10 Best OpenKM Document Management Alternatives & Competitors to Try in 2024
OpenKM lacks offline document access.
What you get is a web-based document management software that requires an internet connection in order for you to access your files.
With OpenKM’s internet-dependency, you can lose connectivity to your business’s information during internet and server outages.
Alarmingly, Uptime Institute discovered that 80% of data centers experience frequent outages annually. These have resulted in massive losses and prove the need for offline document management failsafes.
If you turn to the best OpenKM alternatives, however, you can back up your files locally so that you don’t need to be online to access them.
Some of these tools can store your documents in native Windows folders, allowing you to access your files regardless of whether you’re online or not. This can help you to keep your workflow running and reduce your dependence on servers & the internet.
In this article, I’ll take you through the best OpenKM document management alternatives & competitors to try in 2024 that can help you improve productivity.
Quick summary:
1. FileCenter – Best for cost-efficient document management.
2. M-Files – Best for AI-driven document automation.
3. Square 9 – Best for creating web forms.
4. DocuWare – Best for managing files on-premise.
5. PairSoft – Best for procurement document management.
Let’s get started.
3 Reasons to Consider a Great OpenKM Alternative
a) No-code workflow integration
OpenKM has APIs that you can configure to fit the needs of your particular document management workflow using programming languages like Python, Java, and PHP. This can make it unideal if you run a workflow with limited tech skills.
However, some of the best OpenKM alternatives like FileCenter have out-of-the-box options for integrating with Microsoft 365, CRMs, and other underlying systems that you may be using. These alleviate the need for you to know any coding.
b) Improved email functions
With OpenKM, you’ll find that email messages and attachments are not always saved to the right directories. This can make it very challenging for your small business to manage email files, and it can also increase your security risk.
You can solve this issue by turning to an OpenKM competitor that gives you a more reliable and systematic way to save email files. Consequently, it can help you to keep your inbox organized and to easily identify sensitive files for protection.
c) More powerful PDF editing
Beyond splitting, merging, and basic PDF editing functions, OpenKM’s PDF editing tool is not as comprehensive as that of its other alternatives. Therefore, you may find that you need to turn to third-party software for more extensive PDF editing.
A great OpenKM replacement can give you holistic PDF editing functions under one roof so that you can comprehensively edit PDF files according to your business needs. So you may not need to pay for additional software.
1. FileCenter
FileCenter is a cost-efficient document management software.
Compared to OpenKM, FileCenter’s pricing plans are more affordable and also include the option of a lifetime license. So it’s one of the best OpenKM alternatives if you’re working with a tight budget or want to avoid recurring license fees.
More importantly, FileCenter has more secure and dedicated file-sharing channels that you can use to enhance communication and transparency with your clients.
You can also choose to store your documents in the cloud to back up your small business’s data or store it locally to retain full control over your data.
Best features:
- FileCenter gives you automated OCR technology that monitors your workflow for newly scanned files to convert to searchable PDF formats. This makes it easy for your startup to process and digitize large volumes of documents very quickly.
- It is interoperable with Microsoft Office 365 and cloud services such as SharePoint, Google Drive, and OneDrive. This interoperability allows you to perform document work in one interface without having to switch between apps.
- FileCenter has email integration options with Outlook, which allows you to organize email clutters and logically save attachments to various folders. With this feature, you can greatly streamline your email management processes.
Pricing:
- 15-day free trial.
- Starting plan: $15/user per month.
Verdict
With FileCenter, you get very low monthly subscription fees and lifetime license options, which can make your document management strategy more sustainable and easily scalable. Furthermore, it gives you unique, enterprise-grade features like a client portal and a dedicated automation software that can help you improve your efficiency.
2. M-Files
M-Files is primarily a knowledge work automation solution.
While OpenKM does have notable file management automation features, M-Files offers more intelligent office document automation via its Aino engine. This helps you to organize documents more efficiently depending on their context and metadata.
Moreover, M-Files lets you assign role-based data access and hides sensitive information from users without permission to improve your data security.
It can also help you achieve regulatory compliance by allowing you to set and automate document governance and record retention policies that enable you to minimize compliance risks for your company.
Best features:
- You can create digital workspaces and virtual boardrooms where you can securely collaborate with internal and external parties on document work. This feature is especially useful for improving the efficiency of your remote teams.
