M-Files alternatives
M-Files alternatives for NZ and Australian businesses
M-Files: €65 per seat per month, or €780 per seat a year, Enterprise quoted separately
- check_circleYour data in a database you own
- check_circleOpen source, no lock-in
- check_circleBuilt and run by Enterprise DNA
The options
What people compare M-Files with
M-Files Essentials lists €65 per seat per month, while Enterprise is quoted separately. If your ongoing seat-based bill does not match your team’s needs, an alternative may fit your business better.
Often compared
DocuWare
A document-management option considered alongside M-Files.
Often compared
GoRamp
An option considered alongside M-Files in the same comparison.
Yours to own
Document Vault for Claude Code
The open-source document vault that is just a database and Claude Code. Built around your business, with your M-Files data brought across.
See how it worksHow to choose
How to choose a M-Files alternative
- 1
What your bill follows
M-Files Essentials charges by seat at €65 per seat per month, so the licence bill follows how many people use it. Compare that with the work your team needs and the services included. Enterprise is quoted separately, and its scope can reflect governance, sharing, automation and document volume.
- 2
Who owns your records
Check where originals, metadata and change history live, and whether you can recover and export them. With an owned version, your records sit in a database you own, and you can recover originals and export the complete history. That gives you a clear way to retain control if your needs change.
- 3
Fit with your working rules
M-Files connects documents to business context through metadata. Your version can be built around your fields, review steps and working rules, rather than asking your team to fit a standard setup. Agree which screens, reading services and connections your staff need before deciding whether it fits.
- 4
What switching involves
Moving is more than exporting a list. M-Files documents exporting selected search results with optional original files. The free version accepts mapped exports. Original files can be matched to records and checked, while historic revisions, permissions and workflow history need separate reconciliation before you retire the old system.
The option that fits
A version built around your business
Document Vault for Claude Code gives you a document system built around how your business runs, with your records in a database you own. Enterprise DNA brings your M-Files data across and builds and runs your version, with no per-seat plans. You pay one setup fee, then a monthly retainer. There is also a free version you can run yourself, so you can choose the level of help that suits you.
- check Your records sit in a database you own.
- check One setup fee, then a monthly retainer.
- check A free version is available to run yourself.
Make it yours
Design your own M-Files replacement
Everything starts from the open-source base. Then it gets your name, the parts you run, your rules and your data from M-Files. Try it here, and we build the real one.
2. What it runs
3. Make it fit
4. Your colour
Answered from your own database
Good morning. Here is what needs you today.
We build it from the open-source base, bring your M-Files data across and run it for you.
Questions
M-Files alternatives, answered
How much does M-Files cost per user? expand_more
M-Files Essentials lists €65 per seat per month, or €780 per seat over a year. M-Files says subscriptions are typically billed annually. Enterprise is quoted separately. Check your contract, local currency and included services before comparing the cost with an alternative.
Can we move documents and their details across? expand_more
M-Files documents exporting selected search results with optional original files. Enterprise DNA can bring your data across, matching originals to records and checking counts and samples. Historic revisions, permissions and workflow history need separate reconciliation before you retire the old system. The free version accepts mapped exports.
Can the system match our fields and review steps? expand_more
Enterprise DNA builds your version around how your business runs. You can agree the fields, screens, reading services and connections your team needs. The free version stores and recovers originals, and searches metadata and supported text documents.
What happens when a document changes after review? expand_more
Each change creates a new revision, and the earlier decision stays with the version it covered. A later change needs a fresh review. Retention checks can flag recorded dates, purposes and holds for review, but your responsible person decides the policy and any disposal.
Done comparing? Own the one that fits.
30 minutes with Sam. Bring what M-Files costs you a year and how you run. We show you what your own version looks like, and if it is a fit, we build it and bring your data across.
Get your version builtDone paying for M-Files?
Get your version built