Overview
What is Claris FileMaker?
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.
Can't go wrong with this one!
It is very useful, smart to use, and saves time
The Problem Solvers Problem Solver
Can't beat this amazing platform!
Obsolete and impossible to integrate or migrate.
Database Management Doesn't Have to be a Pain
When You Want Your Software to Fit the Business Instead of Forcing Your Business to Fit the Software
Gets the job done but has some issues
FileMaker Pro works well for complicated databases
All in One
FileMaker Pro
Filemaker Pro for all Business Needs
FileMaker Pro At Work
FileMaker keeps your event files organized
FileMaker Pro Library Software Review
Pricing
Platform Subscription
$21
Individual desktop license
$594
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Starting price (does not include set up fee)
- $21 per month per user
Product Demos
FileMaker/HTML5/JavaScript GPS Map Demo (iPad)
Text Parsing in FileMaker : Live Demo - Example 1
FileMaker Pro 11 Course for Beginner
Product Details
- About
- Competitors
- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is Claris FileMaker?
FileMaker Pro comes with built-in templates delivered through a marketplace. And Claris FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone is a solution presented as ideal for mobile teams in the field or away from a desk. It can be used to (for instance) check inventory in the warehouse, create invoices during client visits, or perform inspections onsite.
Claris FileMaker Video
Claris FileMaker Competitors
Claris FileMaker Technical Details
Deployment Types | On-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
---|---|
Operating Systems | Windows, Mac |
Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Comparisons
Compare with
Reviews and Ratings
(169)Community Insights
- Business Problems Solved
- Pros
- Cons
- Recommendations
FileMaker has been widely adopted by small and medium enterprises in various sectors to address a wide range of business needs. Users have leveraged FileMaker to solve business problems and automate processes, such as time tracking, invoicing, reporting, and more. The software has become mission-critical for companies, with every employee using it on a daily basis. It has been utilized for office administration, invoicing, expenses, data collection, contact management, and inventory management. Companies have found FileMaker to be a versatile tool that eliminates islands of technology by providing a central database that can be accessed on any device from anywhere. It has been deployed on Mac and Windows desktops, web browsers, and native iOS and Android applications.
In addition to its versatility, FileMaker Pro has proved valuable in specific industries. For example, it has been used in the medical sector for solutions like managing patient records and tracking medical data. Agricultural businesses have employed FileMaker to streamline processes related to crop management and inventory tracking. Similarly, transport companies have utilized the platform for tasks like logistics planning and fleet management. Additionally, FileMaker Pro's flexibility has made it useful in designing questionnaires, developing web applications, and creating custom solutions tailored to meet specific requirements across various domains.
Furthermore, FileMaker Go mobile platform has enabled fast and cost-effective custom application development for iOS devices. It has allowed businesses like Merch Media to manage contact information efficiently while processing orders and managing detailed data. Peer Bearing Company has customized FileMaker Pro to fit their specific needs, making it their primary software solution. In the education sector, FileMaker Pro has facilitated staff management, activity tracking logs, billing processes assistance, student progress monitoring, homework logging, report card generation collaboratively.
The software's impact extends beyond individual company functions as well. For instance, it has played a role in event planning by assisting with tasks like food and beverage tracking or organizing catalogs and libraries. Studios have relied on FileMaker Pro for production staff to search inventories and generate layouts. It has also been used as a replacement for Microsoft Access databases, providing improved reliability and multi-user access.
Overall, users have found that Claris FileMaker is an effective tool for solving various business problems, automating processes, and improving productivity across different industries. Its flexibility, adaptability to different platforms, and ability to streamline workflows have made it a valuable asset in managing data, creating custom solutions, and facilitating collaboration.
Seamless Integration: Several users have praised Claris FileMaker's ability to seamlessly integrate with other applications, specifically highlighting its commendable integration with the finance application MYOB. This integration feature has eliminated the need for manual data entry, saving time and improving accuracy in timekeeping processes.
Data Integrity and Confidentiality: Reviewers have expressed their satisfaction with Claris FileMaker's capability to maintain data integrity and confidentiality through its integration with MYOB. This aspect is highly valued as it ensures the security of sensitive financial information.
