M-Files vs PhotoShelter for Brands

Microsoft SharePoint

Canto

MasterControl Quality Excellence

Simpleview DAM

Compare M-Files and PhotoShelter for Brands based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage and backup platform to access files, docs, photos & more, store them in a safe place, and collaborate with other people

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is a suite of applications from Google which offers a number of tools to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, store files, and manage data from all devices.

OneDrive

OneDrive is a secure access, sharing, and file storage solution which enables users to store and share photos, videos, documents, and more at anytime, via any device.

M-Files ends info chaos. Find documents fast with intelligent search. Automate workflows & collaborate seamlessly. Work smarter, not harder. 

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Approval Process Control

Archiving & Retention

Audit Management

Audit Trail

Authentication

Business Process Automation

Buy Side (Suppliers)

CMS Integration

Collaboration Tools

Completion Tracking

Compliance Management

Compliance Tracking

Configurable Workflow

Content Management

Content Publishing Options

Contract Drafting

Contract/License Management

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Data Visualization

Digital Asset Management

Digital Signature

Document Automation

Document Capture

Document Classification

Document Generation

Document Management

Document Review

Document Storage

Document Templates

Drag & Drop

Electronic Signature

Encryption

File Conversion

File Management

File Recovery

File Sharing

File Transfer

Filtering

For Legal Professionals

Full Text Search

Information Governance

Metadata Management

Mobile Access

Offline Access

Optical Character Recognition

Policy Management

Pre-built Templates

Process/Workflow Automation

Q&A Management

Real Time Synchronization

Regulatory Intelligence Feeds

Regulatory Reporting

Reminders

Renewal Management

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Rights Management

Risk Management

Search/Filter

Secure Data Storage

Sell Side (Customers)

Single Sign On

Task Management

Team Collaboration

Templates

Third-Party Integrations

Version Control

Workflow Configuration

Workflow Management

Reviewers appreciate the strong file storage and retrieval features for the price and say M-Files delivers time and cost savings. Some users report good value, but some reviewers find it pricey and mention costly add-ons.

Value for money

By industry, M-Files reviewers are most commonly professionals in automotive (16%). The most frequent use case for M-Files cited by reviewers is document management (86% of reviewers).

M-Files

Windows

Web-based

Android

iPhone

iPad

M-Files Base

M-Files Team

M-Files Business

Business Development Manager

M-Files is a powerful document management system with strong metadata-based organization, workflow automation, and compliance features, though setup can be complex.

Outreach Director

We use it to digitize and automate document processes - for example, for incoming invoices, contract management and archiving.

Head of technology

One place to manage our documents where can save, search and   edit documents with ease, no coding knowledge is needed, sharing documents and also keep track of tasks with co authoring capabilities,  automated work flow improving efficiency

Head Instructor

We now also use it as a mail archiving solution. Since the system stores not only regular correspondence but also documentation and various other files and documents.

Patent Attorney

Lost documents are a thing of the past: thanks to the powerful DMS, our customers can find any document within seconds - regardless of the folder or archive it's in.

IT Administrator

Search and dynamic views surface the right document and version in seconds, while no-code workflows standardized approvals and cut manual follow-ups.

Managing Director

The Outlook integration was also a lifesaver, letting me store emails and attachments directly into the repository with just a click.

Purchasing Analyst

M-Files lets me use metadata tags so that the specific document I want appears immediately. Since the AI-based classification learns my preferences, it becomes consistently accurate and intelligent after a few uses, to find files across systems.

HR records the metadata search literally saves me hours compared to our old filing system. And then, pretty heavily rely on the workflow automation to route documents for approval, which seriously helps me cut down my ‘chasing people over email’ to do that.

Chief Marketing Officer.

Its automation of the workflow enhances teamwork, and the speed and reliability of the system increases productivity on a daily basis. Whenever a customer needs any help, the customer care is quick to respond to them.

Quality Assurance Coordinator

M-Files enables me to seamlessly manage and track documents by leveraging metadata driven approach and AI-powered tools.

M-Files has been a reliable, metadata-first platform that dramatically improves how we find, govern, and collaborate on content.

Integration with Microsoft 365/Teams reduced duplicate storage and made co-authoring seamless.

Senior Business Development Representative

Ability to control document meta data and document sharing with top-notch security was something we found very impressive.

