Best Document Management Software in 2026
Eight document management systems compared on versioning, retention, workflows and the yearly bill for a ten-person team, with every price read on the vendor's own pricing page in October 2026.
Short answer: Microsoft SharePoint is the best document management software for most small teams in 2026, because it comes inside Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7 a user a month (paid yearly) with version history, permissions and 1 TB of OneDrive per person. Pick Box if you are not a Microsoft shop and want unlimited storage with easy outside sharing, M-Files if you file by client, project or contract type rather than by folder, and Zoho WorkDrive if price decides, at $2.50 a user on its Starter plan.
For a ten-person team paying list price for a year, the bill runs from $540 on Zoho WorkDrive Team to $8,760 on Laserfiche Professional. Every rate was read on the vendor's pricing page on October 19, 2026.
Key facts8 tools compared: Microsoft SharePoint, Box, M-Files, Egnyte, Laserfiche, Zoho WorkDrive…
- 8 tools compared: Microsoft SharePoint, Box, M-Files, Egnyte, Laserfiche, Zoho WorkDrive, Revver, Dropbox
- Box (best for: Companies outside the Microsoft stack that want governance on top of easy external sharing): From $5/user/mo (Business Starter, 3-user minimum); Business $15/user/mo; free 10 GB plan
- M-Files (best for: Professional firms that file by client, matter or contract, not by folder): Essentials $65/seat/mo; Enterprise is quote-only
- Egnyte (best for: Regulated or project-heavy firms that need ransomware detection and lifecycle rules with their files): From $22/user/mo paid annually (Business, up to 100 users); free trial, no card
Most small companies do not need a document management system. They need their file storage to behave like one: one current version, a history of the old ones, a clear owner, and a rule for when things get deleted.
The cheapest way to get that is often software you already pay for, which is why this ranking starts with SharePoint and ends with the dedicated systems that justify their higher price only when audits, contracts or approvals are the job.
The eight tools below are written for teams of five to fifty people, usually without a records manager: an operations lead, a finance person and someone in IT who wears three hats.
Each one gets a real weakness.
If your question is only where to keep files, our best cloud storage for business ranking covers that; if it is sending large files to clients, see best file sharing software.
Techpresso data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, tracks 122 file management tools as of October 19, 2026, and 64% of them (78 of 122) offer a free tier, per its file management statistics.
None of the four dedicated document systems on this list (M-Files, Egnyte, Laserfiche and Revver) shows a free plan on its pricing page, which tells you where this category charges its money: for control, not for storage.
Top Picks
Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.
Document libraries with version history, permissions and retention, included in the Microsoft 365 plan most offices already pay for.
In Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7/user/mo paid yearly; up to 300 users
Teams already on Microsoft 365 who want document control without a second vendor
The content cloud that grows into a DMS: unlimited storage from Business, version depth by tier, and records rules through an add-on.
From $5/user/mo (Business Starter, 3-user minimum); Business $15/user/mo; free 10 GB plan
Companies outside the Microsoft stack that want governance on top of easy external sharing
A metadata-first DMS: documents are found by what they are, with Aino AI, workflows and Microsoft 365 integration in the entry plan.
Essentials $65/seat/mo; Enterprise is quote-only
Professional firms that file by client, matter or contract, not by folder
| Tool | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft SharePoint | In Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7/user/mo paid yearly; up to 300 users | Teams already on Microsoft 365 who want document control without a second vendor |
| Box | From $5/user/mo (Business Starter, 3-user minimum); Business $15/user/mo; free 10 GB plan | Companies outside the Microsoft stack that want governance on top of easy external sharing |
| M-Files | Essentials $65/seat/mo; Enterprise is quote-only | Professional firms that file by client, matter or contract, not by folder |
| Egnyte | From $22/user/mo paid annually (Business, up to 100 users); free trial, no card | Regulated or project-heavy firms that need ransomware detection and lifecycle rules with their files |
| Laserfiche | Professional $73/user/mo billed annually, 5-user minimum; Business $93/user/mo, 25 users | Operations teams that want forms, approvals and records management in one system |
| Zoho WorkDrive | From $2.50/user/mo billed annually (Starter, 3-user minimum); free 5 GB personal plan | Small teams on a tight budget, and companies already using Zoho apps |
| Revver | Basic averages $25/user/mo; Essentials $67; Full $87, per Revver's pricing page | Accounting, insurance and other client-document businesses that want a DMS with forms and e-signature |
| Dropbox | Standard $15/user/mo billed yearly, no minimum; Advanced $24/user/mo, 3 users; free 2 GB | Creative and client-facing teams that need file sync and recovery more than records rules |
Pricing read from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Oct 2026. 1 of 8 publishes prices for some plans and quotes the rest.