Improved Productivity: Many users have found that the integration between Claris FileMaker and MYOB has enhanced their overall productivity. The ability to integrate with other applications has significantly improved workflow by saving time and increasing efficiency. Users appreciate how easily Claris FileMaker integrates with MYOB for various business needs and requirements, showcasing its versatility and adaptability.
Confusing and Not User-Friendly UI: Several users have expressed dissatisfaction with the user interface of Claris FileMaker, describing it as confusing and not user-friendly. They have encountered difficulties in editing calculations and scripts, as well as creating print layouts compared to other software like Crystal Reports.
Lack of Essential Features: Reviewers have pointed out that Claris FileMaker lacks certain important features. These include a built-in version control mechanism, a centralized security module for multiple files, and a modular code structure. Developers find it challenging to work without these features, which impacts their productivity.
Limited Customization Options: Some users feel that FileMaker Pro is not customizable enough, particularly from the user side. They encounter difficulties in customizing the program's appearance and sending rich text emails. This limitation hinders their ability to tailor the software to their specific needs.
Users commonly recommend the following:
-
Learn and explore: Users suggest learning what FileMaker is good at and how to get the best out of it. They recommend attending the DevCon conference to collaborate with other users and learn about the platform's features.
-
Start small and customize: It is advised to begin with a small project to understand how FileMaker works and how easy it is to modify. Users suggest playing around and experimenting with FileMaker or hiring a certified developer for assistance. Updating to the latest release of FileMaker is also recommended.
-
Consider customization and collaboration: Users highlight FileMaker's ability to connect to big data, design creatively, and build on a reliable data engine. They recommend hiring third-party developers for advanced customization. FileMaker is seen as a great platform for diverse mobile teams to build custom apps. Additionally, users highly recommend FileMaker for its seniority, usability, reliability, and the vast number of people available for collaboration.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-25 of 34)It is very useful, smart to use, and saves time
- Ease of creating a database for employees
- It is easy for developers and IT specialists to improve the performance and manufacture of applications
- Ease of following up on customers and monitoring their opinions, whether positive or negative
- Some updates in languages, including Arabic, are missing
- When sending long emails, it is not the easiest thing
- It needs to be a little faster
otherwise Not very suitable for large projects that need a lot of complex systems that are important to have available, but it is rather useful
The Problem Solvers Problem Solver
- Adaptable to most any use.
- Easily scale from small tasks to very large complex solutions.
- Create fine grained user roles.
- Connect to other applications using a REST based API.
- Allow other solution to connect using a REST based API.
- Not great for use by multiple developers at the same time.
- Could benefit from built-in audit logging of field level changes.
Can't beat this amazing platform!
- multi-user support
- database integrity
- simple user interfaces
- speed
- efficiency
- better utilization of web/cloud support (its coming, but roll out has been slow it seems like)
Obsolete and impossible to integrate or migrate.
- Offers a fast way to store things like "products" on which screens can be build in a fairly easy way.
- There is a low learning curve, which means that non-developers can use and maintain this.
- It offers separate environments (test and production), that are fairly easy to keep synchronized.
- Data is stored in a "hidden" layer that is very difficult to port to a "real" database. This makes it difficult to query using standardized query language, and difficult to import/export to other relational databases.
- There can be only one session open at any given time. This makes it impossible for more than 1 person to maintain it at any given time.
- The user interface is a bit chaotic, and the environment itself seems overly complex. Compared to, say, MS Access this makes it a seemingly very professional tool, when in fact it's a rather amateur way of exposing data. Much like MS Access, but MS Access does not pretend to be any more than that.
Database Management Doesn't Have to be a Pain
- Intuitive, user-friendly database management
- Powerful scripting features
- Easy to create attractive layouts from templates
- I'd like to see more granular control of user access, such as the ability to allow certain users to modify a field while others are only allowed to view it, etc.
Gets the job done but has some issues
- This program is able to store a large amount of information that is easily accessible.
- This program can run a variety of reports that can be helpful with my everyday tasks and projects.
- This program has very easy search functions.
- This program can be difficult if you have an environment that is distracting because it does confirm changes. They are automatically saved.
