M-Files vs Microsoft SharePoint

M-Files

Scanner and drag-and-drop intake with conversion to searchable PDF is documented, tied to a separate OCR module and licence, and emails arrive via the Outlook add-on; the metadata-driven architecture classifies documents automatically. I found no public information on e-invoices being read as structured data, a validation step, duplicate detection, or where the built-in Aino AI actually processes content — the question I must answer before personnel files flow in.

Microsoft SharePoint

Versioned document libraries with access control and simple file management between OneDrive and SharePoint are documented, so documents plainly live in the product; the only ingestion described runs in the opposite direction, Copilot connectors pulling external items into Microsoft Graph and search. We found no public information on scanning, OCR, email intake as document capture, classification with metadata extraction, or reading of XRechnung and ZUGFeRD as structured data.

M-Files

Check-out of objects, an event log of vault changes, version control and federated authentication in the Enterprise plan are documented. The log I can see covers modifications, with workflow tracking switched on by an administrator and explicitly not retroactive; I found no public information on logging of reads, exports or deletions, or on metadata-driven permissions.

Microsoft SharePoint

Versioned document libraries with access control, policy-based identity and access management with Microsoft Entra ID, and detection and protection of sensitive data with Microsoft Purview are documented. We found no public information on restoring earlier versions, check-in and check-out, metadata-driven or field-level permissions, or an audit log of who read, changed, exported or deleted a document — which is what I would need before personnel files go in.

M-Files

Retention policies are named as part of the built-in governance, users with full control of the vault can mark objects for archiving, and PDF/A conversions exist. I found no public information on how immutability of archived documents is achieved, on any auditor's report, or — my main concern — on how GDPR deletion is reconciled with retention duties.

Microsoft SharePoint

Retention is discussed at length — cost-effective, compliant cold storage for inactive SharePoint content, automated policy enforcement with alerts and scheduled deletions, a legal-hold question answered in the FAQ, and a table of retention duties under HIPAA, SOX and GDPR. But nothing on the captured pages explains how archived documents are protected against change, and we found no public information on GoBD or revisionssichere storage, retention periods per document type, a Verfahrensdokumentation, a tax-audit export, or how GDPR deletion is reconciled with retention duties — the only statement is that all associated data is deleted on cancellation.

M-Files

Graphical workflow automation in both plans, approval assignments where any assignee can approve, e-signature via Adobe Acrobat Sign without a separate Adobe service contract, and connectors for SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and Microsoft 365 are documented. I found no public information on an invoice workflow with DATEV handover, on substitutes or escalation, or on webhooks and events in the documented API reference.

Microsoft SharePoint

The developer side is strong: a Copilot connectors API, Microsoft Graph REST APIs with SDKs, downloadable code samples, change notifications with Azure Event Hubs, Teams bots and PowerShell automation are documented, alongside more than ten bundled apps such as Planner and Forms. We found no public information on approval or invoice workflows with tasks and deadlines, graphical workflow modelling, e-signature, or connectors to DATEV or other named accounting and ERP systems.

M-Files

Searches can be saved as views, quick search exists, and a reporting add-on sends vault and metadata data to a separate database for external tools. I found no public information on bulk export of documents with metadata, mobile access, or a documented exit — the post-termination retrieval window and deletion are not stated on the captured pages.

Microsoft SharePoint

Natural-language search in Copilot and Copilot Search, discoverability of content alongside Microsoft 365 files, searchable archived content and offline files and folders are documented. We found no public information on metadata filters, saved searches, or any bulk export of documents with their metadata, versions and audit trail for contract end — the only exit statement is that all associated data is deleted on cancellation, with no retrieval window given.

M-Files

An on-premises edition, a published DPA supplement, and a Finnish, European vendor per the provenance are on the evidence. But the hosting location of the standard multi-tenant cloud is not named — Microsoft Azure appears only for the optional Premium Cloud add-on with its US Cloud Act exposure — the subprocessor list is only linked, never shown, and for Aino, the AI that reads document content, I found no public information on processing location or model provider.

Microsoft SharePoint

The legal notice names Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, USA as the provider and expressly states that Microsoft Deutschland GmbH is neither provider nor authorized representative, while the provenance note records that EU customers contract with Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, an Irish group entity the pages show only as a member of the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle. We found no public information on where the cloud edition stores documents and metadata, on the subprocessor list, on an on-premises or private-cloud option, or on where the AI that grounds Copilot responses in work content processes that content.

M-Files

One edition is priced publicly at €65 monthly per seat for Essentials, with the billing period and main inclusions stated and add-ons named. I found no public information on Enterprise pricing, on-premises licence and maintenance terms, storage overage or implementation costs, so a buyer cannot compute the total cost of a given deployment.

Microsoft SharePoint

Per-user prices are public with the billing period and VAT treatment stated — '6,07 € Benutzer/Monat, jährliche Abrechnung' for Business Basic, '20,36 €' for Business Standard with Copilot, '27,73 €' for Business Premium with Copilot, '3,50 €' for Teams Essentials, each 'Preise zzgl. MwSt.' — alongside 1 TB cloud storage per user, a 1–300 user limit, a one-month trial that converts automatically, and cancellation at any time with a 7-day proportional refund. We found no public information on storage overage pricing, on-premises licences and maintenance, or implementation and onboarding costs.