Top 5 free and open source ECM software
For small businesses that lack significant budgets, these five free and open source ECM systems can help organize digital content and improve employee productivity.
As businesses grow, so do their data volumes.
Customer, sales, operational and marketing data all accumulate, especially as businesses adopt new tools and technologies to streamline operations. Organizations often turn to enterprise content management (ECM) systems to wrangle this data.
An ECM system serves as a secure content repository and helps businesses manage, store and find content when they need it. Many of these systems, including open source ECM systems, offer document management capabilities, such as version control, content capture, automatic indexing of metadata, workflow automation, and security and compliance features.
With ECM software, organizations of any size can increase employee productivity because they do not have to spend as much time searching for information. They can also access up-to-date reports, reduce storage costs and offer better customer service through speedy information access. The security features also help them comply with regulatory requirements and protect sensitive information.
Free and open source systems offer more benefits for SMBs and small content teams. They keep costs down, as they don't require licensing fees and often include communities to help with implementation and support. They also allow for customization and flexibility because businesses can modify the source code to meet their needs. However, SMBs and small content teams that choose open source software must be prepared to support it themselves, as many of these options do not offer technical support.
For SMBs and small content teams looking for an accessible ECM tool, explore the top five ECM open source and free systems. The unranked, alphabetical list of platforms was created based on reports from leading analyst firms, such as Gartner and Forrester and user reviews on G2 and Capterra, plus additional research by TechTarget editors.
1. Alfresco Community Edition
Hyland Software offers the Alfresco Community Edition, an open source version of its Alfresco ECM product. Alfresco Community Edition includes all the latest features for Alfresco, but Hyland recommends it for non-critical environments, as it is geared toward developers with experience supporting, testing and troubleshooting products.
Alfresco Community Edition is entirely a Java application and runs on any system that can run Java Enterprise Edition. It includes standard ECM features, such as document management and web content management, and developers can create custom apps on top of Alfresco Community Edition.
Users can access Alfresco Community Edition through Microsoft Office and Windows Explorer shortcuts. Other features include the ability to tag and categorize documents, tasks and workflows that users can attach files to, and the capacity to create role-based access.
Alfresco Community Edition is free to use, does not come with technical support and can be downloaded on GitHub.
2. FormKiQ Core
For organizations that need essential document management functions, FormKiQ Core is an open source document management system with a flexible headless and serverless app model. It runs on AWS Cloud accounts, and may be able to run on a free AWS account if the business is small enough.
Its main features include the following:
- Document collection and storage, such as bulk upload functionality and inbound web hooks for document creation.
- Document organization and classification using OpenAI, metadata and parent-child document structures.
- Document processing and transformation, such as triggered events.
- Document discovery and integration that allows for full-text search.
- Integration with tools like Dropbox and Salesforce.
- Data import and export.
FormKiQ keeps an extensive list of changes available on its website, and its major updates often include changes like new API features and support for using optical character recognition to export documents into other formats.
FormKiQ Core is free and licensed with an MIT License. Users need an AWS account for installation. Because it is serverless, users only pay for at-rest storage and when the system is in use.
3. LogicalDoc Community Edition
Businesses looking for completely free, open source ECM software may opt for LogicalDoc Community Edition (LogicalDoc CE). Users can view all the source code and modify it based on the GNU Lesser General Public License rules.
While it does not offer all the features of LogicalDoc's commercial edition, its key features include access control, a web-based user interface, Simple Object Access Protocol and REST APIs and integrations for tools like Joomla and WordPress. Users can access the tool on iOS or Android devices, and it allows for version control, metadata and templates, import from ZIP files and collaboration tools like an internal messaging system.
LogicalDoc CE does not come with technical support, but LogicalDoc has set up a Wiki and documentation pages for developers. It is completely free to download and use.
4. Mayan EDMS
Mayan EDMS is a free, open source document management system introduced in 2010. It primarily focuses on document retrieval, indexing and imaging. However, it also includes features for document versioning, role-based permissions and workflows.
A REST API lets developers integrate it with existing infrastructure. Its major releases have updated and added features like an extensive list of Python dependencies, added support to enable or disable file metadata drivers based on document type, added more templating features and updated the UI.
While the software itself is free and licensed under the GPL 2.0 system, free support only extends to documentation. However, users can choose from different paid support tiers, including a subscription to the knowledge base, which starts at $9.99 per month.
5. Nuxeo
Purchased by Hyland Software in 2021, Nuxeo is a cloud-native, open source ECM system that also functions as a digital asset management platform. Its key features include adaptable AI for predictive recommendations, workflow automation, and extensibility through a REST API for content interactions. It bills itself as a low-code environment and includes integrations for tools like PeopleSoft, Office 365 and Microsoft Dynamics.
As part of Hyland's portfolio, users have access to Hyland University for tutorials and extensive documentation on Hyland's website, as well as client SDKs to make it easier to use Nuxeo's integrated API. Its major releases have included upgrades to the server, web UI and Nuxeo Studio, such as upgrades to roles.
Hyland offers a free 30-day trial of Nuxeo. Pricing is available upon request.
Christine Campbell is a freelance writer specializing in business and B2B technology.