- This program can be frustrating when entering data in multiple fields because the tab button does not send you to the next field, it jumps around.
FileMaker Pro
- FileMaker does a good job of allowing customization to layout and design for ease of use.
- FileMaker allows us to control who can access certain areas in the system for security and business needs.
- FileMaker is user-friendly for data entry purposes.
- Building reports can be cumbersome.
- We're unable to print a doc generated in FileMaker without having to download the pdf every time.
- You're unable to sync a line added to a purchase order after the PO has already been synced to QuickBooks.
FileMaker Pro Library Software Review
- FileMaker Pro makes searching through internal inventories very easy. You can search by many different keywords.
- FileMaker Pro is very simple to use when populating the inventories and catalogs.
- The software is very customizable. Which is great for many different types of uses and businesses.
- Customizing FileMaker Pro can be tricky for people who aren't super familiar with that type of work.
- The software is really good, just needs a little more user friendliness or simplicity.
FileMaker Pro is essential to our business, making sure that we are organized and stay on top of our day to day operations.
- Customized database. We have all the information that we need and could possibly want at our fingertips.
- Organization. We have client information, vendor information, and personnel information organized in a logical and secure way. Because of the custom settings, only certain people are able to view all of the data - while others are only allowed to view what is needed.
- Working with FMGo - we are at the forefront of reporting technology. Our people personal work independently across the country and we see their results in seconds.
- Making changes is sometimes difficult and we do work with an FM developer. While we like our developer, we do wish it was easier to do on our own.
- FMPro is sometimes glitchy with how it outputs data. Because we've been working with it for so long and it's so customized, we have work arounds, but something we just want to be able to export things as spreadsheets in the first place. :)
Filemaker Pro would likely not well with companies who are more creative and fewer data heavy. There is little room for creative ideas, it is more...numbers/by the book focused.
Filemaker to save the day!
- Develop custom solutions very fast
- Simple to use for non-developers
- Easy rollout of solutions company-wide
- Easy setup of server to host custom solution
- 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.
One example is that my company requires orders to be submitted where based on product type, purchase location and company category all impact the price that is charged. I've used several e-store solutions and most of these are very cut and dry. You can have a product with 1 price, the only exception is a coupon code. Filemaker allowed us to create an store that allows our users to create an order based on our crazy pricing structure.
Filemaker, making life simple
- Reporting is very easy and managers setup their own custom reports.
- The layout tool is very WYSIWIG and simple to master.
- The scripting is very straight forward with very little programming understanding required.
- The online SaaS versions are still a bit slow.
- Would love to see true SaaS services.
- Built-in Adwords and similar integration, typical of other SaaS tools
- 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.
- Cross-platform consistency - the iPhone version is not nearly as functional as the desktop version, which could cause troubles if you want to update your inventory with a mobile device while actively performing a task. The layout is cluttered and inconsistent.
- The development of a functional database will require a highly skilled FileMaker programmer, or multiple people working to address specific requirements for the database. This could take months to construct and can be costly if you want to create a highly customizable database with the proper scripts.
- The Excel exports are rather simple and require re-working if you are trying to make anything visually appealing. I'm sure more backend programming could be performed to address this issue, but for the average user, the programming and links can be rather complex.
FileMaker Pro: Good but....
- Easy to complete a mail merge inside the system, without having to download contacts and re-upload them. Very simple to print personalized post cards or emails to groups of clients at one time.
- Lots of customization options, for reports, mail merge etc.
- Easier to do online
- Making it simple to format and changes
FileMaker Pro Offers Low Code Custom App Development - Cross Platform for macOS, Windows, IOS, HTML5
- Greater File Size - 7TB per file, compared to 2GB per file with Access .ACCDB files.
- Reliable multi-user networking thru Peer-to-Peer or server based implementations.
- Improved developer productivity.
- Capability of being run locally on IOS devices with the free FileMaker Go client software.
- It would be nice to have some automation improvements.
- FileMaker is particularly easy to set up and configure.
- FileMaker deploys easily to Mac users.
- FileMaker makes rapid prototyping and proof of concept ideas pretty painless.
- FileMaker does not run on Android.
