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6 Document Management Mobile Apps Users Love
Say goodbye to document limbo and hello to an efficient, digital filing system.
Remember the childhood game of “Telephone” where a whispered message morphed into something unrecognizable by the end? Traditional paper-based document management can feel a lot like that—lost files, outdated document versions, and inbox limbo. All this can lead to inefficient business decisions or slow operational progress, especially in a hybrid work environment.
Using mobile apps for document management simplifies the process, allowing users to access information anytime and anywhere. Users in multiple business aspects (project management, marketing, finance, or legal) can create, review, edit, and provide feedback on documents when on the go or with limited access to the internet.
To help you select the right tool, we looked at 2M+ unique user reviews to see what real users had to say. We then highlighted the top six mobile document management apps based on sentiment analysis of reviews, arranged in order of percentage of positive reviews.
1. iCloud
Document management is available in the iCloud mobile application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The application provides storage for documents, phones, videos, and device backups. It enables accessing, uploading, downloading, and sharing documents with other users via link sharing. iCloud keeps the data across Apple devices in sync, and edits made to the stored documents on the phone will automatically reflect on other devices.
Customer support: Help center, email, call, and chat
Mobile app price: Available with the paid plans, starts at $0.99 for 50GB per month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Who should consider iCloud’s mobile app?
iCloud is worth considering for businesses that primarily use Apple devices and want a simple way to store, share, and manage business documents on the go. In case the mobile device is not working, the automatic sync ensures that users can open their Apple computer anytime and resume their work on the iCloud in the web browser.
Review excerpt from a user of iCloud’s mobile app:
“I used to automatically backup my iphone data to iCloud. I love the find my app feature and if I lost my phone I can remotely lock my phone and erase its data so I can make sure no data will go to anyone. Also I can share iCloud storage with my family members up to maximum six. Most importantly iCloud is not selling user data to third parties. So I trust iCloud to store my data. Free storage of 5GB is not enough when comparing with the images size.”
2. Google Drive
Google Drive’s document management app allows editing documents even without an internet connection. Changes are automatically synced when you go back online. The application allows working on documents simultaneously with others. This includes checking the edits with time stamps, leaving comments, and suggesting changes. The application also integrates with Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, allowing users to create and edit documents directly within the app.
Customer support: Help center, email, and knowledge base
Mobile app price: Available with the free and paid Google Workspace plans, paid plans start at $6 per user per month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Who should consider Google Drive’s mobile app?
Businesses looking for a simple and secure platform for their remote workers to access documents and collaborate can benefit from Google Drive’s mobile app. Anyone who needs to work on documents but has an unreliable internet connection can easily work in the offline mode. Besides, the real-time collaboration features make the application worth considering for global, hybrid team members to stay updated on document changes.
Review excerpt from a user of Google Drive’s mobile app:
“THe tool has been very reliable and easy to use and deploy. It allows us to share documents and collaborate. It is easy to use and I can use in either on my PC or Android phone with ease. I can easily find documents that were stored a long time ago. I don't see anything missing or that I dislike.”
Pro tip
Consider access controls and permissions when selecting document management apps. The feature allows authrotizing user access to critical business information, reducing accidental changes/deletion, unauthorized access, and data leak.
3. Dropbox Business
Dropbox Business mobile application allows using the phone camera to scan physical documents and convert them into PDFs for storage, sharing, and accessing. In case of a lost or stolen device, users can remotely wipe the Dropbox app to protect sensitive business information. Additionally, the app offers two-factor authentication and data encryption at rest and while sharing. Within the app, users can also initiate file requests, specifying the type and ownership of the file. They can also add file details such as formats (PDF or Doc) or provide keywords to help team members identify the relevant documents.
Customer support: Email, knowledge base, call, and chat
Mobile app price: Available with the paid plans, starts at $9.99 per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Who should consider Dropbox Business’s mobile app?
Dropbox Business mobile app is worth considering for businesses who prioritize secure and collaborative document management on the go. The ability to share documents with two-factor authentication and encryption helps avoid data leaks or unauthorized access. Users can also request documents from specific users to save time from physical two and fro. Additionally, the mobile app comes in handy to scan and upload documents directly from the phone and convert them into PDF files for sharing.
Review excerpt from a user of Dropbox Business’s mobile app:
“It’s an app where anyone can benefit from it especially with the risk of getting viruses when connecting a flash drive with a high amount of file to your computer, but using dropbox will minimize that It’s capacity to be synchronized in real time, it is organized and easy to use Ironically the one that I like the least is that when 2 people worked at the same file at the same time there is no way you will know when the other is finished.”