- With M-Files’ electronic signature capabilities, you can implement the remote signing of documents. Besides helping you to cut down on stationery costs by reducing your printing needs, this also accelerates your file approval processes.
- You also get a large clause library, which has preapproved templates for contracts and other common business documents. These templates can help you standardize and speed up document drafting processes for your organization.
Pricing:
- 30-day free trial.
- Contact M-Files for pricing.
Verdict
M-Files Aino is an excellent natural language assistant that you can take advantage of to automate various document tasks and retrieve information for your startup very quickly. However, I find that it has a more complex user interface compared to other document management systems and this can make it harder for you to pick up.
3. Square 9
Square 9 is an enterprise content management system.
With OpenKM, you may need to create web forms from scratch but Square 9 delivers templates that help you build them quickly. Therefore, I believe it’s among the best OpenKM alternatives & file management software for managing web forms.
Square 9 also has a login-free search feature that you can use to retrieve documents for your small business with greater simplicity, speed, and accuracy.
Just like FileCenter, it has vital recipe scanning features that can greatly improve your receipt and invoice processing efficiency.
Best features:
- It gives you comprehensive document analytics that helps you to unearth document activity insights in real time. With this data, you can determine engagement levels to help you create more impactful reports going forward.
- Square 9 comes with a web-based graphical designer that you can use to remotely create, revise, and troubleshoot your document workflows. This helps you to identify and iron out your mid-sized business’s productivity bottlenecks.
- You also get comprehensive document version control, which can help you to prevent the duplication of document work and the loss of critical data. So it can help you to preserve the integrity of your enterprise’s information systems.
Pricing:
- No free trial.
- Starting plan: $50/user per month.
Verdict
Square 9 has prebuilt web forms and also lets you automate and route the information you collect via these forms so that you and your teams can focus on higher-value work. However, you may realize that its pricing plans are quite exorbitant and so it’s not a cost-effective solution if you run a small workflow and have a tight budget.
4. DocuWare
You can deploy DocuWare in the cloud or on-premise.
This gives it a distinct advantage over OpenKM, which is dependent on the internet. In addition to giving you remote document access options, it also allows you to back up your data locally so that you can access it when you’re offline.
Furthermore, DocuWare can automatically import and index your document from various sources so that you don’t have to manually sort files.
It also supports more file formats and extensions in comparison, which can help to make your document management workflow more flexible and less dependent on third-party add-ons.
Best features:
- With DocuWare’s advanced document import and organization features, you can automatically import paper and electronic documents as well as data from your applications. This automation can help you reduce your manual data entry work.
- It also offers your startup full-text indexing to complement its structured indexing metadata. In other words, it gives you more expansive search capabilities that enable you to perform highly customized and accurate information searches.
- DocuWare has a Smart Connect module that enables you to link its document management system with various applications in your workflow. This reduces the need for constant application switching to make you more efficient & productive.
Pricing:
- 30-day free trial.
- Contact DocuWare pricing.
Verdict
If you prefer to manage your documents locally so that you can avoid expensive cloud services and ensure you have full control over your data, then DocuWare is a great choice. However, I’ve noted that its OCR technology delivers inconsistent performances, particularly when you’re extracting data from complex documents.
5. PairSoft
PairSoft is great for procurement document management.
Unlike OpenkM, it offers your startup customizable P2P procurement tools. So if you’re keen on finding the right document management software to help you improve your procurement processes, then PairSoft is one of the best OpenKM competitors to try out.
You can also use PairSoft to track, fulfill, and manage your document-related inventory processes so that you can reduce your warehouse storage expenses.
Just like FileCenter, you can also use it to improve data management by automating the capture of data from purchase orders and requisitions.
Best features:
- It gives you a guided buying catalog, which curates various items from your stipulated suppliers at already negotiated prices. With this feature, you can save money and even shorten your procurement cycles for your enterprise.
- PairSoft also has employee expense tracking features that automatically capture receipts for employee spending, while giving you a centralized place to authorize and manage expense information. This can help you reduce wasteful spending.
- You also get fully embedded invoicing reporting and analytics, which can help you spot inefficiencies. These dashboards provide the data that you need to accelerate invoice processing & help you capitalize on early payment discounts.
Pricing:
- No free trial.
- Contact PairSoft for pricing.
Verdict
If you’re looking for an OpenKM alternative that can supercharge your procurement processes & inventory management, PairSoft is most certainly a great option for you to consider. However, I’ve discovered that it doesn’t fully support QuickBooks, so if you rely on the latter, you may find that you have to manually migrate your data to PairSoft.
