Claris' FileMaker is presented as a Workplace Innovation Platform, and is used to create a custom app. Manual processes can be automated with Claris FileMaker Pro, and apps can be created to manage contacts, track inventory, organize projects, etc.
$21
per month per user
Quixy
Score 9.9 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Enterprises can use Quixy's cloud-based no-code platform to enable their business users (citizen developers) to automate workflows and build simple to complex enterprise-grade applications for their custom needs, according to the vendor up to ten times faster. Quixy helps eliminate manual processes and turn ideas into applications making business more innovative, productive, and transparent. Users can start from scratch or customize pre…
$20
per month per user
Pricing
Claris FileMaker
Quixy
Editions & Modules
Platform Subscription
$21
per month per user
Individual desktop license
$594
one-time fee
Platform
$20
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Solution
Contact Sales
per month billed annually. This plan is suitable when the no. of users is high and the no. of apps/workflows is low.
If your company is really small, I can understand the need for a product like this. However, I would go for MS Access... FileMaker Pro can not be integrated with other systems (like MS Access can at least be handled by C# for instance, and can be integrated with MS Excel or even SQL server). I'm really not sure in what scenario one would choose for FileMaker Pro. If your application or company grows bigger, you're going to have a problem to move to another environment. Also, the fact that only one person can work with the backend at any given time is a problem in a somewhat larger company.
Quixy BPM for managing business processes distinguishes itself through its user-friendly interface and the absence of any coding requirements. This makes it an ideal solution for companies looking to streamline their operations. Quixy BPM is suitable for businesses of all sizes and represents a cost-effective way to save time and effort.
The relational database management system makes the program highly customizable to fit the needs of any product. You can add a ton of information to each record and update your inventory on a regular basis with an Excel import or manually inside of the record. It has the capability to incorporate barcoding, which can manage your available inventory with ease.
The scripting language allows FileMaker to automatically calculate complex algorithms automatically or generate report outs with the click of a button. This allows for greater UI, especially with active users who are not familiar with writing code. Almost all of our internal data is linked to the FileMaker database
The server license allows many users to update the database in real time, which is handy if your inventory is constantly changing. We have users with Macs, PCs, iPhones and handheld tablets linked to our FileMaker database and they are updating the information constantly throughout the day.
If you invest some time into formatting and scripting the database, there is a high ease of use for users without knowledge of any programming or FileMaker itself.
Developer features need to be beefed up - namely adding the ability to search code for a phrase or keyword and the ability to do the same in the "relationship graph" in the database.
Add ability for users to edit the same table record at the same time by version control.
Allow Filemaker Server to use more than 1 core; currently multi-processing is not supported and it can be tricky to find just the right server to support the application you've built to the fullest capacity.
It it not really up to me but my opinion does have some weight in the decision and the reason I would renew my use FileMaker Pro 8.5 is because I am finally getting used to it! Now that I have been working with the program, tasks have become quicker and projects are getting done faster. File Maker Pro 8.5 really is a versatile tool and I think we are just scratching the surface with it's abilities.
The usability rating I'm providing is for the development interface - the usability of the application you build is relative to how much effort is put into the application. Filemaker needs to roll out some features that are "modern" sooner rather than later. They do roll out new features every year, but at a slow pace. We generally get 1 new TRULY useful feature every year. They need to step it up some!
Quixy has allowed us to focus on more important tasks, as the platform takes care of labor-intensive administrative work. The automation of various processes has been invaluable, as it has saved us a considerable amount of time and resources. Overall, Quixy has transformed our administrative work and has enabled us to allocate more resources to critical tasks, leading to better outcomes for our organization.
The forums are great with lots of helpful experts and the staff monitor them to provide help where needed. There have been a couple of unique technical issues I've had to deal with that I haven't been able to get resolved so I chose to score this a 9 instead of a 10.
Suggest you use an iterative R.A.D. or AGILE development approach. (i.e. rather than writing a gigantic spec for a system, then building it). FileMaker facilitates quick prototypes. Developing an example, then allowing users to "try it out" is a snap.
FileMaker is still the quickest way to go from zero to having a minimum viable working solution. Simple solutions can be built in as little as a afternoon of development. It is the only tool I am aware of which allows tech savy end users with domain knowledge to build bespoke apps for their businesses without undertaking professional software development training.
While Excel is a powerful tool for organizing data and creating basic inventory spreadsheets, it lacks the automation and integration capabilities that Quixy provides. Also, we can integrate with other business systems, such as accounting and order fulfillment systems. So, we can actually have centralized system connected across several departments for automation.
We are a more agile company because of FileMaker. A few of us who are tech-savvy enough to manage the database (but are not professional developers) can make needed adjustments to our database without having to employ an in-house developer or contract with a 3rd party. As our business processes evolve and change, it's easy to update the database to accommodate those changes.
