ecoDMS

ecoDMS is a client-server archive from ecoDMS GmbH that is installed on the customer's own system.

The product page lists Windows, Linux, macOS and NAS systems as platforms, and the web client, which ecoDMS includes in the full version at no extra charge, gives browser access from PC, tablet and smartphone. ecoDMS describes full-text search through OCR, version management that keeps the original and a PDF, e-mail archiving for Outlook and Thunderbird, audit-compliant logging of all changes and deletion under retention periods.

The separate ecoDMS ONE package bundles the archive with e-mail archiving (ecoMAILZ), the WORKZ workflow add-on and API access.

ecoDMS GmbH is registered at Dresdener Strasse 1 in Aachen, Germany, with Thomas Uber and Benedikt Weber as managing directors.

The company was founded in October 2014, and its imprint states that it is a company of applord Holding Europe GmbH; the applord group has locations in Germany and Austria. ecoDMS reports more than 14,000 corporate and more than 12,000 private customers. ecoDMS is self-hosted, so the data stays where the customer installs the server.

A hosted service exists only through certified resellers. ecoDMS calls the product GoBD and GDPR compliant and audit-proof, without naming a third-party certificate on the product page.

ecoDMS is licensed per concurrent connection as a one-time purchase: EUR 89.00 including 19% VAT in the Private Edition, limited to two connections, and EUR 125.00 net in the Business Edition with unlimited connections.

Buyers choose 24 or 48 months of updates; afterwards the licence keeps working but is no longer maintained. ecoDMS ONE costs EUR 750 net for three connections and EUR 250 net per additional connection, plus an annual service fee of EUR 150 net for three connections. The 30-day trial allows three concurrent connections. ecoDMS suits small offices that can run a server or NAS; organisations that want a vendor-operated cloud should look elsewhere.

What ecoDMS does well

• ecoDMS is a one-time purchase: EUR 89.00 including VAT (Private Edition) or EUR 125.00 net (Business Edition) per concurrent connection
• ecoDMS licences count concurrent connections, not employees, and the software may be installed on any number of devices
• ecoDMS runs on Windows, Linux, macOS and NAS systems
• The ecoDMS web client is part of the full version at no extra charge
• The 30-day ecoDMS trial uses the same components as the full version, with up to three concurrent connections

Where ecoDMS falls short

• ecoDMS GmbH does not operate a cloud itself; a hosted service is offered only through certified resellers
• After the 24 or 48-month update period an ecoDMS licence is no longer supported or maintained unless extended
• Technical support is separate from the ecoDMS licence and paid, except in the ecoDMS ONE package
• No third-party certificate for the audit-proof claim is named on the ecoDMS product page

Standout feature. ecoDMS is the only product in this comparison sold as a one-time purchase per concurrent connection, starting at EUR 89.00 including VAT for private users.