6. SmartVault
SmartVault can help you improve your document security.
It has more advanced document security features and controls compared to OpenKM. For instance, it leverages AES 256 encryption SSL technology that can help your mid-sized business to protect confidential information in the workplace.
Furthermore, SmartVault also gives you certified vaults where you can store and protect your documents as well as other digital assets for your company.
It also gives you a branded client file-sharing portal that you can use to securely share documents and communicate with your clients and colleagues.
Best features:
- SmartVault gives you unlimited cloud storage, which allows you to back up your files on an online repository that you can remotely access. As a result, this can help your startup to free up storage space on your local servers and drives.
- It also comes with a library of automation workflows and templates that you can use to automate the handling of contracts, invoices, and forms. Complete with a drag-and-drop editor, this can help you to massively elevate your productivity.
- SmartVault has email sync and Microsoft Outlook integrations that can help you automate key tasks when it comes to email management. It also enables you to password-protect files that you share via email to reduce cyber security risks.
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial.
- Starting plan: $25/user per month.
Verdict
SmartVault taps into advanced technologies to give you a highly secure document management system that you can use to comprehensively protect your information systems. Nonetheless, you may notice that this comes at a very steep price, with it having higher-than-average licensing expenses that can really eat into your budget.
7. Tungsten Automation
Tungsten Automation has advanced PDF editing capabilities.
Whereas you can use OpenKM to only append, rotate, join, and split PDF files, this tool goes a step further. It gives you more advanced PDF editing features like form generation, which can help you draft common business documents very quickly.
Additionally, you can use Tungsten Automation’s Printix module to manage your on-premise print servers and software more effectively.
Just like FileCenter, it also enables you to make transparent signatures on business documents to lower your signing-related costs. It also sends out reminders to recipients and this can accelerate your signing processes as well.
Best features:
- Its OmniPage Capture SDK enables you to automate the conversion of scanned images into searchable documents. Moreover, it goes ahead to help you classify documents to reduce your file processing times and increase your efficiency.
- With the Tungsten Control Suite, you can set up automated content-based workflows for your small business, complete with safeguards like rule-based printing & automatic redaction that can help you observe regulatory compliance.
- Tungsten Printix offers a cloud print management solution that helps you eliminate comprehensive on-site infrastructure for managing your printing operations. It can also help you to make printing more secure & efficient.
Pricing:
- 15-day free trial.
- Contact Tungsten Automation for pricing.
Verdict
With the Tungsten Power PDF module, you get more advanced PDF editing controls and so I believe it’s one of the best OpenKM alternatives for handling PDF documents. That said, you’ll find that the vendor breaks apart individual document management functions into separately priced modules, which can make it a very expensive solution.
8. Egnyte
Egynte gives you a reliable document management system.
It offers you a centralized document repository powered by MySQL cluster databases that create a very reliable data pipeline with high availability compared to OpenKM. This also gives you a highly scalable solution that can grow with your business.
With Egynte’s sensitive content classification engine, you can automatically identify & protect sensitive data within your organization’s information systems.
Beyond that, it also leverages AI to revolutionize document management by giving you GPT models that you can use to quickly understand your datasets.
Best features:
- Egynte has predictive AI models that you can converse with using natural language. You can instruct these models to classify content depending on the nature of the data therein and other criteria like the purpose of the document.
- You also get very advanced data governance controls that enable you to set up user permissions and restrict access to key information about your business processes. This can help you to reduce the risk of regulatory violations.
- It has a ransomware detection and recovery system that alerts you about cyber attacks and unusual document activity. So it may help you to identify these threats long before any of your information is stolen or compromised.
Pricing:
- 15-day free trial.
- Starting plan: $20/user per month.
Verdict
Egynte uses a very reliable database that is more dependable than OpenKM, so it’s a wise choice if you’re looking to reduce business downtimes from server outages. However, I’ve discovered that Engyte can’t parallel sync with multiple platforms simultaneously, so you may find it cumbersome to migrate large amounts of data into it.
9. DynaFile
DynaFile can streamline your HR processes.
It’s one of the best HR document management software around because it has automated onboarding integrations that can help you improve how your enterprise manages new hires and their associated documentation as well.
Moreover, you can use DynaFile’s cloud-based version control to monitor document changes, which can help improve collaboration for your HR team.