Microsoft SharePoint
Document libraries with version history, permissions and retention, included in the Microsoft 365 plan most offices already pay for.
- Pricing
- In Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7/user/mo paid yearly; up to 300 users
Best for: Teams already on Microsoft 365 who want document control without a second vendor
Pros
- Business Basic includes SharePoint team sites, document libraries with version history and 1 TB of OneDrive per user
- Libraries support up to 50,000 major versions and files up to 250 GB, limits a small team will not reach
- Organization storage is 1 TB plus 10 GB per license, and more can be bought instead of forcing a plan upgrade
Cons
- Out of the box it is a blank site; metadata columns, content types and retention labels take an admin who knows SharePoint
- Sensitive-data discovery and classification sit on Business Premium with Copilot at $32 a user, more than four times Basic
Box
The content cloud that grows into a DMS: unlimited storage from Business, version depth by tier, and records rules through an add-on.
- Pricing
- From $5/user/mo (Business Starter, 3-user minimum); Business $15/user/mo; free 10 GB plan
Best for: Companies outside the Microsoft stack that want governance on top of easy external sharing
Pros
- Business and above include unlimited storage, so the bill tracks people, not terabytes
- Enterprise at $35 a user keeps 100 versions per file, allows 50 GB uploads and includes 1,000 Box AI units a month
- Business Plus at $25 a user allows unlimited external collaborators, useful when clients and contractors outnumber staff
Cons
- Business Starter caps the account at 100 GB with 2 GB uploads and 25 versions, so it is a trial of Box, not a DMS
- Retention policies, disposals and legal holds are sold as the separate Box Governance add-on, with no list price on the plans page
M-Files
A metadata-first DMS: documents are found by what they are, with Aino AI, workflows and Microsoft 365 integration in the entry plan.
- Pricing
- Essentials $65/seat/mo; Enterprise is quote-only
Best for: Professional firms that file by client, matter or contract, not by folder
Pros
- Essentials includes automated graphical workflows, version control and lifecycle management, not only storage
- M-Files Aino AI and native Microsoft 365 experiences are in the published Essentials plan rather than an add-on SKU
- Enterprise adds secure external collaboration, an extended audit log and custom versioning for regulated work
Cons
- At $65 a seat it is the second most expensive entry plan here, about nine times SharePoint in Business Basic
- Implementation is sold as a separate service, and Enterprise has no public price
Egnyte
File collaboration with governance layered on: content lifecycle and workflows from Enterprise Lite, AI and e-signature on Elite.
- Pricing
- From $22/user/mo paid annually (Business, up to 100 users); free trial, no card
Best for: Regulated or project-heavy firms that need ransomware detection and lifecycle rules with their files
Pros
- Business at $22 already includes Microsoft 365 co-editing (desktop and online) and Google Workspace integration
- Enterprise Lite at $39 adds content lifecycle management, advanced workflows and artifact-based ransomware detection
- Elite at $48 bundles AI search, PDF markup, e-signature and dynamic watermarking in one license
Cons
- Business stops at 100 users and lacks lifecycle management, so a growing firm moves to $39 a seat
- Document and sensitive-data classification only arrive on Ultimate, which is quote-only
Laserfiche
The most process-heavy pick: custom forms, AI extraction and workflow automation, with records lifecycle management on Business.
- Pricing
- Professional $73/user/mo billed annually, 5-user minimum; Business $93/user/mo, 25 users
Best for: Operations teams that want forms, approvals and records management in one system
Pros
- Professional includes custom forms, process reporting, AI data extraction and classification, and 100 GB of storage per user
- Business adds records lifecycle management, SSO and SCIM provisioning, and public-facing content portals
- Cloud is SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certified with HIPAA support, per the plan list
Cons
- The 5-user minimum on Professional means at least $4,380 a year before anyone files a document
- Records management sits on Business, which requires 25 users, so small regulated teams pay for seats they do not have
Zoho WorkDrive
The cheapest real option: unlimited versions on every paid plan, with workflows, DLP and labels on Business at $9 a user.