- FileMaker doesn't provide any analytical tools.
- FileMaker web access is limited and resource hungry.
- FileMaker Server cannot be hosted on Linux machines.
- FileMaker can be easily customized so that it can be expanded to cover additional roles in a company or to just do simple layout changes.
- FileMaker can be easily picked up by new programmers/developers. The software is designed in such a way that a half day's worth of training can get a new person started building their own databases.
- FileMaker has a large community of users that do a fantastic job of supporting folks who are new to FileMaker. There is considerable support, samples, and videos on the web for anyone starting out.
- There are a lot of professional developers located around the country that can help with any FileMaker development needs. They have always been more than friendly and willing to offer help and suggestions. They have the heart of teachers.
- I think the folks developing FileMaker are true Apple enthusiasts at heart, so a lot of little issues that crop up for Windows users are not address very quickly. It also seems like the Windows version gets treated as secondary, which is odd considering that the majority (95+%) of people using FileMaker use it in a Windows environment.
- Considering my point above, I would also point out that a lot of how FileMaker works seems to be driven by a small number of people who feel like the software should behave a certain way. Rather than offering users the ability to customize how they want to use the software, global changes are made that force users to adapt to a new way working that is opposite of how they have worked for many years. Changes like this have driven me nuts in the past and make me wish that they would just allow customization of how users work instead of forcing one particular point of few.
- FileMaker developers are not inexpensive. If you need to bring in help from a third party, expect to pay $100/hr. at a minimum. There are a lot of free resources, local clubs/groups, and places to get free advice, but expect to pay a lot for professional help if you need it. There just aren't enough developers around the world to drive the price down.
For when you've outgrown Excel and are ready for validation that keeps your data up to your standards
- FileMaker provides an approachable way to design databases. If someone is familiar with Excel, their knowledge of rows, columns, and sheets translates to records, fields, and tables.
- Scripts allow for easy automation. Once users are familiar with how to use FileMaker's built-in UI and menus to modify data by hand, those actions can be chained together into scripts, which can be triggered by a number of circumstances.
- FileMaker's Script Debugger is available only in Pro Advanced versions, not Pro. I believe it should be available in all versions of FileMaker, because it's a critically valuable tool for both the beginner who is learning how scripts behave, and the experienced user who is debugging very complicated scripts.
- The tool used to build expressions (the "Specify Calculation" window) could benefit from some visual cues to indicate which parentheses and parameters belong to which function, especially with complex nested functions. For now, I've actually used FileMaker to build a standalone tool that does this.
Filemaker is my moneymaker and my problem solver
- Slicing and dicing data. Pure and simple. If I have to look for trends or understand highs and lows of data or quickly formulating file paths for incredibly complex websites I can do it quickly.
- Easy to learn interface that allows for quick prototyping of tools that people think they need to have on much "larger" (expensive) platforms. The beauty of FileMaker is you can quickly build what you want as a prototype, then most likely years later when they are still trying to get the expensive stuff to do the same thing, you just keep using it.
- Now that they have added REST support and increased encryption you can also build some complex and highly secure solutions that eliminate the need for buying third party plugins or services.
- FileMaker, as a company, also brings out new versions on a regular yearly basis. Each year they add something that is greatly extends the development power making it easier for me to bring in customers.
- The tight integration with the iPad and iPhone is a top value in itself. Why spend a ton of money for an iOS app that you have no control over when you can use FileMaker to get the job done fast and in a cost effective manner?
- I had some big complaints about how to edit calculations and scripts, and not being able to print/export PDF from server but with the last 2 versions I can't complain any more. Those got added.
- Syncing records between iOS and Filemaker Server still requires a developer to accomplish. Although I make money doing it for others I wish there was some "central" method of syncing that everyone can follow.
FileMaker in the hands of Storganise
- Easy to use - we create very basic apps at one end of the scale, up to whole suites of software at the other. At the entry level, it is quick to learn and can have a "citizen developer" creating something useable and rewarding within hours.
- Expandable - we recommend starting small with an answer to your most pressing requirement. Then as your staff get used to the way the software helps, there will naturally begin the questions - "Can we get it to do this...?"
