloed solutions. Even though this one solution is a little pricey, it might eliminate other ones."

"The total cost of the product will vary on the capabilities required"

More OpenText Extended ECM pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Alfresco?

Mostly, the primary use case is to store documents related to transactions in our company. These documents could be s...

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What do you like most about Hyland OnBase?

The solution is very developed and we are not taking full advantage of its functionalities.

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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 do you like most about OpenText Content Suite Platform?

We also have a module on top of the Content Server called WebReports that has been one of the things that helped us f...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenText Content Suite Platform?

The cost is a significant factor that may deter medium-sized businesses from using OpenText extended ECM.

See all answers

What needs improvement with OpenText Content Suite Platform?

The cost of the product could be improved. Currently, there are certain snags in document viewing, and communication ...

See all answers

Comparisons

OpenText Documentum vs Alfresco

Compared 19% of the time

SharePoint vs Alfresco

Compared 10% of the time

IBM FileNet vs Alfresco

Compared 8% of the time

Nuxeo vs Alfresco

Compared 8% of the time

DocuWare vs Alfresco

Compared 6% of the time

More Alfresco Competitors

OpenText Documentum vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 15% of the time

SharePoint vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 13% of the time

IBM FileNet vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 6% of the time

ServiceNow Now Platform vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 4% of the time

More Hyland OnBase Competitors

OpenText Documentum vs OpenText Extended ECM

Compared 21% of the time

SharePoint vs OpenText Extended ECM

Compared 19% of the time

IBM FileNet vs OpenText Extended ECM

Compared 15% of the time

OpenText Content Manager vs OpenText Extended ECM

Compared 7% of the time

Newgen OmniDocs vs OpenText Extended ECM

Compared 5% of the time

More OpenText Extended ECM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Alfresco

May 2025

Download Alfresco product report

Buyer's Guide

Hyland OnBase

May 2025

Download Hyland OnBase product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenText Extended ECM

April 2025

Download OpenText Extended ECM product report

Also Known As

No data available

OnBase

OpenText Content Suite Platform, OpenText Core Share

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

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

OpenText Extended ECM (formerly OpenText Content Suite Platform) is an enterprise content management platform that securely governs the information lifecycle by integrating with leading enterprise applications, such as SAP, Microsoft 365, Salesforce and SAP SuccessFactors. Bringing content and processes together, Extended ECM provides access to information when and where it’s needed, improves decision-making and drives operational effectiveness.

OpenText

Sample Customers

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

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

ATCO Australia, MSIG Asia, Orica, Salt River Project

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

May 2025

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