Arhivix and other M-Files alternatives for teams of 5 to 30 people
Arhivix is a document management system priced per company, not per seat: plans include 5, 10 or 20 user accounts and unlimited devices, and the free plan Arhivix Lite needs no card. Documents come in from Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP inboxes, a desktop scanner and the phone camera; Arhivix reads each one and proposes its type and key details for a person to confirm, and your team works in it on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. M-Files Essentials is €65 per seat per month, with subscriptions typically billed annually.
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| What we compared | Arhivix | M-Files | DocuWare | Folderit | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document intake (email inboxes, phone scan, scanner) | Arhivix Yes Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP inboxes with rules that file the attachments, upload, desktop scanner and phone camera [1] | M-Files Yes Paper documents from local or network scanners [5] | DocuWare Yes Scanning, file import, printing into the archive, email, the mobile app and web forms [12] | Folderit Partial Upload, an Outlook add-in and a per-folder email import address that a scanner can also use [19] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) Files sync between SharePoint libraries and a folder on the computer, in File Explorer or Finder, through the OneDrive sync app [25] | Paperless-ngx Partial Email accounts, a consumption folder for scanners (file share set up by you), web upload and REST API; phone scanning through third-party apps [32] |
| Reads and classifies documents | Arhivix Yes OCR reads each document, Arhivix recognises its type and proposes supplier, amount, dates and numbers, and a person confirms every proposal [1] | M-Files Yes M-Files Aino classifies documents automatically in both editions; Aino agents that extract metadata and classify documents are in Enterprise only [6] | DocuWare Yes Intelligent Indexing is included in every cloud plan; AI classification and data extraction (Intelligent Document Processing) is a separately priced add-on [13] | Folderit Partial AI classification is described for on-premises installations with extra GPU resources; the cloud plans do not list it [20] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) Partial Document processing is billed pay-as-you-go through an Azure subscription [26] | Paperless-ngx Yes Tesseract OCR, machine learning that adds tags, correspondents and document types, and optional LLM suggestions that are off by default [33] |
| Desktop and mobile apps | Arhivix Yes Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android [1] | M-Files Yes M-Files Desktop, M-Files Web, and M-Files Mobile apps for iOS and Android [7] | DocuWare Yes Mobile apps for iOS and Android [14] | Folderit Partial Desktop sync app Folderit Sync; the system is adapted for phones and tablets [21] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) SharePoint mobile app for iOS and Android [27] | Paperless-ngx Partial Mobile and desktop apps are third-party projects listed in the project wiki [34] |
| Setup (self-service or through a partner) | Arhivix Self-service: you sign up, upload your folders or connect an email inbox, and Arhivix indexes everything in the background. With an Enterprise contract your existing archive is moved in for you [2] | M-Files Through M-Files or its partners, which include systems integrators and value-added resellers [8] | DocuWare Through DocuWare partners, who handle deployment and implementation [15] | Folderit Self-service: online registration starts a free 14 day trial [22] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) Self-service: a business buys Business Basic, Standard or Premium online [28] | Paperless-ngx Self-service with an installation script, Docker Compose or a bare metal install; the docs also link to community-listed hosting providers [35] |
| Audit log | Arhivix Yes Every view, edit, download, share and permission change is recorded with the user and the time, in a log the customer cannot alter [3] | M-Files Yes The vault event log records events such as object creation and user logins; some event types need the separately purchased Electronic Signatures and Advanced Logging module [9] | DocuWare Yes Audit reports at document, file cabinet, organization and system level, downloadable as CSV [16] | Folderit Yes Global audit trail [19] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) Yes Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard) is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium [29] | Paperless-ngx Yes Records all changes to a document in an audit log shown in a History tab, on by default since version 2.7 [32] |
| Where the data is hosted | Arhivix AWS in the EU, two regions (Frankfurt and Dublin), encrypted at rest with AES-256 [3] | M-Files Microsoft Azure, in a primary and a secondary region; the cloud page does not name the regions [10] | DocuWare On Microsoft Azure; data of European customers is stored in Europe, data of customers from America in the U.S. [17] | Folderit Amazon hosting in Ireland, or another location where that option is offered [23] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) For tenants with a sign-up location in the EU or EFTA, the EU Data Boundary applies: customer data is stored and processed in EU or EFTA datacenters, with documented exceptions [30] | Paperless-ngx On the server where you install it [33] |
| Search | Arhivix Yes In every paid plan, a plain description becomes filters and search covers the content of the documents [4] | M-Files Yes Quick search looks in metadata and file contents across the whole vault [11] | DocuWare Yes Search through document content and index data, with drop-down keyword lists, wildcards and logical operators [18] | Folderit Yes Full-text search with OCR in text, PDF, PNG and JPG files [24] | Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) Yes Microsoft Search for content and people is included in Business Basic, Standard and Premium [31] | Paperless-ngx Yes Full text search [33] |
Arhivix arhivix.com
For companies that want one plan for the whole team, with documents collected from email inboxes, the phone and the scanner, and their details read for a person to confirm.
