How Much Does a Document Management System Cost in 2025?
Figuring out the cost of a document management system in 2025? You can generally expect to pay between $55 to $150 monthly for software hosted online (cloud-based). Keeping the software at your location (on-premise) could be around $950 for each user. More complex systems with more features might add about 25% to these costs.
Do you need an easier way to keep your important files organized? Are you thinking of getting new software to help with your documents? We can help you find the right software for your business.
Finding a system that works for you means balancing cost and quality. Good software can make your business work better.
Compare the best options in our guide below.
COMPARE QUOTESThe Best Document Management Software
Document management software helps you organize, store, manage, and track your documents on your computer. These systems give you more control over how you handle your business files.
Important things to look for in document management software include:
- Check-in/Check-out & Locking: Keeps people from changing the same file simultaneously.
- Version Control: Let you see who made changes and when.
- Roll-back: Allows you to go back to an older version if there’s a mistake.
- Audit trail: This shows you the history of changes made to a document.
- Annotation: This lets you add notes and comments directly on files.
- Stamps: Ability to mark files.
- Document lockdown: Keeps documents from being changed by certain people.
- Security and access controls: Decide who gets to see what.
- Storage location: Where files are kept.
Other useful features to think about are importing and exporting files, cloud storage options, searching through files for content, and ways to quickly find files with indexes. Your business needs a reliable place to store all of its paperwork.
Document management software is often either run on-site or through the cloud. The cost depends on how much space you need to store your files, how big your company is, and any special things your business needs. The cost can start at around $12 per month, going up depending on how much storage you want.
HighTail Cost
HighTail is a program that focuses on working together and sharing files easily. If you have big files you need to send safely, this is a good choice.
Cost: HighTail price is based on the size of your organization and the file sending limits. HighTail offers a 14-day free trial. Here is the cost structure:
- Light, a free service that allows up to 100MB file send limit
- Pro, $13 per month, per user, and a 25GB send limit
- Teams, $24 per month, per user, and a 50GB send limit
- Business, $36 per month, per user, and a 500GB send limit
Features: Makes saving and sending files very easy. You can upload a file from your desktop or cloud and share it with other people. Can send documents up to 500 GB. It lets your team leave notes, view past versions, and talk about projects. Great for managing projects, keeping track of deadlines, and making decisions.
Upload files from different accounts, and use the Adobe plug-in to keep your work synced up. If you ever need help, HighTail’s support team is there to assist.
COMPAREPaperTracer Cost
PaperTracer is a simple way to manage documents for businesses of any size.
Cost: The cost is based on the number of users in your business. Pricing starts at $17 a month for a small level. PaperTracer offers a free trial.
There are three pricing options, and each can be customized:
- Small, up to 10 users
- Mid Size, up to 100 users
- Enterprise, unlimited users
Features: Lets you automate contracts and put all your paper files into one digital place. Tracks your data and gives you reports. PaperTracer follows HIPAA rules and makes auditing simpler.
It also includes tools to help with things like bringing new employees on board, managing vendor accounts, and all types of contracts.
PaperTracer helps make the way you manage and store data fit what your company needs. They make workflow solutions that are tailored to your business.
Help is available at all times. Their client service team is ready to assist you anytime you need help.
COMPAREeFileCabinet Cost
eFileCabinet is a well-liked option. They work with individual users, small business owners, and large companies. Find documents fast by file name, folder type, or your most recently used items.
Cost: eFileCabinet starts at just $16 a month for the Starter package. Other packages include:
- Advantage, starting at $59 for 1 TB of storage
- Business, starting at $99 for 5 TB of storage
- Unlimited, starting at $199 a month for unlimited storage
Add-on features are available for any package, depending on your specific needs.
Features: It can store files on-site or in the cloud. You can get to files from any device, even your phone.
It has team collaboration features. You can give different people various levels of access. The system uses two-factor authentication permission settings and encrypts shared files.
It allows for digital contract signing and connects with services like SalesForce. It makes your workflow automated, so you have more time to focus on your key jobs.
COMPAREDokmee Cost
Dokmee is a document system that works on the cloud. It’s easy to use and provides multiple setups for computers and the internet.
Cost: There are several pricing levels based on your organization’s size and whether you opt for on-site or cloud storage. The cost varies from $29 a month, for 10 GB, to $99 a month for 100 GB. R
Features: Includes features like multi-user access, the ability to put limits on files and folders, tracking who does what with files, and regular backups of documents and files. It has features to capture files, lets you search for content inside documents, get access to needed files, and share documents.
The system keeps track of all file use. Security features let the administrator set up permissions based on files, folders, file types, and people’s roles. It encrypts every file on the server.
It connects with other systems so that team collaboration and file sharing is simpler. Automates work processes and shares information over devices.
COMPAREDocuWare Cost
DocuWare is often used by big businesses and enterprises, but it also works for smaller ones. It’s cloud-based and provides specific solutions for certain tasks.