- Pricing
- From $2.50/user/mo billed annually (Starter, 3-user minimum); free 5 GB personal plan
Best for: Small teams on a tight budget, and companies already using Zoho apps
Pros
- Unlimited file versions on Starter, Team and Business, which Box only offers at the top of its range
- Business at $9 a user adds custom workflows and DLP policies (both in beta) plus classification labels
- Team storage starts at 1 TB on Starter, 3 TB on Team and 5 TB on Business, with per-file uploads up to 250 GB
Cons
- Data retention and restore on Business go up to 120 days, short for anyone keeping records for years
- Metadata and records features are thinner than M-Files or Laserfiche; it is a strong drive, a light DMS
Revver
Formerly eFileCabinet: unlimited storage and its AI Smart Suite on every tier, with requests, forms and e-signature on Essentials.
- Pricing
- Basic averages $25/user/mo; Essentials $67; Full $87, per Revver's pricing page
Best for: Accounting, insurance and other client-document businesses that want a DMS with forms and e-signature
Pros
- Unlimited storage and unlimited use of Revver AI Smart Suite on every license tier
- Metadata search, approvals, PDF redaction and guest sharing are listed from the Basic tier
- Essentials adds document requests, forms and e-signature requests, which replaces two tools for many client firms
Cons
- Prices are shown as averages and exclude professional services and implementation fees, so a quote is still needed
- Building workflows and automations is limited to the Full tier at $87, more per seat than Laserfiche Professional
Dropbox
The simplest sync and sharing on this list, with long file recovery windows, but the lightest document governance.
- Pricing
- Standard $15/user/mo billed yearly, no minimum; Advanced $24/user/mo, 3 users; free 2 GB
Best for: Creative and client-facing teams that need file sync and recovery more than records rules
Pros
- Standard starts at 3 TB for the team and restores deleted files for 180 days
- Advanced at $24 a user starts at 15 TB, keeps a year of file recovery and adds end-to-end encryption
- Standard has no user minimum, so a two-person firm pays for two seats
Cons
- The plan pages sell recovery windows and encryption, not metadata filing or approval workflows; it is storage first
- Enterprise, where custom security and storage are sold, has no public price
What it is
Document management software is a system that stores business documents with version control, permissions, search by metadata and rules for retention and approval, so a team can prove which version is current and who changed it.
The line between cloud storage and a DMS is governance: retention schedules, legal holds, audit trails, metadata fields and review workflows. Box, SharePoint, Dropbox and Zoho WorkDrive start as storage and add those controls on higher tiers; M-Files, Laserfiche, Revver and Egnyte are sold as document systems from the first plan.
Why it matters
The first reason is liability. A signed contract that exists in four copies across email and a shared drive is a dispute waiting to happen, and an auditor asking for every version of a policy wants an answer in minutes, not a week.
The second reason is how the bill scales. Every tool here charges per user, so the price gap compounds: ten people on M-Files Essentials cost about fourteen times what they cost on Zoho WorkDrive Team.
That gap buys real things (metadata-driven filing, workflow automation, records management), so the useful question is not which tool has more features but whether your team will set them up and use them in the first year.
Key features to look for
Pricing
Every price on this page was read on October 19, 2026 on Microsoft's SharePoint plans page, Box pricing, M-Files pricing, Egnyte pricing, Laserfiche pricing, Zoho WorkDrive pricing, Revver pricing and Dropbox plans. SharePoint storage and version limits come from Microsoft's SharePoint limits documentation.
Cost scenario, computed from those list prices: ten users for twelve months on each tool's entry plan that includes real document controls. Zoho WorkDrive Team comes to $540 and Business to $1,080. Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which carries SharePoint, is $840. Box Business is $1,800 and Box Enterprise is $4,200, before the Governance add-on that carries retention and legal holds. Dropbox Standard is also $1,800. Egnyte Business is $2,640. Revver Basic, at its published average, is $3,000. M-Files Essentials is $7,800 and Laserfiche Professional is $8,760.
What the scenario leaves out: implementation and migration. Revver says its prices exclude professional services and implementation fees, and M-Files sells implementation as a separate service. Budget the first year above the per-seat math for the dedicated systems; the storage-first tools are mostly self-serve.
