DocuWare vs M-Files

DocuWare

Intelligent document processing is documented in depth: trainable custom extraction models fed with a few sample documents, no-code training, AI classification, a confidence score per mapped field, verification of extracted bank details, and handwriting recognition — plus receipt and validation of e-invoices towards PEPPOL. I found no public information on the intake channels and their limits, on duplicate detection for incoming documents, or on where the generative-AI processing of document content actually runs; with GenAI in the capture path, that last point belongs on the table before an audit does.

M-Files

Scanner import and drag-and-drop with conversion to searchable PDF are documented, tied to an OCR license and module, an Outlook add-on archives emails with metadata, and the metadata-driven architecture classifies documents automatically. We found no public information on XRechnung or ZUGFeRD being read as structured data, on a validation step for extracted fields, or on duplicate detection.

DocuWare

Version management with concurrent editing and locking while a document is being edited is documented, as is a workflow history showing which user made which decision, and the archiving guidance expects a history that is viewable in the system and exportable in a common file format. We found no public information on roles or folder permissions, on restoring earlier versions, on single sign-on or directory sync, or on how the audit trail is protected against change.

M-Files

Check-out for objects, an Event Log of vault changes, and version control with lifecycle management are documented, and the Enterprise edition adds an extended audit log with exports plus federated authentication with enterprise key management. We found no public information on whether the trail covers reads and exports, whether administrators' own actions are logged, or how long the log is kept, and no tamper-evidence is described.

DocuWare

"Revisionssichere Archivierung" is claimed for invoice processing, and the German archiving pages go further than most vendors: retention periods by document type (ten, eight, six and two years), the shortened eight-year period for booking documents since 2025, e-invoices to be kept in digital original form, workflow tools for protection or destruction of documents at defined times, and access to structured data in evaluable formats such as CSV, XML or DATEV. But we found no public information on how immutability of archived documents is achieved, on an auditor's report with its scope and date, or on a Z1–Z3 tax-audit export — the three things a Finanzamt asks for first.

M-Files

Retention policies are named under integrated governance, objects can be marked for archiving under "full control of vault" rights, and a Compliance Kit produces PDF/A renditions, a long-term format that appears only in a support article about a signature fix. We found no public information on a GoBD or revisionssicher claim, an auditor's report, how immutability of archived documents is achieved, retention periods per document type, deletion after expiry, or a Z1–Z3 export for the tax office.

DocuWare

The Workflow Manager is documented as graphical, code-free modelling with configurable triggers, substitution rules, deadline escalation, automatic task lists and a controller who can intervene, and invoice workflows hand over to accounting — a DATEV integration is shown through a reference customer, exported CSV data feeds any accounting or ERP system, and an API plus a 500-plus integrations claim are published. We found no public information on API documentation with webhooks or events, on the scope of the named ERP connectors, or on an e-signature integration — the captured pages explain signature types as background rather than documenting a feature.

M-Files

Graphical workflow automation ships in both editions, approval assignments with signature settings exist down to the API, and connectors are documented with their scope for SAP (data import and content repository), Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce, plus an Adobe Acrobat Sign package without a separate Adobe service contract. We found no public information on DATEV handover, an invoice workflow into ERP, or a REST API with webhooks; the documented API is the COM API.

DocuWare

Full-text and index-data search, access from home office and mobile, and a genuinely documented export of index data — filter-selected, one-click or scheduled, with table-field content, into CSV for any accounting or ERP system, included in every cloud licence — are public. We found no public information on bulk export of the documents themselves together with versions and audit trail, on saved searches, or on the post-termination retrieval window; the exit is the part I ask a vendor to prove, not promise.

M-Files

Executed searches can be saved as views and renamed, and OCR produces searchable PDFs that support full-text retrieval. We found no public information on bulk export of documents with their metadata and versions, a documented exit structure, or the post-termination retrieval window; a Smart Migration tool is offered in the catalog, but the captured pages do not state its direction.

DocuWare

DocuWare GmbH is the contracting entity under German law with exclusive venue in Munich, personal data is processed by default in Germany and other European countries, dedicated data centres in the EU and the USA are offered, and a locally installed edition exists alongside the cloud. We found no public information on the subprocessor chain for hosting, AI processing and support beyond marketing tools, nor on where the generative AI that reads document content runs; the compliance page links out to certifications without asserting any on the page itself, and ownership is not stated on the captured pages.

M-Files

The vendor presents itself as a Finnish company (Espoo), offers an on-premises edition alongside the cloud, publishes a DPA with language supplements and a qualified-subprocessor list, and states ISO- and SOC-certified management systems without naming the standards. Where the standard cloud edition stores documents is not stated in the captures, Microsoft Azure is named only for the optional Premium Cloud add-on, and a Data Residency add-on allows content to remain in the customer's Microsoft 365 environment.

DocuWare

We found no public price figures on the captured pages: cloud licensing is described without amounts, on-premises licensing is tied to PROFESSIONAL or ENTERPRISE Server plus add-on licences and a price list that the terms reference but that we did not see published, and the entry point is a free demo followed by a 30-day trial. What is public are contract mechanics — prices ex works excluding VAT and packaging, 14-day payment terms where deliveries are credit-insured, otherwise prepayment or cash on delivery, and add-on modules purchasable only with a current maintenance and support subscription.

M-Files

Essentials is publicly priced at "€65 monthly / per seat" with the billing period stated and the plan inclusions listed, and a pricing page is linked from the homepage. We found no public price for Enterprise or for any named add-on such as storage, Premium Cloud or Outlook Pro, and no public information on storage limits, on-premises licensing and maintenance terms, or contract term and notice period.