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Alfresco vs M-Files vs Objective ECM 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

Enterprise Content Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Alfresco7.6%
SharePoint11.6%
OpenText Content Management8.0%
Other72.8%
Enterprise Content Management
Document Management Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
M-Files5.1%
Alfresco11.7%
OpenText Content Manager7.9%
Other75.30000000000001%
Document Management Software
Enterprise Content Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Objective ECM1.2%
SharePoint11.6%
OpenText Content Management8.0%
Other79.2%
Enterprise Content Management
 

Featured Reviews

Maria Giulia - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at Wells Fargo
Streamlined document workflows have improved collaboration and supported compliant record management
Alfresco delivers an open, scalable, cloud-native content, process, and governance management suite. When it comes to document management, it is one of the best and top-notch solutions available. Alfresco helps us to quickly find and access information from anywhere on any device using web-based viewing tools. It is a very intelligent tool because it provides intelligent process management where integrated process and content service capabilities streamline content-centric processes and enable faster and more informed decision-making. I love the basic workflows that are easy enough for casual users to set up and utilize. Cloud synchronization capability provides a great way to share documents with third parties and to use as a backup system for critical documents. The best features Alfresco offers include the Alfresco mobile app, folder rules that are easy to set up, and the ability to make metadata assessment easier to automate. Easy customization and support from Alfresco are great advantages. We have been able to automate most of the repetitive tasks using folder rules and metadata automation, saving a lot of time and cost. Through the Alfresco mobile app, it makes it easy for those on the road to access, approve, and share documents, promoting collaboration. Deal flow processes run much more efficiently. Compliance needs are easily met in a cost-effective manner.
LN
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.
it_user144594 - PeerSpot reviewer
Engineer at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The ability to have duplicate document names is very useful for content migration. During trouble-shooting you will discover that the logs are all over the place.
During trouble-shooting you will discover that the logs are all over the place - even on servers you would not expect - and fragmented into dozens of files, yet the detail is excellent. It's Java execution logs, so needs a bit of interpretation skill, though. Speaking of Java, the web interface requires JRE and degrades in mysterious ways without it: No warnings or graceful fall-back. The web UI is otherwise VERY awkward and limited in functionality. The Windows client on the other hand is extremely dated but rich in functionality - not pretty, though. Despite the API, there is no vendor support for integration into any other systems except through HTML frames.

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."
"Alfresco is a great content service tool that can easily be integrated with any application and leveraged as a backend CMS or DM system."
"I like the ease of use, sections, and calendar."
"The initial setup was straightforward, because Alfresco also provides a stack installer that includes the required supporting software."
"The features which are most valuable to us are rapid deployment, ease of installation, ease of use, and Linux platform support."
"I like the ease of use, sections, and calendar."
"Alfresco is a very good product that has very good inbuilt features, and at the same time, it is customizable and we can customize this product the way we want."
"The most valuable feature is the flexibility of the searching elements of the metadata."
"M-Files licence model is very flexible. You have the choice of Named User, Concurrent, or SaaS. This gives the business so much room and flexibility to implement new projects whilst maintaining costs and maximizing production."
"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."
"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."
"The ability to have duplicate document names is very useful for content migration."
 

Cons

"There is need to improve features such as the record management and case management in the product."
"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 can be improved by enhancing the customization of the user interface."
"Alfresco could improve workflow digitalization and enhance artificial intelligence capabilities."
"Metadata, auto class, disposition log, and legal hold."
"Currently, documents in Alfresco are stored on a file server, which, while good for performance, is a security risk."
"I feel the documentation needs a lot of improvement, especially for Activiti microservice adoption, which is sometimes frustrating or slows me down."
"The setup process for Alfresco was complex."
"The integration with other products needs to be improved."
"Technical support is probably the weakest part. We had a number of authentication issues and support has been very slow to respond and get us solutions."
"Upgrades can be nightmares, partly because there can be architecture and engine changes in minor version increments."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
26%
Government
20%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise10
No data available
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alfresco?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing is that Alfresco is very cheap and cost-effective.
What needs improvement with Alfresco?
One area where Alfresco can be improved is the ability to scan directly using Alfresco. Additionally, I would appreci...
What is your primary use case for Alfresco?
My main use case for Alfresco is that I implemented Alfresco Content Services to solve complex enterprise problems fo...
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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Over 1,300 companies from 180 different countries. Including EuroStar, Saks Fifth Avenue, NASA Langley Research Center, and KLM.
Crowe UK, Stearns Bank, Head Energy, OMV, TK Elevator
ACT Planning and Land Authority, Australian Department of Defence, Barwon Water, City of Darebin, Delta Electricity, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, Health Corporate Network, Hobsons Bay City Council, LandCorp, Port of Brisbane
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, IBM, Adobe and others in Enterprise Content Management. Updated: March 2026.
885,837 professionals have used our research since 2012.