Read more about Dropbox Business.
4. Box
Document management in the Box mobile app offers standard editing features to make minor text edits, such as correcting typos, adding short notes, or filling out pre-existing forms within the document. The tool also allows document markups (annotations) such as comments, highlights, or drawings directly on documents, PDFs, images, and other file formats. Additionally, users can group important files together, creating a custom mini-library for quick access. The feature creates a virtual grouping, keeping the files in their original location.
Customer support: Email, chat, call, and knowledge base
Mobile app price: Available with the free and paid plans, paid plans start at $5 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Who should consider Box’s mobile app?
Business users who require collaborating on documents to make minor edits or give feedback, when on the go, can benefit from Box’s document management app. This streamlines communication with team members in different locations. The collection feature brings critical documents to the forefront, saving time from searching through folders. Users can group related documents based on projects, clients, or themes. This is helpful when looking for specific files on a limited screen space.
Review excerpt from a user of Box’s mobile app:
“My overall experience in using Box was superb. I've been a Box user for about 2 years now and I could say that I really had an excellent experience in using Box because it allows me to work and save my files without worrying about the storage getting full and even if you lost your internet connection while working you can still recover it once the connection comes back. Also, Box is accessible through Mobile phone so it's very convenient when you have something to check on your files and you forgot to bring a laptop. Box is highly recommended, it's the best so far! Nothing at all because all the features of Box was all useful.”
Pro tip
Check for search capabilities to find specific documents within the centralized repository. This could be a simple keyword search or a full-text search to find related documents instead of killing time in manually navigating different folders.
5. Notion
Notion mobile application is a document creation and management tool that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to suggest ideas for document content, titles, and outlines, or generate drafts based on user prompts. The app also analyzes existing text to provide summaries or key points, suggest improving sentence structure, clarity, or tone of writing, and replace overused words or phrases. Users can select some text, and then tap the “Ask AI” option to get relevant suggestions. They can also put “/AI” into a new line to see a menu of AI functionalities, including generating content, summarizing a page, or translating text.
Customer support: Email, help center, knowledge base, and webinar
Mobile app price: Available with free and paid plans, paid plans start at $8 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Who should consider Notion’s mobile app?
Businesses looking for on-the-go document creation besides simple storage and management can benefit from Notion’s document management app. The AI suggestions can help with ideas to quickly create drafts and eliminate any contextual or grammatical errors. With the AI summaries and key points, users can understand a lengthy document or edit meeting notes to create new ones, prepare presentations, or make informed operational decisions.
Review excerpt from a user of Notion’s mobile app:
“Good user interface: I personally find the user interface of the Notion planner to be well-designed and easy to use. Wide range of uses: The Notion planner is versatile and i love it because it can be used for a wide range of purposes, including as a personal planner, project management tool, or note-taking app. Nothing absolutely. Notion is so good, I’d recommend it to anyone”
6. OneDrive
OneDrive document management mobile applications offer file sharing and access with secure folder settings that enable password-protected or expiring document links. The owners are notified when a shared document is edited by others to give or revoke access in real time. The application also enables selecting specific documents for offline viewing or editing on mobile devices. Similar to Google Drive, the OneDrive app integrates with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to view and edit documents on mobile devices.
Customer support: Email and knowledge base
Mobile app price: Available with the paid plans, starts at $5 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Who should consider OneDrive’s mobile app?
Business users can leverage OneDrive’s password projection, expiring links, and real-time notifications to ensure secure collaboration with team members and external stakeholders. They can also give or remove user access to documents in real time by accessing the version control for changes with user names and time stamps. Additionally, the ability to select specific documents for offline access allow users to work on them without an internet connection, ideal for situations when traveling or attending meetings with slow or unreliable internet connection.
Review excerpt from a user of OneDrive’s mobile app:
“My overall experience with OneDrive has been great and I would recommend this software to others. The thing I liked most about OneDrive is the easy maneuvering that comes along with the app/software. Everything is self-explanatory and simple to use. I would like to be notified when my files that I shared were accessed and downloaded.”
Pro tip
Opt for a document management mobile app with collaboration features to avoid delays in tasks due to miscommunication. These include real-time notifications in document changes, comments and annotations, and link sharing. The feature assists in keeping team members in loop of any changes and ensuring they are working on updated documents.