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7/user/mo, paid yearly | SharePoint team sites, web and mobile Office apps, 1 TB OneDrive per user, up to 300 users |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot | $23.50/user/mo, paid yearly | Adds desktop Office apps and Copilot inside Word, Excel and Teams |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot | $32/user/mo, paid yearly | Adds device management, threat protection and sensitive-data classification |
| Box Individual | Free | One user, 10 GB, 250 MB uploads, one version |
| Box Business Starter | From $5/user/mo | 3-user minimum, 100 GB, 2 GB uploads, 25 versions |
| Box Business | $15/user/mo, billed annually | Unlimited storage, 5 GB uploads, 50 versions, Box AI |
| Box Business Plus | $25/user/mo, billed annually | Unlimited external collaborators, 15 GB uploads |
| Box Enterprise | $35/user/mo, billed annually | 100 versions, 50 GB uploads, 1,000 Box AI units a month |
| Box Enterprise Plus | Shown with annual billing only | Unlimited versions, 150 GB uploads, Box Agent |
| M-Files Essentials | $65/seat/mo | Workflows, version and lifecycle control, Aino AI, Microsoft 365 integration |
| M-Files Enterprise | Custom | External collaboration, extended audit log, advanced security and versioning |
| Egnyte Business | $22/user/mo, paid annually | Up to 100 users, M365 and Google co-editing, single-document AI Q&A |
| Egnyte Enterprise Lite | $39/user/mo, paid annually | Content lifecycle management, advanced workflows, ransomware detection |
| Egnyte Elite | $48/user/mo, paid annually | AI Assistant and search, e-signature, PDF markup, dynamic watermarking |
| Egnyte Ultimate | Custom | Document and sensitive-data classification, snapshot recovery, DLP integration |
| Laserfiche Professional | $73/user/mo, billed annually | Starts at 5 users; forms, workflows, AI extraction, 100 GB per user |
| Laserfiche Business | $93/user/mo, billed annually | Starts at 25 users; records lifecycle management, SSO, SCIM, portals |
| Laserfiche Business+ | $42/user/mo, billed annually | Starts at 500 users; 30 TB per account and enterprise security |
| Zoho WorkDrive Starter | $2.50/user/mo, billed annually | 3-user minimum, 1 TB team storage, 10 GB uploads, unlimited versions |
| Zoho WorkDrive Team | $4.50/user/mo, billed annually | 3 TB team storage, 50 GB uploads, custom branding, activity timeline |
| Zoho WorkDrive Business | $9/user/mo, billed annually | 5 TB, 250 GB uploads, custom workflows and DLP in beta, 120-day retention |
| Revver Basic | $25/user/mo on average | Document access and storage, metadata search, approvals, guest sharing |
| Revver Essentials | $67/user/mo on average | Adds forms, document requests, e-signature requests, starting workflows |
| Revver Full | $87/user/mo on average | Adds workflow and automation building, governance, user and security admin |
| Dropbox Basic | Free | 2 GB for one person |
| Dropbox Standard | $15/user/mo, billed yearly | 1 or more people, 3 TB team storage, 180-day file recovery |
| Dropbox Advanced | $24/user/mo, billed yearly | 3-person minimum, 15 TB to start, one-year recovery, end-to-end encryption |
| Dropbox Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom storage, security and headcount |
The bottom line
Microsoft SharePoint is the pick for most small teams: it is already inside Microsoft 365, it keeps versions and permissions properly, and the yearly bill for ten people on Business Basic is hard to beat. Box is the answer for a team outside Microsoft that shares with many outsiders, as long as you budget for the Governance add-on when retention matters. M-Files is the best true DMS for firms that think in clients and matters, Egnyte fits regulated and project firms that want ransomware detection with their files, and Laserfiche is for operations teams that live in forms and approvals. Zoho WorkDrive is the budget winner, Revver suits client-document businesses that want forms and signatures in one place, and Dropbox is the right call only when sync and recovery matter more than records rules.
Related reading on this site: the Box review, the Dropbox review, Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing, best knowledge base software for internal wikis, best PDF editors, free e-signature software and best project management software. Directory entries on Toolradar: Box, M-Files, Egnyte, Laserfiche, Revver and Dropbox. Accounting firms have a dedicated ranking in Toolradar's best document management for accountants.
Methodology: we read the eight vendors' pricing pages on October 19, 2026, compared the plan where document controls (version limits, retention, metadata, workflows) first appear, the seat minimums and the published price, then weighted fit for a team of five to fifty people over feature breadth. Techpresso runs no test lab, so nothing here is a hands-on result, and the order is our editorial judgment from the published plan data. Prices are re-checked when a vendor changes its pricing page. Cite this: Techpresso, "Best Document Management Software 2026: 8 Priced", October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
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Sources
Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.
- Box pricingchecked Sep 2026
Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.
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