Box vs IBM ECM comparison

Box and IBM are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. Box is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.7, while IBM is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.5. Box holds a 4.3% mindshare in ECM, compared to IBM’s 2.4% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Box users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Box

Read 41 Box reviews

3,061 Views
1,163 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

IBM ECM

Read 17 IBM ECM reviews

761 Views
731 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Box

IBM ECM

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Box and IBM ECM are competitors in the enterprise content management category. Box has the upper hand in pricing and support, while IBM ECM excels with its comprehensive features.

Features: Box offers simplicity, seamless integration, and flexibility, ideal for businesses focusing on accessibility and collaboration across devices. It provides mobile app access, collaboration tools, and integration with Microsoft Office. IBM ECM excels in robust document management, compliance, and security, appealing to organizations needing strict data controls, providing advanced content management, automated processes, and scalability for large document volumes.

Room for Improvement: Box could enhance its compliance features, offer more customization in user permissions, and improve document version control capabilities. IBM ECM might benefit from streamlined user interfaces, more straightforward deployment processes, and reduced initial setup complexity. Both products could work on reducing the learning curve for new users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Box provides a cloud-based deployment, allowing quick setup with minimal IT resource usage, and offers satisfactory customer service. IBM ECM involves complex on-premises and hybrid deployments, requiring more IT involvement, but delivers detailed customer service throughout the deployment process.

Pricing and ROI: Box presents a competitive pricing model with a strong ROI, backed by lower setup costs and efficient use. IBM ECM demands a higher upfront investment but offers ROI through its enhanced long-term features and capabilities. Box is noted for its affordability, while IBM ECM justifies its higher cost with comprehensive services.

To learn more, read our detailed Box vs. IBM ECM Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Box vs. IBM ECM

September 2025

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Helped 869,566 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:

Categories and Ranking

Box

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Storage (13th), Digital Asset Management (3rd), Document Management Software (4th), Content Collaboration Platforms (7th)

IBM ECM

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

13th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

2.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of Box is 4.3%, up from 4.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM ECM is 2.4%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Content Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Box	4.3%
IBM ECM	2.4%
Other	93.3%

Enterprise Content Management

Featured Reviews

Parthasarathy Chellapillai

Program Administrator at Flextronics

Used for data storage and data collaboration, but its data security could be improved

If I have restricted access within an organization by keeping the data in Box, there are other applications through which I can barge into the data. If anyone wants to keep a file restricted to four people, I can access it because it's available in the cloud. I can directly access the file and pull in the data by entering the file's name. Someone from outside the organization can't access it. However, someone from within the organization who is not supposed to access the data can access it, provided it is in Box. Box is almost like a folder structure outside your system. The solution uses the cloud, and you don't need any separate storage in your system. Even if your system crashes down, the data will be saved. Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

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Thinh Tran

BPM Consultant at TECHCOMBANK

Has supported enterprise document storage but lacks cloud readiness and AI capabilities

The new version of IBM ECM is at the end of support, and we need to migrate to a new version to get open support. We need AI capabilities from IBM ECM for additional functionalities in the next release. Specifically, AI is needed for finding documents. The trend is moving toward AI, and for managing many documents effectively, we need AI capabilities. Currently, IBM ECM only handles physical files, not unstructured files. IBM needs to work alongside customers and share best practices for IBM ECM. Reading the IBM Redbook alone is not sufficient for the knowledge we need to build the best architecture for my company. IBM ECM needs to improve the cloud version, such as compatibility with Amazon Cloud, not only IBM Cloud, to make their product more competitive.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The sharing feature, with its various permission settings, such as viewing or uploading, is convenient and helpful."

"The collaboration of the solution is good."

"The ability to collaborate around data anywhere, anytime is the most powerful features of Box."

"The interface is very good."

"File sharing, authorization on the back, its ease of use and reliable uptime performance are valuable features of this solution."

"We've never had a penetration. We've never had a security issue that their support didn't solve. We love their audit trail. We can know exactly when a collaborator opens. We love how you can define a collaborator."

"Box had a very easy-to-use search feature and a good user interface on its website, which was faster and better than SharePoint."

"The application is very light in terms of uploading and downloading files."

More Box pros

"I am going to continue using it because it is a good product for enterprise document management."

"The content management is all about you as you can make the same content for minimal purpose solutions applications."

"The scalability is a valuable feature, that we're able to display our documents to so many people."

"The tool is a very stable solution with high availability and no information leakage. It has built-in API integration on-site. You can integrate with other components and applications like SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, etc."

"The vertical scalability, as we can use it across some of our applications."

Cons

"It could be cheaper."

"Improvements in speed - Box's high level of security impacts performance, especially when compared with other similar services."

"The UI should be faster. Sometimes it lags when switching between documents."

"In future releases, there could be encryption, to have better security."

"The price must be lowered."

"The solution's data security should be improved."

"One thing that Box would benefit from is a records management component."

