Alfresco Reviews and Pricing

Solution Architect at Zaizi Ltd

Jan 24, 2017

It is easy to install and configure. The Community version is easy to use.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of this product are that it is easy to install and configure. The Community version of this product is also easy to use.

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved the working of our organization in terms of document collaboration, record lifecycle and search functionalities.

What needs improvement?

There is need to improve features such as the record management and case management in the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for seven years.

Buyer's Guide

Alfresco

April 2025

Free Report: Alfresco Reviews and More

Learn what your peers think about Alfresco. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

845,485 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We did not encounter any stability issues; only some minor improvements are needed.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We did not encounter any scalability issues; only some minor improvements are needed.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support provided is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I was not using any other solution. I started with the Alfresco product.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is pretty much straightforward and for standard settings the installer is the best solution. However, if you decide to customize the product more, then the documentation explains all the steps very well.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did not evaluate any other options.

What other advice do I have?

If you are looking for a product which has all the common functionalities such as document and media management, record management, workflows, document indexing and searching, then in that case, Alfresco is the platform that you need.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are Alfresco partners and we sell custom solutions for document and record management.

it_user575823

Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jan 19, 2017

Download

Document domain experts can model type and hierarchical associations and metadata constraints in a declarative way.

What is most valuable?

Model type and metadata capabilities
Categories, searches and the tree structure of information
Capabilities to improve ECM services and development processes
Open-source model

How has it helped my organization?

One of Alfresco's strengths is the data modeling. Document domain experts can model type and hierarchical associations and metadata constraints in a declarative way (such as an XML definition).

Moreover, Alfresco added a graphical user interface model manager in the last product version, so users that don't know XML formalisms are able to build models.

Alfresco supports category concepts, so users can categorize all documents and add expressiveness to data and conduct more powerful searches.

Alfresco services can be extended in a simple and well-designed way, such as Maven and pre-designed Alfresco module package Java projects. Learning paths are well documented and developers can add your new ECM services at the top of the platform.

The Alfresco community source code is public, so developers can study it or extend it in the desired way.

What needs improvement?

We would like to see improvement in the numbers of documents that can be managed by the repository. We would like them to introduce NoSQL DBMS for modeling metadata and document types.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used the Alfresco ECM platform since 2009.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

For large repository sets, the architecture must be well sized.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product uses state-of-the-art J2EE frameworks and libraries.

How is customer service and technical support?

I rate technical support a 3.5/5.

What other advice do I have?

Involve an Alfresco partner for the project. The training is basic. Buy Alfresco certifications and boot camp trainings.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are an Alfresco Strategic Partner.

Buyer's Guide

Alfresco

April 2025

Free Report: Alfresco Reviews and More

Learn what your peers think about Alfresco. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

845,485 professionals have used our research since 2012.

it_user90777

Developer with 51-200 employees

Feb 17, 2014

Powerful ECM solution with open source but reporting has room for improvement

Use Of Solution:

Since 2009

Values Features:

1. Scalable ECM solution

2. Business Process Management

3. Record Management

4. Open to integrate with many business-critical tools

Lucene based Search Advanced workflow with Activiti Easy to install/config/implementation Open to integrate with other enterprise applications

Improvements To Organization:

The company project management get power from the Activiti workflow.

Room For Improvement:

Reporting

Deployment, Stability, Scalability Issues:

None.

Customer Service:

4.5 stars

Technical Support:

4.5 stars

Initial Setup:

Binary installers are provided for Linux/Windows/Mac. Faster implementations

Config:

The wiki and doc system provide help for administrators to integrate other applications. Also the forum could be a place to get help.

Customization:

It can be done via Java, JavaScript, XML depends on the functions. Mostly done by experts (Alfresco partner).

Cost:

No license fee for community version. #CPU based annual license fee for enterprise version. Lower cost & higher ROI.

Admin to maintain the database, file system. The storage and hosting on AWS.

Other Advice:

Best go to registered Alfresco partner to implement especially when you need customizations.

Overall, Alfresco is a powerful ECM solution. With Alfresco, enterprise can get better search, advanced workflow capabilities, faster implementation, easy integration with business-critical tools.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user143376

Consultant with 201-500 employees

Aug 11, 2014

Download

Some of the user interface could be more intuitive but rapid deployment and ease of installation are valuable.