Cost: DocuWare has a free trial and online demo, but you need to contact the sales team for a quote. DocuWare has custom pricing based on your business needs.
The pricing from DocuWare Cloud is determined in tiers:
- Cloud Base: Includes 4 named client users with 20 GB storage
- Cloud Professional: Includes 15 named client users with 50 GB storage
- Cloud Enterprise: Includes 40 named client users with 100 GB of storage
- Cloud Large Enterprise: Includes 100 named client users with 250 GB of storage
Features: Provides management tools and makes workflows automatic for companies in every field. Helps to secure your business documents by making them digital.
Also has specific help for sales, marketing, employee management, and invoice processing. This system is effective in automating tasks.
It can help with things like contract offers, finance operations, and hiring. It permits you to edit files directly on the system and helps keep team members connected from different locations by providing access to any device.
COMPAREMasterControl Cost
MasterControl focuses on providing strong security measures. Some industries need security to be the top thing they think about, and MasterControl provides enterprise-level security.
Cost: All Access – $200/user per month. • Advanced – $169/user per month. MasterControl offers custom pricing options at the enterprise level. Pricing depends on the specific needs of your organization.
Small Business <50 employees
Basic: $109/user
Advanced: $169/user
All Access: $199/user
Features: One feature helps you to track changes to your documents. The system can limit changes to certain people and put time stamps on all files. Includes a digital signature option that follows federal rules.
Includes a learning center with free videos, documents, and other help for learning how to use the program and compliance matters.
It also comes with features for audits, preventative and corrective actions, keeping track of risks, checking the system, and ways to control what people can do with files.
COMPAREM-Files Cost
M-Files utilizes artificial intelligence to automatically organize how files are saved and managed. When you upload files to the system, they’re grouped by type and saved to a particular place.
Cost: M-Files pricing is customized for your exact needs. Contact customer service to get a quote for your organization. However, M-Files is free for a 30-day trial. M-Files doesn’t publicly release its pricing information.
Features: It offers solutions for certain industries. M-Files is great for bigger companies. Files can be found by project name, author, or customer.
Also, the software includes file check-in and check-out, custom views, sharing master copies, and making work processes automated. It’s mobile-friendly for accessing, uploading, changing info, and digitally signing documents from a cell phone.
You can work with other systems and people that may not be on your network. How you manage files is specific to what you require.
COMPARETemplafy Cost
Templafy is a comprehensive solution for big businesses. It was made with large companies in mind.
Cost: Templafy offers customized solutions for your organization’s needs. Templafy offers free demos and a trial period before you invest. Templafy doesn’t publicly release its pricing information.
Features: Uses artificial intelligence to show files based on use and position in a company. This feature allows people to keep their attention on their work while making sure company information is secure.
You can create and edit files and find them wherever you are. It can also be used with other business programs.
It offers ways to make your team more productive and efficient, helps make IT setup easy, and files are secure and easy to get to for those who need them.
COMPAREThe Best Document Management Software for You
Choosing a system does not have to be tough. When finding the best option, make sure to consider size, costs, and key features.
Use those free trials and demo options to test out the software. Make sure to do some research of your own! Look at other organizations that use similar software and what they have to say about it.
On-Site DMS Software Costs
For about $950 per user, you get support for setting up the program, as well as regular maintenance. This might not account for the amount of time your IT staff needs to implement and manage the system. Some may need another server to hold the data, adding another $4,000-$5,000 to the cost.
Hosted DMS (Cloud Based) Costs
Cloud-based systems cost around $50-$150 a month. This can cover the storage a small business needs. Software updates are often done by the seller, and keeping cloud-based systems working doesn’t cost as much as on-site versions.
Last of all, think about how good the support community is (from the company and other users) before you pick one. When starting to use the new program, there are sure to be a few problems, and having solid support can help make things go faster.
Document Management Systems 101
Document management systems are a series of tools used for storing, organizing, and controlling access to digital documents. They help businesses track lots of information, make workflows simpler, keep important files secure, and follow all rules.
Management systems provide search tools, version tracking, ways to monitor how files are used, file encryption, and allow teams to work together on files. With this, businesses can make big improvements to how efficiently they work and cut costs of saving and sharing files.
They let a business safely save, handle, track, and share all types of digital content. Documents in the forms of PDFs, images, Microsoft Office files, etc., can all be managed. With one of these programs, a company can control documents all the way from creation to saving, accessing them, the approval process, and archiving.
Reduce Physical Storage Space
Document systems help reduce the amount of physical space needed for file cabinets by creating digital places where team members can access files from a computer with just a few clicks. It also lets teams easily work together on a document and keeps the files safe with permissions for those who get to access them. Systems help businesses be more effective, make sure things go smoother, and follow compliance laws by creating one single place for all digital items. Its easy-to-use features let users save and handle files fast with very little effort.
These systems provide better security, and businesses can be sure files are safe. They also cut the costs of storage and sharing, as well as helping make following laws simple. It’s an easy way to safely save, track, manage, and share content within an organization.
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