Arhivix is our product.
- One plan for the whole company. Pricing is per company, not per user: plans include 5, 10 or 20 user accounts and unlimited devices, the free plan Arhivix Lite needs no card, and the plans are on the pricing page.
- Invoices and contracts that arrive by email. Connect the company's Gmail, Microsoft 365 or IMAP inboxes, and your rules file the attachments to a folder, set the document type or notify a colleague, based on sender, subject or content.
- Paper that still comes in. Scan with a desktop scanner in the desktop app, or photograph a page with the phone, which detects and straightens it.
- Details nobody has time to type. Arhivix runs OCR, recognises 22 document types and proposes the supplier, amount, dates and numbers for a person to confirm, and it warns about possible duplicates.
- A document someone needs today. Describe it in plain words and search turns the description into filters; the paid plans also search inside the documents.
- Several teams and outside contacts. Workspaces and folders carry their own permissions, every version can be restored, shared links can carry an expiry date and a password, and every view, download and share is recorded in the audit log.
- Contracts with notice periods. For a contract with an end date, Arhivix sets two deadlines by itself, the expiry and the last day to give notice, and both can be edited.
It runs on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android and works with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace; every paid plan includes a REST API with signed webhooks, and Claude or ChatGPT connect through the MCP connector. Data is hosted on AWS in the EU (Frankfurt and Dublin) and encrypted at rest with AES-256.
DocuWare start.docuware.com
Document management software from DocuWare GmbH in Germany, a Ricoh subsidiary, sold through partners; the cloud version is an annual subscription.
- No list price: the pricing FAQ gives a typical $30 to $125+ per user per month in US dollars, on an annual subscription, and the vendor says a lighter solution may fit better below 20 documents a month (DocuWare pricing FAQ).
- Setup runs through partners, and onboarding, training and go-live are priced either as a fixed price or as time and material (DocuWare UK pricing FAQ).
- AI classification and extraction (Intelligent Document Processing) is a separately priced add-on, and exporting the documents themselves from DocuWare Cloud needs docXporter, an additional licence (DocuWare docXporter).
- DocuWare Cloud runs on Microsoft Azure, and data of European customers is stored in Europe.
Folderit folderit.com
Document management software from Folderit OÜ in Estonia, sold in plans with a set number of users, in euros plus VAT.
- Price per plan in euros, plus VAT: Mini at €45 a month for 5 users and 150 GB, Medium at €85 a month for 10 users; there is no free plan (Folderit pricing).
- Hosted by Amazon in Ireland (Folderit Trust Center).
- There is no mobile app; phones use the web application (Folderit on mobile).
Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365) microsoft.com
Microsoft's document libraries and sites in Microsoft 365, sold per user per month in the Microsoft 365 business plans.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic is €6.07 per user per month, paid yearly, excluding VAT, on the Ireland price page, and the business plans cover up to 300 users.
- No free plan is listed; the one-month free trial converts to a paid subscription and requires a credit card.
- For tenants that signed up in the EU or EFTA, the EU Data Boundary keeps customer data in EU or EFTA datacenters, with documented exceptions; Serbia is not among the listed countries (EU Data Boundary).
