ecoDMS vs PaperOffice

ecoDMS

Intake is well documented: scanner capture via TWAIN/WIA/SANE, automated batch import from a network scan folder with separator sheets, a smartphone app whose integrated AI crops the image, and drag-and-drop or automatic import of scans, Office files, emails and images, with background OCR full-text indexing, documents recognised by layout or keyword and invoice data read out automatically. Classification is manual or semi-automatic via templates in the inbox. We found no public information on XRechnung or ZUGFeRD being read as structured data, on duplicate detection, on Microsoft 365 mailbox intake, or on where the AI processing runs.

PaperOffice

Intake channels are documented with their limits (scanner over SFTP, watched folders, IMAP mailbox at stated intervals, upload, REST API, webhook), classification proposes document type and retention rule, confidence values route uncertain fields to a review list, duplicate detection is described, and XRechnung/ZUGFeRD are validated against the core rules of EN 16931. Capture-side AI runs on the vendor's own GPU hardware in its own EU data center with processing data deleted after completion, though the model provider behind that hardware is not named.

ecoDMS

A traceable change history, immutable and versioned storage of scanned documents, and controllable access are stated on several pages. We found no public information on roles or groups with rights per folder or document type, check-in and check-out, single sign-on or directory sync, an audit trail covering reads, exports and deletions, administrators' own actions, or how long logs are retained.

PaperOffice

Users and groups carry read, write or admin rights per workspace, workspaces separate HR, clients and projects with their own rights and retention, and every access, change and security-level change is logged with person and timestamp; audit entries can be neither changed nor deleted from the app or the API, and every revision is kept as a version with its own SHA-256 checksum. I found no public information on check-in and check-out, single sign-on or directory synchronisation, or on a stated retention period for the log itself.

ecoDMS

Fulfilment of retention obligations in a GoBD- and DSGVO-compliant manner is claimed, and the mechanism is at least described: scanned documents are stored immutable, versioned and in PDF/A format. We found no public information on configurable retention periods per document type, deletion after expiry, legal hold, how GDPR deletion is reconciled with retention duties, a sample Verfahrensdokumentation, or an auditor's report such as IDW PS 880.

PaperOffice

Sealed documents sit under WORM protection until the retention term ends, each document type carries a retention period and legal basis with a chosen start date, term-end is logged as an event, legal hold blocks deletion, and a read-only audit user plus metadata-and-originals export serves the tax audit. GDPR access requests are explicitly reconciled with retention still running, with deletions documented in the audit trail. I found no public information on an auditor's report such as IDW PS 880, on Z1 to Z3 export, or on enforced PDF/A long-term formats.

ecoDMS

The WORKZ add-on adds acknowledgement and approval workflows, automated import of emails and documents and a document stamp, and a JSON-REST API with connectors to DATEV Unternehmen Online, Lexware, SelectLine and Sage 100 is documented. We found no public information on graphical workflow modelling with substitutes and escalation, deadlines, webhooks or events, or e-signature integration.

PaperOffice

Rule-driven intake, follow-up and filing, follow-ups with owner and completion note, redaction as a workflow step before sending, e-signatures, and a documented REST API with signed webhook events, MCP access and a downloadable quickstart naming limits give this depth. For ERP handover I found no public information on connectors to DATEV, SAP or comparable systems, the vendor states Microsoft 365 OAuth sign-in for the mailbox connector is not supported yet, the captured pages give different pictures on webhooks, and I found no public information on a graphical workflow designer with substitutes and escalation or on process reporting.

ecoDMS

Intelligent full-text search over every automatically OCR-indexed document is documented, with access via web client, desktop and a smartphone app, so retrieval is clearly covered. We found no public information on metadata filters and saved searches, bulk export of documents together with their metadata and versions in documented formats, an import path from other systems, or the post-termination retrieval window and deletion.

PaperOffice

Hybrid, semantic, full-text and exact search are documented with filters, saved searches, permission-scoped results, mobile voice search and instant indexing, and exit has a real shape: bulk metadata export as Excel, CSV, JSON or PDF, optionally with original files and OCR text, plus a documented import path over SFTP, S3, WebDAV, ZIP or REST API. I found no public information on an export including versions and the audit trail in a documented structure, on self-service export after termination, or on the post-termination retrieval window.

ecoDMS

The contracting entity is the German ecoDMS GmbH in Aachen, registered at the local court and contracting under German law, a data processing agreement is linked, and the software is installed and run locally on the customer's own computer, NAS or server — so personnel files and health certificates need not leave the operator's premises. The subprocessor chain beyond a Luxembourg payment processor, and the location or provider of the AI used in capture, are not disclosed; we found no public information on certifications or data-centre locations.

PaperOffice

The contracting party for all services worldwide is a Spanish company, processing and storage are stated to run in the vendor's own EU data center with no US cloud, capture-side AI runs there on own GPU hardware, and files can stay on the customer's own NAS or server, though index and metadata remain in the data center so a full on-premises edition is not documented. The subprocessor chain is what I cannot verify: no list with locations is published, ownership is unstated, a US office handles sales and support, and I found no public information on a published data processing agreement or on named data centre locations.

ecoDMS

Public "from" prices exist for the main products — ecoDMS "ab 89,00 EUR inkl. 19% MwSt." and ecoMAILZ "nur 69,00 EUR inkl. 19% MwSt." — under a perpetual flat licence with 24 or 48 months of updates included, bookable concurrent connections and optionally bookable support, plus a free demo. We found no public information on prices for the WORKZ add-on, the ecoDMS ONE complete package, or the trainings and support services sold in the shop.

PaperOffice

Per-page prices are public and exact — $0.01 per page for basic, $0.02 for premium, $0.03 for ultra, the same unit price in app, API and MCP with no subscription and no base fee — and the search depth and Audit Center gating by plan is visible. I found no public information on prices for the named plans, on per-user or storage costs, on contract terms, or on price-increase terms.