M‑Files vs. MasterControl Quality Excellence

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
M‑Files
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
M-Files delivers Context-First Document Management with a metadata-driven architecture that improves productivity across the document lifecycle. By linking documents to the people, processes, clients, and projects that give them meaning, M-Files creates a unified environment that strengthens governance.N/A
MasterControl Quality Excellence
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
MasterControl Quality Excellence is a Quality Management System (QMS) for the life sciences. It enables life-sciences companies to enable flexible quality event management, simplified document management, and automated training management that work together to close the loop on quality.
$25,000
per year
Pricing
M‑FilesMasterControl Quality Excellence
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
M‑FilesMasterControl Quality Excellence
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
M‑FilesMasterControl Quality Excellence
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User Ratings
M‑FilesMasterControl Quality Excellence
Likelihood to Recommend
9.9
(68 ratings)
8.2
(163 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(15 ratings)
8.3
(11 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(12 ratings)
7.3
(158 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(3 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(2 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(11 ratings)
6.3
(6 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(2 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(8 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Configurability
9.6
(2 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.0
(3 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.0
(3 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
M‑FilesMasterControl Quality Excellence
Likelihood to Recommend
M‑Files
M‑Files is great for companies with multiple locations. Drive letters can become cumbersome to use and collaborate with colleagues and M‑Files fills that gap. The check out/check in system is great and allows only one editor at a time. This can be good and bad depending on the situation.
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MasterControl
The MasterControl Quality Excellence suite is well suited for the life sciences and biotechnology as well as manufacturing companies that could benefit from the regulatory compliance that this suite of products offer. This product is highly recommended for industries that want to reduce paper overhead and digitally transform their QMS into a singular location
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Pros
M‑Files
  • Reliable: Our M-Files system has only gone down one time (for a very short period of time) at the beginning of the two years that we have been with M-Files. Our previous vendor's system had so many downtimes that our IT Department had to assign an associate to work with me for sending out notifications to associates etc. With our last vendor, one day I came to work and only 60 of the 260 consent for surgery forms were available to our end users although they were visible to me as the Administrator but weren't showing up for the end-users!
  • Our M-Files system was created for us. It was created by working with developers to only have on our system what we required, and I must say, there were so many extra features that M-Files offered in our program that weren't available with our previous vendor. As mentioned previously, we can have two policies or forms visible to the end-user so one can be listed as "draft" or "training only" so our end users can read and use for training as we get ready to roll out a new medical record system. I can also preload policies and leave them in the working stage until they are approved and go back and publish them the day they are approved. The list goes on with so many great features.
  • Our end users would say the greatest asset of this product is the search function. It's amazing how fast it is. There are many ways to search out a form or policy which makes it a true asset for our associates.
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MasterControl
  • Organization - the layout and idea behind how the website is displayed and functions.
  • Compliance - ensuring our documents are kept up to date and accurate.
  • Quality - by having a platform with all documents with all standards set out at once, quality standards are easily accessed.
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Cons
M‑Files
  • If you are new to Electronic Document Management, this can be a really difficult product to roll out. Since it is infinitely versatile, there are infinite ways to configure it wrong. I highly recommend the M-Files admin training offered by M-Files as it will set you in the right direction.
  • Many options are paid add-ons. So while you are not paying for what you don't need, many great features will come at a cost.
  • If you don't have a technical person on staff, this will be tricky to maintain. Not impossible. If your processes do not change, once setup it will be fine.
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MasterControl
  • License model can become very expensive for small startup businesses.
  • More development with validation and more transparent information on how the improvements and or fixes may impact the current configuration. Currently, everything is listed, but it is not tailored to my system.
  • More information regarding the transition of previous processes to new processes. i.e., FBS to AQEM. I am currently working on the ADV/FBS forms and will eventually transition to AQEM/ADAPT. Still, I would like more information regarding the transition to inform current stakeholders about the improvements on the horizon.
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Likelihood to Renew
M‑Files
M-files meets our almost all needs, we dont have other option to replace m-files. it saves lots, like Hardware because of Vault Feature means we can create many vaults (mini-servers) in m-files in other solutions we need more hardware for more installations.
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MasterControl
would rate MasterControl Quality Excellence a 7 out of 10 because, while it offers strong compliance tools, centralized document control, and effective audit readiness features, there are still areas that could be improved to enhance the overall user experience. The platform can sometimes feel complex and unintuitive, especially for new users, and customizing workflows to fit specific organizational needs can be challenging. Additionally, integration with other enterprise systems isn't always seamless, which can slow down processes. Despite these drawbacks, the system remains a reliable and valuable tool for maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.
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Usability
M‑Files
