M-Files vs Microsoft SharePoint

M-Files

Scanning and drag-and-drop with conversion to searchable PDF is documented, as is automatic email archiving through an Outlook add-on and native Microsoft 365 intake; classification is described as automatic via the metadata-driven architecture. But we found no public information on a validation step for that automatic classification, on XRechnung or ZUGFeRD being read as structured data, or on duplicate detection — and the built-in Aino AI is described only as supporting "everyday document tasks", with no word on where that processing runs.

Microsoft SharePoint

Document libraries with version history, real-time co-authoring and offline files show that files get in and are managed; beyond that we found no public information on scanning or email intake, on OCR, on classification and metadata extraction, or on XRechnung and ZUGFeRD being read as structured data. The Copilot connectors pages describe ingesting external data into Microsoft Graph — the opposite direction from capturing documents into the store.

M-Files

Check-out of documents and an Event Log of changes to the vault are documented, and the editions page names version control, access controls and — for Enterprise — federated authentication plus an extended audit log with exports. We found no public information on metadata-driven permissions, on whether the log covers reads, exports and deletions or administrators' own actions, or on any tamper-evidence; the vendor's own user guide states modifications made before the feature was enabled do not appear in the log.

Microsoft SharePoint

Version history and access control on document libraries are stated outright, plus file-sharing policies and Entra ID identity management in the plans; we found no public information on check-in and check-out, metadata-driven permissions, or an audit trail covering reads, exports and deletions. Library history without a described log is not provable access.

M-Files

Retention is mentioned — integrated governance is said to enforce compliance and retention policies — and archived objects, PDF/A conversion and a Compliance Kit are documented, but GoBD is never claimed and no auditor's report is named anywhere on the captured pages. We found no public information on how immutability of archived documents is achieved, on retention periods configurable per document type, or on tax-audit data access; the documented "archiving" is an admin-right marker on objects, not evidence of revisionssichere storage.

Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft 365 Archive is described as "compliant" cold storage for inactive SharePoint content, retention pages mention scheduled deletions, legal hold and HIPAA, GDPR and SOX, and FAQs cover whether archived content stays searchable — but we found no public information on GoBD, on how immutability of archived documents is technically achieved, on a Verfahrensdokumentation, or on any auditor's report with its scope and date. "Compliant" on a cold-storage marketing page is a word, not evidence.

M-Files

Graphical workflow automation ships in both editions, approval assignments with any-assignee-approval exist down to the API level, and the SAP integration actually states its scope — importing vendor and product data and serving as SAP's content repository — alongside Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and an Adobe Acrobat Sign package. What keeps it below the top: we found no public information on substitutes and escalation in workflows, on DATEV or invoice handover, or on a REST API with webhooks — the documented interface is the COM API.

Microsoft SharePoint

What is documented is a real developer platform — Microsoft Graph REST APIs with SDKs, change notifications into Azure Event Hubs, Teams bots, PowerShell automation and a Copilot connectors API — but we found no public information on approval or invoice workflows, on workflow modelling with substitutes and escalation, or on connectors to named ERP and accounting systems such as DATEV with their scope. An API is plumbing, not a workflow.

M-Files

Executed searches can be saved as reusable views, a Smart Migration tool is documented for moving content in, and a Reporting Databases add-on sends metadata and vault data to a separate database. But we found no public information on bulk export of documents with their metadata and versions in a documented structure, on a complete exit export, or on mobile access — only Enterprise's extended audit log is described as exportable.

Microsoft SharePoint

Copilot Search over content brought into Microsoft Graph, an FAQ on whether archived content remains searchable, and offline files and folders are what the pages show; we found no public information on full-text and metadata search with filters across libraries, saved searches, or bulk export of documents with their metadata and versions in a documented structure. The only exit fact captured is that all data is deleted when the subscription is cancelled — deletion is not an exit.

M-Files

The provenance identifies a Finnish company (M-Files Oy, Espoo), an on-premises edition is offered, a DPA with a German annex is published, and the trust center claims an ISO- and SOC-certified management system. But the host and location of the standard multi-tenant cloud are not named — Microsoft Azure appears only for the optional Premium Cloud add-on, which carries US CLOUD Act exposure — and we found no public information on where the Aino AI processes document content or on ownership beyond private-equity backing.

Microsoft SharePoint

The vendor's own German legal notice names Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, USA as the provider and states that Microsoft Deutschland GmbH is neither provider nor authorized representative; we found no public information on where the cloud edition stores documents and metadata, on the subprocessor chain including any AI provider, or on an on-premises option. Storage location is unknown rather than proven non-European, which alone keeps this just off the bottom.

M-Files

One edition carries a public figure — Essentials at €65 monthly per seat, with billing period and inclusions listed — and a pricing page is linked from the homepage. But Enterprise and every add-on (Outlook Pro, Reporting Databases, Additional Storage, Premium Cloud) appear without prices, and we found no public information on storage limits, on-premises licensing, implementation or support pricing, or contract term and notice period.

Microsoft SharePoint

Prices are public per user with billing period and VAT treatment — 6,07 € for Business Basic, 20,36 € for Business Standard with Copilot Business, 27,73 € for Business Premium with Copilot Business, 3,50 € for Teams Essentials — plus 1 TB storage per user, a 300-user cap, a trial that auto-converts, cancellation at any time, a 7-day proportional refund, and even the discount's validity window and first-year-only price. What a buyer still cannot compute from these pages: on-premises licensing, storage overage, and implementation or onboarding costs.