- Document processing is billed per use in US dollars through an Azure subscription, for example $0.01 per page for prebuilt models (document processing pricing).
Paperless-ngx docs.paperless-ngx.com
Open-source document management software under GNU GPL version 3, which you install and run on your own server.
- No licence fee and no price list: the software is open source under GNU GPL version 3 (Paperless-ngx licence) and is installed with Docker or directly on a Linux server.
- You run the backups and updates yourself (Paperless-ngx administration guide), and support is community support through GitHub Discussions and a Matrix chat room (Paperless-ngx documentation).
- The README states that information is stored in clear text without encryption and that no security guarantees are made (Paperless-ngx README).
- Mobile and desktop apps are third-party projects the team does not endorse (Paperless-ngx related projects).
What ten seats cost
Arithmetic on list prices checked on 11 November 2026, for ten people. Each price is in the currency the vendor publishes; we did not convert currencies.
- M-Files Essentials: 10 seats at €65 per seat per month is €650 a month, with subscriptions typically billed annually (M-Files price list in euros). We did not record whether this price includes VAT. Enterprise has no published price; a quote comes from sales (M-Files editions).
- Arhivix: priced per company, not per seat: the Premium plan includes 10 user accounts, 500 GB and unlimited devices for the whole company. The plans are on the pricing page.
- DocuWare: not published. The pricing FAQ gives a typical $30 to $125+ per user per month in US dollars and the UK pricing FAQ £10 to £60; these are ranges, not a list price. The smallest cloud plan that includes ten users is Cloud 15 (15 users, 50 GB), and its price is not published.
- Folderit Medium: €85 a month plus VAT for a plan with 10 users (Folderit pricing). Mini, at €45 a month or €486 a year plus VAT, covers 5 users.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic (SharePoint): 10 users at €6.07 is €60.70 a month, paid yearly, excluding VAT, on the Ireland price page; Business Basic EEA (no Teams) at €4.67 is €46.70. On the Serbia price page Business Basic is USD 7.00, so USD 70.00 for ten users, paid yearly, excluding tax.
- Paperless-ngx: no licence fee and no price list. The cost is your own server and the work of running backups and updates (Paperless-ngx administration guide).
Why small teams look past M-Files
Four facts from M-Files' own pages, checked on 11 November 2026.
- The price grows with every seat. Essentials is €65 per seat per month. Aino agents, the extended audit log, no-code document automation, advanced security and access for external users are listed for Enterprise only, which has no published price (M-Files editions).
- Setup goes through M-Files or a partner. Implementation runs through M-Files or its partners, which include systems integrators and resellers (M-Files partners), and product support covers technical issues only; training, consulting and implementation are billed separately (M-Files Cloud).
- Some parts are licensed separately. The M-Files for Outlook and Outlook Pro add-ins need separate licences, while the Outlook Standard add-in for classic Outlook is included (M-Files in Outlook). Some event types in the vault event log need the separately purchased Electronic Signatures and Advanced Logging module (M-Files vault event log).
- Mac users work in M-Files Web. M-Files Desktop runs on Windows only; macOS and Linux users work in M-Files Web (M-Files operating system requirements).
Leaving M-Files: what to check first
- Export before the subscription ends. Administrators can export objects, files and the metadata structure as content packages (M-Files export guide). For M-Files Cloud, the general terms say a backup copy can be requested until 30 days after the subscription ends, in a format M-Files determines, billed on time and material unless agreed otherwise (M-Files general terms, section 6).
- Check how you would leave the next product. With Arhivix you are the controller of your data: after cancellation you have 30 days to export your documents and metadata in standard formats, and everything is then deleted within 120 days. DocuWare Cloud exports index data as CSV, and the documents themselves need docXporter, an additional licence. In Folderit, all files and folders can be downloaded as a structured ZIP file. Paperless-ngx exports everything to a folder, but an export made with one version cannot be imported into a different version (Paperless-ngx administration guide).
- Plan how the documents come across. On standard plans you upload the exported files, and Arhivix indexes the documents in the background and proposes each one's type and key details for a person to confirm. With an Enterprise contract your existing archive is moved in for you.