Valuable Features:

The features which are most valuable to us are rapid deployment, ease of installation, ease of use, and Linux platform support.

Room for Improvement:

Some of the user interface could be more intuitive, such as the new record category, where the expression is a term and not really a dynamically evaluated expression as it might imply.

Use of Solution:

I have been using the solution for 3 months.

Deployment Issues:

Alfresco was a very smooth deployment, but the Records Management module 2.2.0 needed a forced deployment: total time to deploy (without file plan setup) was less than 1 day.

Stability Issues:

No issues with stability.

Scalability Issues:

No issues with scalability.

Initial Setup:

The initial setup was very simple.

Implementation Team:

We implemented in-house.

ROI:

We are still evaluating the ROI.

Cost and Licensing Advice:

Daily cost is insignificant: just storage and backup.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Jacinto Manuel Obispo Marquez

Country Head Spain at Apiux

Apr 1, 2025

Download

Maintaining document integrity with persistent linking and customizable workflows

Pros and Cons

"Alfresco's technical support is very fast and professional."

"Currently, documents in Alfresco are stored on a file server, which, while good for performance, is a security risk."

What is our primary use case?

Mostly, the primary use case is to store documents related to transactions in our company. These documents could be signed documents, invoices, purchase orders, etc. While transaction records are stored in our ERP system, it is crucial to have the document as proof of the transaction. We implement a content manager to link documents in Alfresco with the registry in the ERP system. This is the most important use case for us.

What is most valuable?

The advantage of Alfresco over other document storage solutions is that it allows for the creation of a persistent link between a document and a registry. Even if you update or version the document, the link remains unchanged. This makes the record independent of the document, which is beneficial as documents often change, and it helps avoid continual updates to the registry. Additionally, the ability to handle various document types, create workflows, and its extensive customizability, from my point of view as a developer, are also significant valuable features.

What needs improvement?

Currently, documents in Alfresco are stored on a file server, which, while good for performance, is a security risk. Clients, especially large enterprises such as banks, are concerned about document security if someone breaches the server. It would be beneficial if Alfresco offers different options for document storage, such as databases or cloud solutions. Also, it would be helpful if Alfresco's viewer could be easily embedded in other systems, as its integration is currently complex.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Alfresco since 2010 or possibly earlier, around 2009, which means over 15 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Alfresco is very easy to deploy. In the past, it had a very useful installation tool, making it straightforward. Although current options include deployment through containers or as a service, it still remains quite easy to deploy. Clients have even installed Alfresco themselves before we customize it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Alfresco is generally a very stable and high-performance platform. However, dealing with a massive number of documents can become problematic if the platform is not scaled properly. In older versions, the cluster implementation of Alfresco was challenging and required expertise. Newer versions offer platform as a service, which alleviates some performance issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Alfresco is a scalable platform, but scaling involves challenges, especially with older versions. Implementations needing to handle millions of documents may involve complex cluster setups requiring expert assistance. Clients not wishing to migrate to newer platform-as-a-service versions may face difficulties maintaining large document volumes.

How are customer service and support?

Alfresco's technical support is very fast and professional. They are experts, which is reassuring when seeking help. Our interactions with them have been positive, and I feel confident in their expertise.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Alfresco, we have worked with FileNet from IBM, mainly in banks, and SharePoint from Microsoft. We have also done several projects with OpenText.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Alfresco is very easy. Currently, multiple options exist such as containers or cloud-based services, but it remains straightforward. Even non-expert teams can deploy it without difficulty.

What about the implementation team?

We are partners and system integrators who sell Alfresco licenses and platforms based on it. We have our own product based on Alfresco.

What was our ROI?

Alfresco provides a significant return on investment by efficiently managing documents. While it is challenging for clients to immediately see the benefits, the long-term advantages include seamless document management and cost savings.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing of Alfresco starts at $100,000, which can be expensive for small projects. There is often a transition from the community version to the licensed version, which incurs migration costs. Overall, the cost can be a deal breaker for small companies or government institutions with budget restrictions.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated FileNet from IBM, SharePoint from Microsoft, and OpenText.

What other advice do I have?

Alfresco is highly suitable for companies needing professional document storage with metadata, document types, categories, and specific content management security measures. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate Alfresco as an eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

Last updated: Apr 1, 2025