5 min read
Christina Miranda
In this complete Hyland OnBase review we analyze features, honest reviews and a solid alternative to help you find the best ECM for your company.
Are you considering OnBase as your ECM to manage your content and automate your processes?
Choosing the perfect option is as tricky as it is important.
In this Hyland OnBase review we gather all the information you need to know before committing.
OnBase is an enterprise content management (ECM) and process automation platform developed by Hyland. Like most ECM solutions, it is designed to automate your workflows and centralize your company’s content throughout its lifecycle.
OnBase captures information from documents, emails, forms, records, and case files to organize it and make it accessible and protected.
The tool combines storage, workflow automation, case management, records retention, and real-time analytics.
OnBase connects content directly to the business processes it supports.
This allows you to automate manual tasks (such as approvals or data entry), enforce compliance policies, and provide your team (or clients) with instant access to the information they need to make decisions.
The platform offers low-code configuration tools to tailor workflows and interfaces to your needs and it connects to your ERP, CRM, and HR software.
OnBase supports point-and-click integration with tools such as Microsoft 365, SAP, Salesforce, Workday, Epic, and Oracle.
With this ECM’s APIs and web services you could check invoices from your ERP, view client documentation from your CRM interface or retrieve employee records without switching tools.
The interface is intuitive although it can seem a bit outdated at times.
You can access OnBase via desktop, web browser, or mobile app, and build custom dashboards, shortcuts, and configurable task panes.
The beauty of an ECM lied in its features, beyond document storage.
OnBase captures your documents from multiple sources included scanners, email inboxes, fax servers, digital forms, mobile devices, and other apps.
This information is captures, classified, and validates into structured business data.
OnBase uses OCR and intelligent capture algorithms to automatically identify metadata and index documents for its retrieval.
This is a good option if you’re managing large volumes of invoices, claims, or HR documents.
OnBase’s process automation engine allows you to automate workflows and reduce repetitive manual tasks.
The system uses configurable workflows, built-in business rules, and low-code design tools with which you can map out processes visually and automate actions such as routing, approvals, and notifications.
OnBase can automatically direct your document and tasks to the appropriate users based on defined business logic.
If there are any irregularities or there is information missing, the tool will flag this error for review.
OnBase can work alongside robotic automation tools to handle data entry or cross-system updates automatically.
OnBase provides a case-centric view of information including all data, documents, communications, and activities related to a specific case are consolidated into one interface.
For example, in a customer service department, interactions, forms, and approvals related to a customer’s request are accessible in one place.
You can track progress, view case histories, manage deadlines, and set automated escalations when a case requires immediate attention.
Case management including a centralized dashboard that is updated automatically, task tracking and activity log, and automated alerts and reminders,
To build your case management dashboard you can use case templates from different departments.
Collaboration and document control includes secure document sharing, co-authoring, and version management, where your team member can edit the same document (as long as they have the appropriate permissions).
OnBase offers version control to ensure that users always work on the latest document while retaining a detailed history of prior changes in audit trails.
Integrated notifications and task lists keep your teams aligned on deadlines, comments, and approvals.
Security features, such as role-based access controls (RBAC) and audit trails, ensure that all collaborative actions are tracked and compliant with corporate and regulatory standards.
OnBase offers a retention and records management system that governs the full lifecycle of your company’s content.
Once documents are captured, they are automatically tagged with retention policies and metadata based on their type, department, or regulatory requirements.
This makes it easy for anyone to search for any document without needing specific keywords.
With this feature you can also schedule file retention, archival, or deletion automatically. This automation reduces legal risk, ensures compliance with standards such as GDPR and HIPAA.
Ratings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
G2 4.4/5 | Capterra 4.3/5
Most users highlight the fact that OnBase is pretty easy to use and has a user-friendly and intuitive interface.
However, there are many negative comments highlighting update issues and technical issues, which means that this solution could be useful if you don’t really need very advanced automation or you don’t have very large volumes of documents or content to store in the ECM.
Users do note that pricing can scale quickly due to add-ons, although many mention that features such as the Unity Forms are worth it and work well with OCR technology.
Some users have also noted that, while OnBase has grown a lot over the past few years and has added lots of automation and advanced features, they have fallen behind on the most basic feature: document storage.
An alternative to OnBase is Dokmee. They are both ECM platforms that offer automation, workflows, and automated file retention. However, Dokmee still keeps the “content management” side of things updated and protected and offers deep customization in organization and roles and permissions.
OnBase positions itself as a full-scope ECM and content services platform aimed at large enterprises, regulated industries and global operations.
It offers deep document-capture capabilities (including OCR, multichannel ingestion and metadata extraction), extensive workflow and case-management engines, rich governance and records-management tools, and strong integration with enterprise systems such as ERP, CRM and industry-specific applications.
However, this depth of functionality comes with trade-offs: a steeper learning curve, requirement for more dedicated IT/configuration effort, a longer implementation period and relatively higher cost.
Additionally, OnBase can only be hosted on the cloud, whereas Dokmee offers hybrid implementation for an easier transition or for those who work in highly regulated industries that need that extra layer of security.
Dokmee emphasises user-adoption, speed to value and simpler deployment.
It is designed to capture, store, search and manage documents and content fluidly, and to provide workflow and retention functionality with less overhead.
OnBase may require months of planning, fine-tuning and training before a full roll out, particularly when customised applications are involved. Dokmee often offers a quicker start, allowing organisations to onboard document-management and workflow capabilities more rapidly with lower overhead.
In short: if you’re looking for rapid deployment, ease of use, lower upfront cost and faster ROI, then Dokmee might be the more pragmatic choice.
OnBase is a very complete enterprise content management platform.
It combines intelligent data capture, low-code process automation, case management, and cross-application integration.
It is a good option if you need to unify your content strategy with accurate collaboration with your team.
OnBase provides a scalable and secure environment that evolves with organizational needs.
However, initial setup and customization can be complex and it lacks an on-premise deployment, making is unsuitable for highly regulated industries, such as legal firms or governments.
A solid alternative that has strong focus on document management, automated retention, flexible deployment, and collaboration is Dokmee.
If you’re ready to try, contact the team now.
Christina Miranda 