Features of interest*
Here are some common features you can expect in mobile document management apps.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Document capture | The feature allows adding new documents to the mobile document management system. This includes camera scanning to take photos of physical documents and convert them into digital files or PDFs or importing existing documents already stored in the device or external cloud storage. |
| Document storage | The app with document storage provides centralized and secure cloud storage for digital documents. The feature allows sharing documents directly from the storage via links, controlling ownership of documents, and searching for specific documents using keywords. |
| Full-text search | The feature allows users to quickly find specific documents within the mobile document management app using related keywords and phrases, even with typos. It searches the entire text content of the documents and file names. |
| Access control/permission | The feature ensures documents are secure and only accessible to authorized users. These include setting permission levels (view, edit, download, or share) for individual documents or folders or giving access to specific users or groups within the organization. Users can also revoke access at any time if required. |
| Collaboration | With this feature, multiple users can work on the same document simultaneously. They can share documents with team members, assign editing permissions, and see who else is working on the document. The feature allows leaving comments and notes within the documents to facilitate communication and feedback. |
What are the benefits of mobile document management apps over desktop versions?
Mobile document management apps have become increasingly popular because of their quick information access and on-the-go collaboration capabilities. Here is why you should consider a mobile app for your team’s needs.
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Offline functionality | The offline access to documents for viewing or editing prevents internet connectivity issues from disrupting the workflow or decision making. Users can take advantage of commutes, waiting periods, or any downtime by productively working on documents offline. This can help minimize the work hours and increase the overall efficiency. Some mobile apps allow selecting specific files and folders for offline access. This is helpful for managing storage space on the device and ensuring the most critical documents are available at all times. |
| Faster information take | The centralized storage and organization of digital documents into folders or with tags make them searchable on smaller screens. The feature searches the entire content of the documents and not just file names using the keywords or phrases entered by users. Additionally, some apps leverage AI to summarize lengthy documents into key points for quick and simplified understanding. All this reduces the time spent searching for information to focus on more productive tasks. |
| On-the-go collaboration | Document management mobile applications allow sharing of documents with team members for brainstorming and feedback. They also notify users when changes are made to the shared documents with usernames and time stamps. All this is readily available on mobile for users to make critical business decisions or give/revoke user access to stored documents. |
Frequently asked questions when selecting mobile document management apps
Here are some common questions you can ask your vendors while looking for the best document management software for mobile.
What document formats does the app support?
There are multiple document formats used by businesses to store information. These include PDF, PPT, Doc, and Txt, which vary for different document management mobile apps. Users need to identify the commonly used document formats to store and share information. Based on this, they can select an application that supports the required formats or allows converting them into a required format for exporting.
What security measures are in place to protect documents?
Two-factor authentication, data encryption, access control, and permissions are some of the common security measures taken by document management mobile apps to protect unauthorized access to information. However, these may vary apps and are based on the storage and sharing requirements of the business. For example, two-factor authentication and access controls are for remote collaboration and sharing, and data encryption is helpful for cloud storage. Identify the usability of the documents to pick the app with the right measures and ensure maximum security.
How robust is the search functionality within the app?
Searchability is an essential component when working with documents on smaller screens. The selected mobile document management application should allow quick search functionality using keywords and phrases. It should be able to find related documents, ignoring the typos in the entered search query (if any). Additionally, it should crawl the entire document content instead of the title for a complete search.
Methodology
To be considered for this list, products had to:
Have at least 20 unique product reviews published within the past two years that mention mobile-specific capabilities (based on text analysis), with an average rating of 4.0 or higher as of May 15, 2024.
Meet our definition for document management software: “Document management software automates the process of creating, uploading, storing, tracking, and archiving files. It helps users share documents, track comments and changes, and store documents in a centralized repository.”
Have the highest percentage of positive sentiment (versus neutral or negative sentiment). We calculated the sentiment score by identifying the positive and negative user sentiment specifically around mobile app usage.
Review excerpts are passages extracted from longer reviews written by verified reviewers. We obtain these excerpts by applying an algorithm that considers factors including, but not limited to, length, topic coverage, and thematic relevance. Excerpts are evaluated for positive or negative sentiment and receive a sentiment score.
Excerpts represent user opinion and do not represent the views of, nor constitute, an endorsement by GetApp’s or its affiliates. Excerpts are not edited for clarity or grammar.
*Mobile features of interest were identified from vendor websites. Our research team selected the features considering what we know users expect or find important in a mobile experience.
Editorial independence: We select and rank products based on an objective methodology developed by our research team. While some vendors may pay us when they receive web traffic or leads, this has no influence on our methodology.
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