IBM FileNet vs Laserfiche comparison

IBM and Laserfiche are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.0, while Laserfiche is ranked #21. IBM holds a 9.1% mindshare in ECM, compared to Laserfiche’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Laserfiche users who would recommend it.

IBM FileNet

Read 102 IBM FileNet reviews

3,570 Views
3,284 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Laserfiche

Read 1 Laserfiche review

531 Views
350 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM FileNet

Laserfiche

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM FileNet and Laserfiche 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: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

July 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:

Categories and Ranking

IBM FileNet

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Laserfiche

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

21st

Average Rating

10.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Document Management Software (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of IBM FileNet is 9.1%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Laserfiche is 1.5%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Content Management

Featured Reviews

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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Christian Begaux

Consultant DMS/ECM at NSI IT Software & Services (Cegeka Group)

A powerful solution that offers BPM and automation to assist with our digital transformation

We use this solution for DMS, ECM, scan and imaging, plus workflows and forms solutions spread over the entire company This is a very complete and powerful solution. No code: We can address all of the features and functionalities with computer-minded people without having to call the IT Dept or…

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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

"There is a high degree of usability with this solution. It is highly compatible with our clients' and customers' work environments, making it easy to deploy and implement."

"Everybody ties into Active Directory and things like that, but on top of that are the extra layers of security for encryption, so they can meet standards required by PCI and by HIPAA: encryption at rest, encryption in flight, encryption in the database, all together. There are really only three products on the market that know how to do that, and FileNet is one of them."

"The most critical benefit has been ease of use. It speeds along our development helping us go to market a lot sooner."

"The product is very stable."

"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."

"The features that I have found most valuable include the Data Capture and Case Manager features."

"It has increased our productivity."

"It also helps with compliance and governance issues because it's a datastore that is not modifiable, and you can guarantee that. You cannot guarantee that with a folder-based file structure, where multiple people have access."

More IBM FileNet pros

"This is a very complete and powerful solution."

Cons

"The new user interface is not easy to set up, so some improvements along these lines would be good."

"A little better control into the ACLs of FileNet and databases."

"If I had a concern, it would be that we are sometimes not getting to the root cause of the issues from a technical standpoint as quickly as we should. For the most part, it's good. However, when things get a bit dicey with more involved issues, we have had some delays in getting feedback. If I had a concern, it's around the technical support and their responses in regards to things like root cause analysis."

"The most valuable features of IBM File Manager are workflow, content, and process capabilities."

"Our client feels FileNet does not provide them with content searchability. They feel it's cumbersome. They're only using Metadata. If the Metadata is not well-populated, it becomes a problem to retrieve a document."

"FileNet and similar enterprise-level tools require substantial costs, starting in the millions, which limits their use to large enterprises."

"The setup process is very complex."

"Sometimes, there can be issues with the database connections. FileNet has too many outages because things are broken in the database."

More IBM FileNet cons

"We would like to see more features for RPA and AI."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"FileNet is quite expensive, although Documentum is expensive too."

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

"When it comes to pricing, IBM needs to make an effort to improve the cost. That's the main issue regarding use of FinalNet in Columbia."

"The platform is inexpensive."

"1. It will be more expensive than estimated to setup. 2. You will need to double the staff while you are running the old system and installing the new system. 3. Depending on the number of documents to be migrated, make sure you understand the potentially massive amount of time and effort required to migrate the existing content to the new platform."

"The biggest issue is the cost of the FileNet, because the license cost is very high. If a customer doesn't have good technical guides that are aware of the license calculation, they will pay too much. FileNet's license calculation depends on the processor and number of users. So my advice to a new customer is to be very careful with your calculations before purchasing FileNet."

"My customers have seen ROI. There have been productivity gains, time savings gains, and things that they have been doing much more efficiently in a more modern way than they were before."

More IBM FileNet pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

10%

Insurance Company

Government

23%

Financial Services Firm

University

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM FileNet?

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

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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 somewhat expensive, it remains manageable. The company rates it between 3 and 5 be...

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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; we have to use the IBM FileNet native API, which is quite outdated.

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Comparisons

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 13% of the time

Alfresco vs IBM FileNet

Compared 9% of the time

More IBM FileNet Competitors

SharePoint vs Laserfiche

Compared 24% of the time

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs Laserfiche

Compared 24% of the time

Microsoft Purview Records Management vs Laserfiche

Compared 14% of the time

Hyland OnBase vs Laserfiche

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText eDOCS Content Management vs Laserfiche

Compared 7% of the time

More Laserfiche Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FileNet

July 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

July 2025

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Overview

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

Powerful Document Management Software and Agile Enterprise Content Management Solutions

Laserfiche

Sample Customers

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

D.L. Evans, College of the Desert, Community Action, Tompkins County, Hanson McClain, Olmsted County, Old Line Bank, Steinhafels, CIRCOR Pibiviesse

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Content Management

July 2025

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Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, OpenText, IBM and others in Enterprise Content Management. Updated: July 2025.

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