IBM ECM vs IBM FileNet vs OpenText Content Manager comparison

IBM ECM and IBM FileNet are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. IBM ECM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while IBM FileNet is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM ECM holds a 2.4% mindshare in ECM, compared to IBM FileNet’s 8.4% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of IBM ECM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of IBM FileNet users who would recommend it.

IBM ECM

Read 17 IBM ECM reviews

743 Views
713 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM FileNet

Read 102 IBM FileNet reviews

3,699 Views
3,366 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

OpenText Content Manager

Read 23 OpenText Content Manager reviews

2,044 Views
1,553 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

IBM ECM

IBM FileNet

OpenText Content Manager

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM ECM, IBM FileNet, and OpenText Content Manager 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: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

August 2025

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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 Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of IBM ECM is 2.4%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM FileNet is 8.4%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Content Manager is 5.0%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Content Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM FileNet	8.4%
OpenText Content Manager	5.0%
IBM ECM	2.4%
Other	84.2%

Enterprise Content Management

Featured Reviews

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.

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Emad Rizki

System integrator at Indépendant

Facilitates seamless integration for large enterprises with strong deployment capabilities

FileNet was scalable and could be implemented into big multinational organizations. However, it has become very expensive recently. Compared to low-code solutions such as Appian and outsystems, FileNet has gaps, mainly because it requires coding, which is not preferred by clients due to pricing concerns in Pakistan. We transitioned clients to cloud solutions, although FileNet has been strongly integrated with on-prem deployments.

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Maurice Riverso

Records Management Officer at ANZPAA

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.

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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 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."

"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."

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

"The most valuable features of FileNet are its comprehensive ability to store content, to get insights from the content, and to use that content for making decisions routed through workflow."

"The most valuable features are the interconnectivity and the collaboration. No longer do I have to wonder what system I need to go to for the data I need. I know it's in FileNet."

"It is very user-friendly for business users. They can create their own searches. They are not dependent on administrators to create searches for them. It is self-service for them."

"FileNet is highly scalable and suited for implementation in large multinational organizations."

"Instead storing our documents offsite, we are storing all of our documents electronically."

"It improves the time when providing customer service to our constituents."

"It saves our customers time by 30 to 40 percent by eliminating the time to process paper."

"The product is very stable."

More IBM FileNet pros

"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."

"An advantage is integration with your IP directory."

"The product can be integrated with different solutions."

"The most valuable features of OpenText Content Manager are its stability, reliability, security, and workflow engine."

"For a records management system, Content Manager is a really good system."

"We like how the solution allows us to have retention of records and workflows, as well as its fire plan."

"It has a robust search but has often been difficult for people to learn."

Cons

"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."

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

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

"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."

"For end-users there is a lack of administrative features. The interface of basic FileNet is not very good."

"I would like to see expanded search features, like content search."

"Simplifying both training and maintenance would be an improvement."

"I would say the installation process can be very complicated, and you need to to have an experience resource."

"The usability is fair. It could be a bit better. It could be better designed. They could put more effort into the user experience and do a better job of integrating other components, like Datacap, to be a bit more seamless."

"The setup process is very complex."

"We know that they're looking at documents, but we don't know what documents they're actually going and finding the most, or where the bottlenecks might be. It would be nice if there was some interconnectivity back into Bluemix to say, "Ok, you've got a workflow problem here." That would be a neat feature moving forward because we've got a lot of users that would just say, "The system is not working." We had a few threads would get hung up because they were just constantly banging on these few documents. If that were the case, if we knew that ahead of time, then we could fix that, change the search sequences to make it more efficient. But we were blind to that until the users said it's not working."

"Currently, our primary ERP system is SAP S/4HANA. Despite this, we have encountered difficulties integrating the solution with it, which remains an unresolved challenge for our team."

More IBM FileNet cons

"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."

"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."

"The ease of use should be addressed."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Reach out to local IBM partners."

"FileNet is not cheap, but you absolutely get what you pay for. "

"Yearly, we pay for the maintenance, which is $20,000."

"The tool is expensive, and I rate its pricing a ten out of ten."

"The platform is inexpensive."

"Licensing costs depend on the size of the storage."

"The solution saves time and money. It helps us to be able to accomplish the goals of our business, as opposed to being tangled in the weeds of what we could do."

"We use extraction. Therefore, we can see 80 to 85 percent accuracy on data extraction. This reduces the manual indexing part, which is definitely a gain on performance efficiency."

"For small scale industries, they allow different options. They can do open source. It is the complexity of the data security that they should think about before they choose."

More IBM FileNet pricing and cost advice

"I would suggest that you do a thorough evaluation of all competing products and look for support for these products in your local area."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

33%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Insurance Company

Government

17%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	73

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

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...

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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?

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

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM FileNet?

The product is robust and can process a lot of documents for enterprise content management.

See all answers

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

From the company's perspective, the licensing cost for IBM FileNet is still affordable. Though the license cost is so...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM FileNet?

The API provided by IBM FileNet is a very out-of-date implementation. From the beginning, we cannot use a REST API; w...

See all answers

What do you like most about Micro Focus Content Manager?

An advantage is integration with your IP directory.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Alfresco vs IBM ECM

Compared 18% of the time

Nuxeo vs IBM ECM

Compared 15% of the time

SAP Extended Enterprise Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 9% of the time

Hyland OnBase vs IBM ECM

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM ECM Competitors

SharePoint vs IBM FileNet

Compared 17% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs IBM FileNet

Compared 15% of the time

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs IBM FileNet

Compared 11% of the time

Alfresco vs IBM FileNet

Compared 10% of the time

Nuxeo vs IBM FileNet

Compared 4% of the time

More IBM FileNet Competitors

SharePoint vs OpenText Content Manager

Compared 22% of the time

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs OpenText Content Manager

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs OpenText Content Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Alfresco vs OpenText Content Manager

Compared 8% of the time

DocuWare vs OpenText Content Manager

Compared 4% of the time

More OpenText Content Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM

September 2025

Download IBM ECM product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM FileNet

September 2025

Download IBM FileNet product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenText Content Manager

August 2025

Download OpenText Content Manager product report

Also Known As

No data available

Micro Focus Content Manager, HPE Records Manager, HPE Content Manager

Overview

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

IBM FileNet is a leading IBM enterprise content management product family. IBM FileNet is one of the ECM solutions that can change the way a company does business by enabling users to capture, activate, socialize, analyze, and govern content throughout its lifecycle.

There are many IBM FileNet products available, all of which are integrated and based on the FileNet P8 Platform.

IBM

OpenText Content Manager, formerly Records Manager, is a governance-based enterprise content management system designed to help government agencies, regulated industries and global organizations manage their business content from creation to disposal. Regardless of how you create and collaborate on your content, Content Manager gives you the ability to leverage accurate, contextual, and complete information throughout its lifecycle. Managing your content in this way helps you significantly improve services to your customers, business decisions and insight for future strategy.

OpenText

Sample Customers

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

Suncorp Group Limited, St. Vincent Health, Citigroup, SRCSD, and UK Dept for Work and Pensions.

Missouri State Courts

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

August 2025

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