As the document management space becomes increasingly popular, comparing the best solutions becomes more time-consuming and challenging. This is particularly true if you don’t have a strong preference between Google and Microsoft products.

We've spent dozens of hours hand-testing the leading document software platforms, and interviewing businesses to understand their experiences with the top solutions. The details of our research process can be found on our article covering the best document management platforms.

Below, you'll find several resources that provide in-depth analyses comparing document management platforms.

Table of Contents

• How To Compare Document Management Software
• Comparing Popular Document Management Solutions Against Each Other
  • Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365
  • Dropbox Business vs. Box
  • Dropbox Business vs. Google Workspace
  • OneDrive vs. Google Drive
• Bottom Line

How To Compare Document Management Software

There are five document management platforms that you should consider. As you learn about each tool, it's helpful to focus on how advanced the platform is and its price point.

As you can see, more advanced solutions are oftentimes more affordable in the document management space. Different systems are built for different size customers. For example, Box is built primarily for larger enterprise businesses. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, however, have pricing and feature tiers tailored specifically for small businesses.

Regardless, all the top systems offer the same core features.The primary features in document management software are:

In terms of price, you can expect to pay between $5 and $50 per user per month for your document management software. Pricing is based on how many team members you have.

Document Management Comparison Overview

Our analyst rating is based upon four main criteria: features, usability, pricing, and customer support. A SoftwarePundit Analyst rating over 85 is above average, and above 90 is excellent.

For more details, you can read our review methodology.

Comparing Popular Document Management Solutions Against Each Other

One of the best ways to understand the differences between document management software tools is to compare one solution against another. We've written in-depth guides comparing the top document management tools against each other.

Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are the largest players in the document management space. In addition to offering document management features, they offer a full suite of team management features including chat, video calling, and content collaboration. Because both solutions are very similarly priced, the ultimate decision in choosing one software over the other is whether you prefer Microsoft or Google.

Dropbox Business vs. Box

Dropbox Business and Box are two document management solutions that focus more on cloud storage rather than team management and collaboration. We found that Dropbox Business was generally more flexible for entry level users and its collaboration tools were stronger than in Box. Box received our lowest rating in the document management category due to its limited collaboration tools and its model leaning more towards enterprise businesses rather than small businesses.

Dropbox Business vs. Google Workspace

Dropbox Business and Google Workspace offer very different features for small businesses. We rated Dropbox Business lower because it is less affordable and does not offer the document creation capabilities that Google Workspace does. Google Workspace received our highest rating in the document management category page because it offers workflow automation, a robust document creation suite, and powerful team management tools.

OneDrive vs. Google Drive

OneDrive and Google Drive are the cloud storage tools in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, two of the most popular document management systems. Both of these cloud storage solutions are helpful for small businesses looking to securely store important documents. This is why we believe the primary factor in choosing between OneDrive or Google Drive depends on whether your team is already using Microsoft or Google products.

Bottom Line

When comparing document management platforms, you should first narrow your shortlist to the solutions we've covered above. From there, you should consider how advanced of a platform you need. The deciding factor between the two highest rated solutions is whether you prefer Microsoft or Google products. Here are some of the top solutions that we recommend for your business: