Hyland OnBase vs IBM ECM comparison

Hyland and IBM are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. Hyland is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.6, while IBM is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.5. Hyland holds a 6.2% mindshare in ECM, compared to IBM’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Hyland users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Hyland OnBase

Read 13 Hyland OnBase reviews

4,004 Views
2,282 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM ECM

Read 17 IBM ECM reviews

847 Views
822 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Hyland OnBase

IBM ECM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

IBM ECM and Hyland OnBase are competitors in the enterprise content management space. While IBM ECM excels with robust analytical features, Hyland OnBase stands out for its adaptability and integration ease, appealing to flexible business needs.

Features: IBM ECM provides advanced data analytics, process automation, and comprehensive workflow management. It stands out for its ability to enhance operational efficiency with extensive process automation. Hyland OnBase offers strong integration capabilities, intuitive navigation, and a flexible platform supporting diverse business applications. This helps businesses streamline processes across various systems.

Room for Improvement: IBM ECM can be improved by simplifying its complex deployment process and reducing initial resource requirements. Increasing out-of-the-box integrations could also enhance its flexibility. Hyland OnBase might improve by expanding its analytical tools and enhancing reporting functionalities. Addressing performance issues related to keyword overuse and enhancing documentation could further improve its usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM ECM's deployment involves complexity, requiring dedicated resources, yet its support offers detailed guidance to navigate this. Hyland OnBase allows quicker deployment, demanding fewer resources, and provides responsive customer service, beneficial to firms aiming for rapid implementation.

Pricing and ROI: IBM ECM tends to have a higher initial setup cost justified by extensive features, offering strong long-term ROI. Hyland OnBase presents a more competitive pricing structure, appealing to budget-conscious organizations, with ROI attributed to its adaptability and quicker returns.

To learn more, read our detailed Hyland OnBase vs. IBM ECM Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Hyland OnBase vs. IBM ECM

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 879,259 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

Hyland OnBase

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

5th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Process Management (BPM) (15th), Low-Code Development Platforms (12th)

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 December 2025, in the Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of Hyland OnBase is 6.2%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM ECM is 2.5%, 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 (%)
Hyland OnBase	6.2%
IBM ECM	2.5%
Other	91.3%

Enterprise Content Management

Featured Reviews

reviewer1981395

Product owner at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Seamless data management enhances security while monolithic architecture and reporting need improvements

I believe the reporting features need improvement, as other competitors in the market provide better analytics. Hyland is working on a new platform (HXP) to integrate features from all products, addressing some concerns. Additionally, there could be more integration points with products Hyland has acquired, such as Alfresco and Nuxeo. Offering a trial version with basic features would allow users to experience the product before purchasing. I find OnBase's monolithic architecture to be expensive, and adopting microservices could be beneficial.

Read full review

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

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

"Its most valuable aspect is its flexibility"

"I like the cloud and its integrability."

"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."

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

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

More Hyland OnBase pros

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

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

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

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

"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."

Cons

"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 dashboards do have some room for improvement as compared to the other vendors which are there in the market."

"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."

"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."

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

"We need to troubleshoot why our reports didn't get downloaded in a day. There is a workflow feature which powerful but also complicated."

More Hyland OnBase cons

"I would like to see seamless application integration."

"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."

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

"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."

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

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"The tool's price is high."

"OnBase is reasonably priced."

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

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

"Reach out to local IBM partners."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Enterprise Content Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

31%

Computer Software Company

Government

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	8

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Large Enterprise	16

Questions from the Community

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. Transitioning to microservices, allowing users to pay for only what they use, could reduc...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Hyland OnBase?

See all answers

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 business partner. We managed the solution and were a partner with Hyland.

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

OpenText Content Management vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 11% of the time

Alfresco vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 10% of the time

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 9% of the time

IBM FileNet vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 7% of the time

SharePoint vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 7% of the time

More Hyland OnBase Competitors

Alfresco vs IBM ECM

Compared 17% of the time

IBM FileNet vs IBM ECM

Compared 14% of the time

Nuxeo vs IBM ECM

Compared 13% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Content Manager vs IBM ECM

Compared 8% of the time

More IBM ECM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Hyland OnBase

December 2025

Download Hyland OnBase product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM

December 2025

Download IBM ECM product report

Also Known As

OnBase

No data available

Overview

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

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

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

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

Buyer's Guide

Hyland OnBase vs. IBM ECM

December 2025

Free Report: Hyland OnBase vs. IBM ECM

Find out what your peers are saying about Hyland OnBase vs. IBM ECM and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Hyland OnBase vs. IBM ECM report.

See our list of best Enterprise Content Management vendors.

We monitor all Enterprise Content Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.