Chief Creative Officer

The ability to access files from any device, even outside the office, is a major advantage.

Chief Medical Officer

M-Files allowed me to work with documents across different departments without the task of constantly following up after a document has been updated.

The search is so fast that no one wastes time looking for old versions anymore, and the control we have over information made teamwork much easier.

Software Engineer,Fullstack

It has made collaboration easier, reduced errors from outdated versions, and saved us time with its smart search

Senior Desktop Support Engineer

In M-Files I manage all project documents, here I can quickly tag all files.

No duplicates, no confusion — every edit is tracked, and I can roll back at any time without losing a thing.

Technical Account Manager

M-Files is an excellent document management solution that offers a comprehensive set of features for businesses of all sizes, this helps in organizing documents makes it a standout tool for improving searchability, collaboration, and workflow automation.

Data Analyst

This metadata driven approach allowed us to be able to search across department and pull the right file that we needed.

Digital Marketing Executive

M-data allows us to streamline all of our data into one location hence saving us time from searching for missing records or handling tiresome paperwork and it also has the ability to quickly file and access records which helps me to assure quality control and adherence to ISO 9001.

Web Developer

M-Files has a mobile application that enables me to view, access and manage documents from anywhere over the internet.

M-Files gives superior document management features that are based on metadata search and as such, finding a file is simple.

The version control feature is also very useful for keeping everyone updated on the latest document.

Recruitment Consultant

M-Files give us a very secure document storage place that has made it easy for us to consolidate all our documents at one central place.

It made my work faster and now I store my documents in a organized way.

Managing files of larger size and sensitive information was critical as well.

My biggest frustration with Office 365 so far is having to sometimes wait for files to open, especially the large ones or when many people are in the system.

Director Comercial

Documents track every user activity to satisfy regulatory demands and support internal quality checks.

Application Tester

It may also require time before new users become accustomed to its advanced features and the pricing is a factor that is a little more expensive but the benefits in productivity and organization are far much better than these disadvantages.

Senior IT Engineer

When scanning huge volumes of documents destined to be processed with OCR, the system may be temporarily slow.

It also works seamlessly with the SharePoint app on mobile devices.

Professional Nurse

The search function saves a lot of time finding specific files that we can also share with internal company users in a much easier and faster way.

Fast search & dynamic views with full-text + metadata filters.

In addition, its prices are also more expensive than other document management tools, which others may consider an issue when it comes to small groups or businesses with a tight budget.

Limited built-in analytics (often pair with BI for rich reporting).

It’s also used to share files securely and efficiently with clients.

Director

After deciding not to renew our annual subscription, we discovered our data was completely inaccessible.

Sometimes the indexing may take a moment to update and search results may miss some of the newly added files.

e-Sign support and traceability for regulated processes.

UIUX Designer

M-Files automates and streamlines document workflow thus saving time and eliminating manual paper-based workflow.

Cloud Engineer

With compliance or other critical files, M-Files gives us better control over how those documents are handled.

M-Files' solution was to use 2014-era software with our perpetual license.

Security Analyst

The intuitive interface and powerful search functionality make it easy to find documents quickly.

Complex permissions at scale can be time-consuming to design/audit.

Prior to M-Files, the version control and document retrieval was very inefficient and made collaboration slow.

County Manager

My favorite feature is the security and compliance tools.

Office Administrator

The metadata-driven system makes finding files incredibly fast, and the version control is excellent.

Workflow Automation

Document Search

Data Management

Security and Access Control

Digital Vault

File Organization

Mid-size Business

Large Enterprises

Small Business

Reviewers appreciate that M-Files offers strong file storage and retrieval features for the price and say it delivers noticeable time and cost savings over time. Some users report that the software provides good value, especially given its ease of use and quick implementation. They indicate that a free trial is available, which helps assess its suitability. However, some reviewers find M-Files pricey, especially for smaller organizations, and mention that several useful features require add-ons or higher subscription tiers, which increases overall costs. They feel the subscription model can make certain functionalities less accessible without additional investment.

Canva

Graphic design and video editing tool for creating and publishing marketing material, presentations, social media content, and a range of printed products, using a drag-and-drop editor and a library of customizable templates.

PhotoShelter is a DAM leader that makes it easy to collaborate with your team on digital content.

M-Files vs PhotoShelter for Brands Comparison (2026)

M-Files

PhotoShelter for Brands

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives