Comparisons / An ecoDMS Alternative in the Cloud
An ecoDMS Alternative in the Cloud
Looking for an ecoDMS alternative that runs in the cloud? Own server or hosted DMS: costs, effort and features compared fairly.
ecoDMS is popular with small companies in Germany, and rightly so: the licence is inexpensive, paid once, and the software does a lot. The catch is running it: ecoDMS usually runs on your own server. Someone has to install, update, back up and maintain it.
Papermerge is an ecoDMS alternative from the cloud that supports GoBD-compliant archiving without anything to install or run.
Running it and costs
As of October 2026, based on the vendors’ public information.
| ecoDMS | Papermerge | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | own server, or hosted by a reseller | cloud, hosted in Frankfurt |
| Installation | set up server and clients | none, runs in the browser |
| Updates | install yourself | automatic |
| Backups | organise yourself | part of the service |
| Licence | once per concurrent connection (Business Edition €125 net), 24 months of updates | €39/month for up to 3 users, +€9 per additional user |
| Support | billed separately | included, directly from the developer |
| Trial | 30 days | 14 days free |
On licence cost alone, ecoDMS is often cheaper. For a fair comparison, add server, backups and above all your own time for installation and maintenance.
Features
| ecoDMS | Papermerge | |
|---|---|---|
| Audit-proof archiving | yes | yes |
| Versioning, audit log | yes | yes |
| Retention periods | yes | yes, per category, deletion only after approval |
| Import by email | yes | yes, an address per cabinet |
| OCR, full-text search | yes | no |
| Desktop and Office integration | yes | no, browser |
| Access from anywhere without VPN | depends on setup | yes |
When ecoDMS is the better choice
- Your documents should stay on your own server.
- Someone on your team enjoys looking after the server.
- You need OCR and full-text search in scanned documents.
- You prefer a one-time licence to a subscription.
When Papermerge fits better
- You don’t want to run a server, updates or backups.
- Your team works from several places and should get in without a VPN.
- You want to forward invoices by email and have them filed automatically.
ecoDMS is a trademark of ecoDMS GmbH. Papermerge is not affiliated with ecoDMS. Information based on public sources (October 2026) and may change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cloud version of ecoDMS?
ecoDMS is mainly designed to run on your own server, for example Windows, Linux or a NAS. Hosted operation is offered by certified ecoDMS resellers (as of October 2026). Papermerge is a cloud service from the start.
How much does ecoDMS cost?
ecoDMS is licensed once per concurrent connection. According to its website, the Business Edition costs €125 net per concurrent connection, including 24 months of updates; support is billed separately (as of October 2026). Server, backups and your own time for installation and maintenance come on top.