It is a powerful system that can locate content fast and effectively. The system takes quite some time to setup initially. It can be hard for M-Files support to know how businesses operate and how they want to use the system in a way that works for them. The customization makes it great for companies to cater to their own needs. Once the system is set up in a way that makes sense for the business, the user experience is positive. There is room for improvement in the notifications, workflow, and support areas.
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MasterControl
Some tasks require the users and SysAdmin to access multiple modules at a time. For example: to create a training course and an exam for a document in the system, the user needs to finish creating the document in the doc module, then go to the training module to create a course and an exam separately. Ideally, from the document page we should be able to access the training course, which could have some fields auto-populated. And from there, also create and link an exam, all without leaving the document page.
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Reliability and Availability
M‑Files
always there.
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MasterControl
they are good about keeping it running
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Performance
M‑Files
I noticed some lagging with the integration with Microsoft Office but not so much that I would not use it. It has gotten better with updates. to be fair the issues were when Office 2013 first came out.
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MasterControl
some reports take time to filter and to get them to give the correct information. This is usually because of inputs.
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Support Rating
M‑Files
Usually when I need help from them I got support and it was very good and focused to solve my problem. I didn't have so many problems, but when used it worked. I just would like to have a support in my native language, but I can understand that sometimes is hard for the companies.
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MasterControl
The Technical Support team has grown exponentially over the last couple years. Some front line support staff are new to the system and so know less than the clients do. Back line staff are more seasoned and provide immediate assistance to the front line staff. They have an extensive knowledge bank to assist them as well as client access to most KB articles. Annual user group conference gives us chance to meet the support staff an also to resolve any outstanding issues. Any critical vendor notices are emailed immediately when found and a patch offered at the same time. These are rare, but quickly resolved.
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In-Person Training
M‑Files
We had online conference call training with a recording to use later as needed
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MasterControl
I rated the MasterControl in-person training a 10 because it was clear, practical, and well-paced. The trainer explained concepts thoroughly and answered questions effectively. I appreciated the hands-on walkthroughs, which made it easier to understand how to apply the system in real scenarios. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience that boosted my confidence in using MasterControl.
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Online Training
M‑Files
They answer all questions and record your training for later use.
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MasterControl
transparent and immediate when the documents are updated. Easy to check on training and customizable to the company's expectations. Allows easy exam creation with GXP assist and the correlation between job codes and courses has proven reliable. What i would advocate is that you see who has trained on the course in the Course Infocard, to the document infocard
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Implementation Rating
M‑Files
The key insight is that the most important thing is to have a open mind. The application is easy to use, but if you have a company with different views and it is not aligned could be a huge problem. So the company transformation is required together with the application. Ensure to use as much as possible the capabilities of the application helps to have best ROI.
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MasterControl
The implementation of MasterControl Quality Excellence was largely successful, earning an 8 out of 10. The project was well-structured, and the implementation team provided solid guidance throughout the process. Key milestones were met on time, and the system was configured to meet most of our core requirements. One of the most valuable aspects was the hands-on training and support during go-live, which helped ensure user adoption. However, there were some challenges around data migration and aligning the system’s capabilities with our existing workflows, which required more time and effort than anticipated. Overall, the experience was positive, and the lessons learned have positioned us well for future system enhancements.
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Alternatives Considered
M‑Files
The customization ability seemed to be a level above and easy to navigate and available options are constantly being reinvented. We have used OnBase for years and now desire to move away from this option for a number of reasons.
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MasterControl
The products we evaluated were considered as potential replacements for MasterControl Quality Excellence. At this time, we continue using MasterControl Quality Excellence primarily due to the significant volume of data in our system and the operational impact of a platform transition. Intellect QMS emerged as a strong alternative, offering extensive, intuitive business process development tools and a wide range of built-in QMS processes out of the box. MasterControl Quality Excellence currently maintains the advantage solely because of the logistical and business burden associated with migrating to a new system.
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Scalability
M‑Files
do so much more than we need but has all the stuff we do need.
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MasterControl
there are many updates
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Professional Services
M‑Files
No answers on this topic
MasterControl
they are excellent
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Return on Investment
M‑Files
  • M-Files allows us to track important milestones and expiration dates. We are now able to easily track revisions to contracts with community partners and record comments and history in one place.
  • We are able to track all contracts that come through our District and to create monthly reports to present to our Board.
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MasterControl
  • Helped me keep up to date on any knowledge pertaining to my workflow.
  • Sometimes, using it for lesson plans with minor adjustments to review it again can be repetitive.
  • Helped with scheduling classes and keeping up to date with when they occur.
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ScreenShots

M‑Files Screenshots

Screenshot of M-Files - SearchScreenshot of M-Files - Profile openScreenshot of M-Files - PermissionsScreenshot of M-Files - Process mapsScreenshot of M-Files - Pinned items