"I recommend doing the trial first, because it's not cheap ware. It's not overly expensive, but it's not cheap ware, and enterprise has a minimum number of users."

More Box cons

"Currently, IBM ECM only handles physical files, not unstructured files."

"The development platform is not local. For example, you need 100 days in IBM, whereas other platforms, like ServiceNow, need only 20 days."

"I would recommend not going with ECM 8 and going with FileNet instead. It seems like that is the future of the lower-volume repository. It seems like they are moving away from ECM 8.5 so I think we're going to have some challenges coming up, getting off of that technology."

"I would like to see seamless application integration."

"I think it's already getting away from Java applets. A lot of our users struggle with keeping up to date with Java versioning, so a lot of the functions they're doing, like printing, emailing, and even some of the viewing, they're struggling with."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the free version of the solution. There is a free version and monthly and yearly subscriptions available."

"The more you dig, the deeper the level of tools, and the more expensive it becomes."

"There's a free version that allows you to use it with almost full-feature access. Even in the free version, it gives you all you need."

"Box's pricing is excellent."

"It is expensive per head, as you need the enterprise license to get full security and tools. So negotiate a discount!"

"I have to pay for Box. It could be a little cheaper. On a scale from one to ten, I would give the pricing a five."

"A business account has a minimum of three users. If you are more than three people in-house, go for the Enterprise version. All the external users are free of charge."

"Our pricing and licensing is excellent. I'd tell all Higher Ed customers to talk with Internet2 for excellent pricing and support."

More Box pricing and cost advice

"Reach out to local IBM partners."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

34%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	27

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Large Enterprise	16

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Box?

The solution is used for data storage and any kind of visualization.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Box?

I was not involved in discussions about paying for Box, so I cannot provide specifics about pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Box?

Collaborative editing was challenging if multiple people were in a document at once. The installation procedure was tricky but manageable with provided guidance and steps.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM ECM?

The tool is a very stable solution with high availability and no information leakage. It has built-in API integration on-site. You can integrate with other components and applications like SAP, Mic...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM ECM?

The product is expensive and has a perpetual license.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM ECM?

See all answers

Comparisons

SharePoint vs Box

Compared 16% of the time

ShareFile vs Box

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft OneDrive for Business vs Box

Compared 10% of the time

Egnyte vs Box

Compared 5% of the time

IBM FileNet vs Box

Compared 5% of the time

More Box Competitors

Alfresco vs IBM ECM

Compared 18% of the time

IBM FileNet vs IBM ECM

Compared 16% of the time

Nuxeo vs IBM ECM

Compared 15% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText Content Manager vs IBM ECM

Compared 9% of the time

More IBM ECM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Box

October 2025

Download Box product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM

September 2025

Download IBM ECM product report

Overview

Box is a Modern Content Management Platform for companies of all sizes and industries. The difference that Box brings is that it offers the security and controls admins need with the sharing and collaboration capabilities end users want. Box has made it easier for people to securely share ideas, collaborate and get work done faster. Today, more than 62,000 businesses, including 59% of the Fortune 500, trust Box to manage content in the cloud.

The Box platform provides HIPAA, FINRA, FedRAMP, and many other compliances to go with granular access permissions and advanced security capabilities.

By using Box you can sync, share, and collaborate on all types of files, anywhere, on any device - but that's just the beginning. You can choose where to store your data, to manage your own encryption keys, and set workflows to automate content-based processes. You can also assign custom metadata tags to content, watermark sensitive content, and set file retention or legal hold policies.

Box has deep, native integrations with Microsoft Office and Outlook, Google Apps for Work, Salesforce, Netsuite, Docusign, Adobe, and many other best-of-breed solutions you may already be using.

Box

IBM Content Foundation on Cloud

IBM Content Foundation on Cloud allows organizations to deliver extensive enterprise content management capabilities to their users very quickly. IBM Content Foundation is powered by the FileNet content and process platform and IBM Content Navigator user experience. This cloud offering can be leveraged for a variety of use cases including collaborative document management, imaging solutions, social content management, archiving, and more. It also offers a platform for developing Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions in the cloud.

IBM Case Manager on Cloud

IBM Case Manager on Cloud is a solution platform that engages people with business content, provides contextual insight through real-time analytics, and enhances teamwork through collaboration tools and flexible workflow. Enables Business and IT to work together to create solutions across the enterprise that enables an organization to make smarter decisions for better business outcomes, while balancing the need for security and compliance in a world of heightened risk.

IBM

Sample Customers

GE, Toyota, P&G, Caterpillar, Flex, Schneider Electric, Sally Beauty, Eurostar, AstraZeneca, AirBnB, Whirlpool, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Nationwide, Aeropostale etc

KeyBank, Standard Chartered Bank, Union Bank, Sistema Tecnol‹gico de Monterrey, Illinois Department of Human Services, UnitedHealth Group

Buyer's Guide

Box vs. IBM ECM

September 2025

Free Report: Box vs. IBM ECM

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