# Claris FileMaker Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Claris FileMaker the right Database solution for you? Explore 206 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/162784/FileMaker/reviews --- Claris FileMaker 4.3 (206) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/162784/FileMaker/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Claris FileMaker Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 3.9 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Elizabeth L PRODUCT MANAGERRetail, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Claris FileMaker is a powerful low-code platform that makes it easy to build, deploy, and scale custom database apps.“ January 28, 2026 KK Kris K OwnerAlternative Medicine, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The hosting part was a bit clunky. “ September 25, 2025 Con K Data Processing DeveloperComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It has the design tools to create the front-end (or the user interface), it has a superb internal programming language (aka "middleware") to create the logic and finally it has an astonishing storage capacity for data (the "backend") — here, we're talking about millions of records. As experience grows so too will your ability to create more sophisticated applications.“ June 20, 2024 TS TED S CFOLaw Practice, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The system seems to be outdated and the support was insufficient“ January 3, 2025 Con K Data Processing DeveloperComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Warning: the more you learn the more addictive FileMaker becomes. When you experience the magic of the simple Go to Layout script step, creating layouts becomes explosive. When you the learn the more complicated Loop script step, creative use for it explodes. And that's how it is: the more you learn, the more empowered you feel, the more you dare to be creative.“ June 20, 2024 Ben E OwnerPublishing, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I love FileMaker as my primary CRM but the lack of integration with iCloud et al means that it cannot serve as a core part of my workflow.“ June 8, 2023 OI Osmund Lind I CEO and ChairmanCommercial Real Estate, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “FM has limitations in large corporations, but for smaller work groups it is efficient, self-explanatory, and something we found invaluable: non-programmers on staff were triggered and motivated to learn more and contribute to developing.“ December 16, 2024 Henrik W Support technicianMarketing and Advertising, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “FileMaker is an oddball in the database field, and it can be hard to find best practices and tutorials for FileMaker.“ April 16, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 206 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Chiara G. Pm Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool for related database " April 19, 2025 5.0 I like very much the tool as it's easy to learn, it doesn't need deep coding knowledge and it's very user-friendly. The community is great as you can find a lot of documentation and information to use it. Pros Ease of use, very intuitive and user-friendly and allows you to create a related database easily and quickly Cons Visual elements are not responsive with window size Alternatives considered [Microsoft Access](https://www.capterra.com/p/233275/Microsoft-Access/) Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker Ease of setting up and deployment of the tool Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) In order to create related database and the ease of use of crm and contacts Review Source Ben E. Owner Publishing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "So many missed opportunities" June 8, 2023 5.0 I love FileMaker as my primary CRM but the lack of integration with iCloud et al means that it cannot serve as a core part of my workflow. Right now, I'm obliged to keep my personal and business life separate which might seem fine on the surface but I would like to take advantage of Filemaker for personal projects too, which is hard right now. Pros Claris Filemaker is overall excellent for creating custom databases. It offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features that make it easy to design and manage databases. If you know how to use iTunes, you know how to use Filemaker. It's got power and simplicity. Cons What frustrates me about FileMaker - as a freelancer - is the lack of out-of-the-box integration with Google, CardDav and CalDav servers, and - unforgivably - iCloud (considering that Claris is owned by Apple. Alternatives considered [Daylite for Mac](https://www.capterra.com/p/116272/Daylite-for-Mac/) Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker Flexiblity and customizability, as well as maintaining a similar standard of ease of use. Switched from [Daylite for Mac](https://www.capterra.com/p/116272/Daylite-for-Mac/) I wanted a bit more flexibility than Daylite could offer, and I dislike the subscription model. I thought that Filemaker would be most cost-effective in the long term. Review Source TS TED S. CFO Law Practice Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Using FileMaker" January 3, 2025 3.0 The system seems to be outdated and the support was insufficient Pros Flexibility of tracking costs and medical specials. Cons Cumbersome with regards to creating separate settlement memos. Review Source Elizabeth L. PRODUCT MANAGER Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Claris FileMarker - yes!" January 28, 2026 5.0 Claris FileMaker is a powerful low-code platform that makes it easy to build, deploy, and scale custom database apps. Pros Very flexible and customizable with strong database tools, fast development, cross-platform access, and solid integration options. Cons Pricing can be high for small teams, and advanced features require time to learn and may need technical expertise. Review Source Henrik W. Support technician Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Super easy application development" April 16, 2023 4.0 I've been using FileMaker for 25 years and it's a tool that just keeps on giving. Pros File Maker is super easy to set up and super easy to become proficient in. It's super reliable to use a tool that's 30 years old, and still getting powerful additions regularly. Cons FileMaker is an oddball in the database field, and it can be hard to find best practices and tutorials for FileMaker. Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker FileMaker is a tool that feels like it's made brand for humans, and it's complete product, not just a database tool, but a complete application development environment. Switched from [PostgreSQL](https://www.capterra.com/p/48791/PostgreSQL/)[MySQL](https://www.capterra.com/p/11482/MySQL/)[Microsoft Access](https://www.capterra.com/p/233275/Microsoft-Access/) FileMaker is much more easy to deploy and keep. And it's complete product, not just a database tool, but a complete application development environment. Review Source Glen S. Freelance Graphic Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fabulously easy to use Database software" February 21, 2020 5.0 I use it to manage contacts and expenses and I have built the database that a photo library use to run their business every day! I cannot fault this software! Pros I first started using this years ago when I ran an art department for a publishers, and wanted something more robust than Excel to manage the data! I instantly fell in love with this humble but powerful software! Once you get past the "If Then" stuff it's a doddle to set up very complex seeming databases that analyse, your data and build reports for you! Cons If anything it's pretty minor they could use an idiots walk through to get you over the initial hurdles of understanding logic queries, but even without this, this software is so elegantly simple even a moron like me managed to get by! Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Excel was far to weak to manage the vast amount of text I needed to store, I was recording notes and also due dates against actuals to see how we were performing, building custom reports to so clearly where bottle-necks were! I could not have accomplished what I did without this software acting as the back bone! Review Source Nicolas M. Technical Engineer Printing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "FileMaker Pro is the easiest database manager for everyone" March 2, 2021 5.0 Very stable ! We use it now on our Windows server and several Win and Mac clients. Pros The easy and stable way to use it and improve it daily, as you want. Cons Only iOS mobile App (no Android). Restriction without big consequence for me. Alternatives considered [Odoo](https://www.capterra.com/p/135618/Odoo/) Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker First on the market with light knowledge and stable result : we use it since 1995 ! Review Source OJ Olen J. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Filemaker is worth the investment" June 16, 2025 5.0 I have been using Filemaker since version 1 in the 1980's when I was learning database design at university. The company has been gradually and systematically improving the product, adopting the best practices and technology. The price point has remained appropriate considering the value. Many of our solutions were started 30 years ago, and work just as well, or even better today. We also add new solutions and making processes more efficient on a daily basis. The point is that the investment in Filemaker for the past 30 years at this company has been completely worth the cost. For example, using Filemaker to automate our processes in our small company saves the cost of at least 3 employees out of 12. That is a 25% reduction in payroll for using Filemaker. There is a broad base of other companies and users that provide training, tutorials, and plug-in products that there is virtually nothing you cannot do. Pros Filemaker is completely customizable, they incorporate all the latest technology and best practices. For the past 30 years it has been a stable platform which is consistently improving. Cons When the API returns the record id for a newly created record, it would be valuable to also return the uuid. Review Source KK Kris K. Owner Alternative Medicine Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Hightly recommend Filemaker" September 25, 2025 5.0 Filemaker was amazing in that it let us have exactly what we wanted and nothing more. We could make interactions work our way rather than a generic way that appeased the masses. Pros It made making our own application simple. We could build exactly what we wanted without the extra. Cons The hosting part was a bit clunky. We opted for remote hosting which helped, but it was still not ideal. Review Source OLI Osmund Lind I. CEO and Chairman Commercial Real Estate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "30 years of joy" December 16, 2024 4.0 This is perhaps an unusual review, based on 30+ years with FileMaker. As Editor-in-Chief of Australian Macworld, I used it to drive a Macintosh Products Guide describing all the thousands of software and hardware available to Mac users. It was a formidable project published in print by us annually. Apple at the time had tried to build its own, first in HyperCard of all things, but asked us nicely if they might borrow ours. Since then I have used FM for many purposes both privately and in business, primarily because you can have a new ad hoc database up and running in one day. Flexibility is its main advantage, combining search and report output in almost any combination you want. Example: for the Product Guide we first entered data for each product in appropriate fields, then exported the entire set tab-delimited to a text editor, performed advanced manual and automated editing using UNIX-based and GREP scripts, imported the (huge) and now textually clean file back into FM, then used report functions to re-export it with formatting codes for each field to a professional typesetting machine that could print 100 magazine pages without modification. That began in late 1980s long before FM became relational. Today and with FM of the 2020s, I often ask people why they use a spreadsheet where FM gives them better summaries and overviews. I gave up on accounting software for invoicing and built it in FM because there I could tie it to non-accounting to data, notes and full data on real estate properties, contracts, reminders and so forth, all available in one place. In a broadband company, we could track disparate sets of data on thousands of customers, from IP addresses and routers to subscription and invoicing data. With the same tool we could run the technical network and take care of the financials. Then, here is an oddball: For my sailing yacht I built an “inventory” db of permanent stores and current provisions. Clickable images of the interior allowed us to click on a cupboard and see