- Unlimited - there is no real limit to the size and quantity of data that can be stored. We have happy customers with small contacts applications under 50MB and others with huge archives of Music and Video over 100GB
- Constantly Updating - there are new releases of the software every year or so, adding extra functionality for new directions to be taken, but the core of the software remains the same
- As developers, there are areas we like to see updated. In the new version 16 a lot of these have been done.
- Scalable usage of mobile licenses would be a good step forward to allow transient mobile users to access the main database without the need for an extra licence
- A revamped system for finding developers through Apple's website would be nice. The current one is a little out dated.
These sort of day to day working scenarios are how most businesses are run. FIlemaker Pro enables us to create one application that will do everything, with minimal data entry, less time spent on admin and many new options of how to use the data you are already collecting.
- Rapid application development of bespoke solutions for multiple platforms.
- Scales well from single to hundreds of users.
- Very easy to adapt and maintain solutions.
- Well suited for novice database learners or seasons developers.
- Integrates well with other technologies to act as 'digital glue' to combine different systems - works well with with SQL solutions with ODBC; web APIs via REST APIs/JSON, etc.
- They do have a unique advantage in the market as they offer an on premises deployment option as well there being private cloud and AWS hosted options.
- FileMaker does not pitch themselves as a high-end enterprise platform: they don't pitch themselves as a solution for systems requiring thousands of concurrent users. Ironically this can be done with integration with other technologies to improve scalability.
- FileMaker themselves don't offer consulting or training directly - you need to look to their FileMaker Business Alliance partners for anything other that initial software installation support.
- They do have a perception problem in the market place - people usually have a bad experience when they inherit a legacy solution built by a non-professional developer and so they often view FileMaker solutions as being old, clunky or missing functionality. The modern platform is exceptionally powerful and full featured - however, to fully take advantage of it of often requires some re-development of a legacy solution. Obviously this is not a problem if you are started a new development from scratch.
Your data deserves the best! Use FileMaker
- Rapid Development
- Great at getting new businesses up and running quickly
- Do not need a IT department to get you up and running
- Quickly access your data from multiple devices.
- A better pricing structure for small companies below 5 users.
- FileMaker deploys to all mainstream internet connected devices very easily with a drag and drop interface builder that requires no coding for simple systems (PC, MAC, Mobile phone).
- FileMaker is great for sharing information in teams.
- FileMaker is simple enough that regular users (e.g. mechanics) can create their own simple databases if you let them!
- FileMaker Server is suitable for hundreds of concurrent users at a time with a *well developed* system but not thousands. In general FileMaker is good for small to medium businesses, teams, or for rapid prototyping large scale complex applications.
- FileMaker has a good suite of basic graphical charts but for more complicated "B.I." style dashboards, it is good to integrate your FileMaker data with another system which is easy to do.
Developing custom apps is so easy with FileMaker
- You can rapidly build custom apps with FileMaker.
- FileMaker custom apps deploy easily on desktops and laptops, web and mobile devices.
- It has an amazing ease of use from an end user's perspective.
- For developers, it has a great toolkit builtin, which allows for short development cycles.
- The developer IDE still has some room for improvement.
- OAuth integration is possible, but only with a fixed set of providers.
- More documentation on the innerworking of the FileMaker database engine would be welcome.
Fast, Efficient, Friendly....FileMaker
- Data entry, tracking and access
- Customized business solutions
- Flexible reporting
- Mobile data access
- Speed - FileMaker provides for very rapid development and deployment by integrating both a database engine and a front end environment in one package. Because of that, the speed of the database engine is slower than a raw platform like SQL or Oracle.
- Web Access - While FileMaker provides some great tools for quickly and easily sharing data via the web, it isn't a true web development platform and is difficult to scale large enough to handle external customer access for large customer bases.
Because of the speed and flexibility, FileMaker is ideal for small to medium sized businesses or for small to medium departments inside larger companies.
- Simple database development
- Custom Database with Web UI in very little time
- Great layout tool to view data in various formats
- Easy interface for first time users
- Database relationship view could be shown in table format for databases that have complex or many relationships
- Speed of web direct
- Access to support - mentoring may be good solution