How we compared
Facts about each product come from its vendor's public pages (for Paperless-ngx, the project documentation on GitHub), opened on 11 November 2026 and listed under Sources with that date. Facts about Arhivix come from arhivix.com.
Questions people ask
What are the alternatives to M-Files for a small company?
Arhivix is priced per company, not per seat: plans include 5, 10 or 20 user accounts and unlimited devices, the free plan Arhivix Lite needs no card, and the plans are on the pricing page. On list prices checked on 11 November 2026, ten M-Files Essentials seats at €65 per seat per month are €650 a month. Folderit Medium is €85 a month plus VAT for 10 users, Microsoft 365 Business Basic is €6.07 per user per month paid yearly excluding VAT, Paperless-ngx has no licence fee and runs on a server you maintain, and DocuWare publishes no list price.
Is there an M-Files alternative with a proper Mac app?
Arhivix has a macOS app for Apple silicon and Intel Macs, alongside web, Windows, iOS and Android, and PDFs are signed in the desktop app for Windows and macOS with your own certificate. M-Files Desktop runs on Windows only, so macOS users work in M-Files Web.
Which document management systems don't charge per user?
Arhivix charges per company, with 5, 10 or 20 user accounts per plan and unlimited devices, and Folderit charges per plan, each with a set number of users. Paperless-ngx has no charge at all. M-Files, DocuWare and Microsoft 365 are priced per seat or per user licence.
Where does Arhivix keep our documents?
On AWS in the EU, in two regions (Frankfurt and Dublin), encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS. Under the GDPR data processing agreement you are the controller, and the agreement forbids using customer data to train AI models.
Sources
- 1. Arhivix: About Arhivix
- 2. Arhivix: Arhivix home page, questions and answers
- 3. Arhivix: Arhivix security
- 4. Arhivix: Arhivix pricing
- 5. M-Files: M-Files user guide: Scanning and text recognition (OCR)
- 6. M-Files: M-Files Pricing | Document Management System Plans & Editions
- 7. M-Files: M-Files user guide: M-Files Cloud requirements
- 8. M-Files: Partners
- 9. M-Files: M-Files user guide: Vault event log overview
- 10. M-Files: Secure, Scalable Document Management in the Cloud (M-Files Cloud)
- 11. M-Files: M-Files user guide: Quick search
- 12. DocuWare: Deploy DocuWare as Multitenant Cloud SaaS, On-Premises or Hybrid
- 13. DocuWare: FAQ | How Much Does DocuWare Cost?
- 14. DocuWare: Mobile Document Management and Mobile Workflow from DocuWare
- 15. DocuWare: DocuWare Partner References
- 16. DocuWare: DocuWare Knowledge Center: Audit reports
- 17. DocuWare: Subcontractors of DocuWare
- 18. DocuWare: Digital Document Management | Features & Capabilities for Process Automation
- 19. Folderit: Folderit Digital Records Management Software
- 20. Folderit: Folderit On-Premises Document Management System Software
- 21. Folderit: Folderit Document Management Software (DMS), features and FAQ
- 22. Folderit: Folderit Help Center: Registration of the Main Account
- 23. Folderit: Folderit Trust Center
- 24. Folderit: Folderit Help Center: Does Folderit have OCR?
- 25. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer
- 26. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): Pay-as-you-go pricing for document processing for Microsoft 365
- 27. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): About SharePoint mobile app
- 28. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): Try or buy a Microsoft 365 for business subscription
- 29. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): Microsoft Purview service description
- 30. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): What is the EU Data Boundary?
- 31. Microsoft SharePoint (Microsoft 365): Microsoft 365 Pricing for Business: Plans & Features (Ireland)
- 32. Paperless-ngx: Paperless-ngx documentation: Usage (docs/usage.md)
- 33. Paperless-ngx: Paperless-ngx documentation: Home (docs/index.md)
- 34. Paperless-ngx: Paperless-ngx wiki: Related Projects
- 35. Paperless-ngx: Paperless-ngx documentation: Setup (docs/setup.md)
Information about other products comes from their public pages, checked on the date shown. If something has changed, write to info@arhivix.com and we will correct it.