Just like FileCenter, it’s also an excellent document scanning software that you can use to digitize and index your paperwork so that they are easier to find and work with.
Best features:
- You get a prebuilt document integrator called DynaSync that works with a variety of HRIS and HR systems. So it helps you to seamlessly sync data with your existing systems so that you can automate any needed data migration.
- DynaFile offers document scanning automation using barcode recognition technology, which can help lower your work if you regularly scan documents for work. With this feature, you can completely digitize entire folders in one go.
- It also has cloud collaboration features such as dedicated file-sharing channels, electronic signatures, and version control. These features can help you improve how your team reviews, shares, and generally collaborates on document work.
Pricing:
- No free trial.
- Contact DynaFile for pricing.
Verdict
DynaFile can help you to create electronic onboarding processes and also integrates with your HRIS, so I find it to be one of the best OpenKM alternatives for improving HR processes. However, some of its features can be very advanced and may require a strong technical background, and so you may find the learning curve to be steep.
10. DocuPhase
DocuPhase is a financial document management solution.
It can help you to centrally manage your financial files in a secured repository that gives you AI-driven insights about your startup’s accounting health. Therefore, it’s one of the best OpenKM competitors if you want to improve your financial processes.
On top of that, DocuPhase gives you auto-indexing and preset tags which can help you automate the naming, sorting, and routing of incoming files.
You also get advanced search functions like a full-text search engine that enables you to dig up information using keywords and other customizable search parameters.
Best features:
- With its accounts payable automation tools, you can reduce the need for manual invoice processing. Instead, you can digitize the tasks involved to help you reduce DSO and DPO and benefit from suppliers’ early payment discounts.
- You get a no-code, drag-and-drop web form builder that you can use to conveniently and effortlessly capture business-critical data for your startup. This can help you to learn more about your customers to improve your sales.
- DocuPhase gives you cloud-hosting and dedicated support staff. Besides helping to ensure a document management system with great uptime, this also allows you to reduce the need for on-site storage to make you more cost-efficient.
Pricing:
- No free trial.
- Contact DocuPhase for pricing.
Verdict
With automatic three-way matching and AI-driven financial document analytics, I find that DocuPhase is a great tool to help you improve your midsize business’s financial processes. However, if you need to regularly share files via email, you’ll notice that there are many steps involved & so you may find the process to be very cumbersome.
Conclusion
You can easily miss search results with OpenKM.
It uses a very precise search engine where if you don’t use words in the correct order, you may get an unsuccessful search response.
So OpenKM’s search limitations can make it harder for you to find documents if you don’t remember their exact names.
Unfortunately, Coveo recently discovered that 70% of employees struggle to find information, which has caused massive workplace demoralization. This proves the need for effective search technologies.
You get advanced fuzzy search functions with the best OpenKM alternatives that can give you more successful search responses. Overall, I recommend FileCenter for cost-efficiency and M-Files for document automation.
Click here to schedule your free FileCenter demo today to learn how our software can help your business to become more productive and environmentally-friendly.
With our software, you can also establish a stronger data governance strategy that can help you to improve regulatory compliance and cybersecurity.
Why FileCenter is the best OpenKM document management alternative for your needs
a) Offline document access
OpenKM works via a web browser that gives you access to your files as long as you’re online. However, this locks you out from your information systems if you don’t have a reliable internet connection and this can make your workflow less reliable.
You get various remote access options with our software, including the ability to replicate network files on your local drive. This way, you have constant access to your small business’s essential documents even when you’re offline.
b) Excellent software support
Customer support is not always immediately available with OpenKM, which restricts phone and text support to higher-tier pricing plans. Even then, you may not always get timely responses from the vendor so resolving software issues can be lengthy.
Conversely, FileCenter has a large and dedicated team of support staff to help get the most out of software. From installation & setup services to a huge knowledge base, we give you all the assistance that you need to achieve your full potential.
c) Cloud and Windows compatibility
If you rely on a huge network of applications like CRMs & accounting software to manage your business, you’ll find that OpenKM can make it very challenging to integrate them. That’s because you have to program APIs for each system.
On the other hand, FileCenter gives you readily available integrations for popular Cloud and Windows apps like DropBox, Google Drive, and MS Office, among others. So we are one of the best OpenKM alternatives to help you hit the ground running.
Click here to start your free FileCenter trial right now to explore key features that can help you improve the quality of your document management processes.