what it contained, or vice versa we could find the location of a spanner by clicking on it. Food supplies were automatically updated as we consumed or purchased, and based on dietary tables it could calculate how many days they’d last. Travel logs were of course also implemented and timestamped. The point of these examples is not that it can be done, but that FM is so intuitive that you are tempted to use it. Numbers, text, images, sounds, web URLs, mail, who cares – they can all find their space. A Swiss Army knife. FM has limitations in large corporations, but for smaller work groups it is efficient, self-explanatory, and something we found invaluable: non-programmers on staff were triggered and motivated to learn more and contribute to developing. Some even became developers themselves. Pros Versatility and rapid development. It motivates non-professional staff. Cons Pricing policy. Sometimes slow to integrate with industry standards; the Filemaker Go solution works but is clumsy. Review Source TW Todd W. Vice President Real Estate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Perfect for our use." January 8, 2025 4.0 Has worked great. Able to get out of it what we need. Pros It works perfect for our uses. Integrates excellent Cons Complicated for the laymen user, but with some experience it's fine. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Co Founder Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Filemaker Pro Developer for many years" July 24, 2018 5.0 Pros Filemaker Pro allows you to prototype and built database production grade applications fast. The nicest thing about Filemaker Pro is that you built the database structure, scripts and layouts in the same application. Building lay outs is as easy as drag and drop and doesn't require extensive design skills or knowledge of secondary technologies such as HTML/CSS/JavaScript. Personally I think anyone who's willing to dedicated some time for training is able to become a Filemaker Developer. Another nice thing is that database applications can easily be integrated with mobile platforms. Filemaker applications can be hosted online (cloud), on premise on Filemaker Server and locally on the Filemaker client. The applications that I've build with Filemaker run for 10+ years already on a Filemaker Server multi site environment and is in use by 25+ people on a daily basis. Filemaker is regularly updated (major versions usually once a year) which introduces new features. These updates make Filemaker better each round, for instance the latest upgrade introduces sensory perception for IOS devices and a new administration console. Finally, the development and implementation costs of Filemaker Pro applications are very low compared to enterprise database solutions making it really attractive for SMB. The licensing is server and client based and there is also a subscription based license to be paid annually. Cons The pros of Filemaker Pro heavily outweigh its cons but here is a few: - Performance of applications is nowhere as good as that of enterprise solutions, especially when multiple clients from different sites connect to an on premise hosted server. - Filemaker has its own scripting engine, which is pretty good, but some functions/operations can be a bit difficult to implement due to its limitations which is easier in SQL. Review Source SM Steve M. President Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Claris Filemaker Pro" January 25, 2022 4.0 Our overall experience with FileMaker has been very rewarding because of the amount of training help available. Pros Ease of use makes the learning curve of this product easier to deploy than other products. Cons The biggest problem with Filemaker has to do with upgrading. When Claris issues a new major upgrade, previous templates cannot use the new upgrade. Your templates have to be recreated in the upgraded version to take advantage of any new features. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Ease of use. Review Source DW David W. Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy, powerful do it yourself solution" November 14, 2018 5.0 I have used FileMaker for 22 years and am continually impressed with its evolution. It has leap-frogged passed Access as a "home database" and now competes with top-level professional data solutions. FileMaker Go is a pleasure to use. I have built my own Contacts solution that is years ahead of anything in the iOS app store. I wish a customer portal could be built to make dealing with support issues easier. The single biggest request, an Android version, falls on deaf ears; likely because FileMaker is owned by Apple Inc. Pros The FileMaker platform (desktop, server, cloud, FileMaker Go mobile app) is lightyears in simplicity ahead of Microsoft Access - which I often hear as the "go-to do it yourself" solution. FileMaker is ridiculously simple to use, especially when using a built-in starter solution. FileMaker scales to almost enterprise levels of use. The scripting functionality make creation of custom apps (no longer called "solutions") a very quick affair. FileMaker works with Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and the iOS FileMaker Go App. Pricing is very reasonable considering all it does. Cons Development of the platform usually runs slower than emerging technologies can be incorporated. There is no Android version of the mobile app. The web app is an acceptable solution for simple solutions, but usually not a good option for apps using complex scripting. Support can be challenging. There is no customer portal to manage keys and payment information. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Designer & Photographer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "FileMaker solved many problems with our production workflow " February 5, 2019 4.0 We solved workflow problems with our business. Now all stakeholders can view the status of any project, and be alerted of changes. Requests (job tickets) are easy to manage and assign to a lead. Searching for past projects is now a click away, versus our exceedingly large Excel sheets from the past. Pros I find the customization of FileMaker to be the key to its success. With some software development knowledge, I can set it up how I'd like it and maintain it for a low overall cost. In my company we specifically used a FileMaker development company to build out our custom system, which cut all the paper out of our workflow, and cut out unnecessary data re-entry. A huge time saver. Cons If you have no developing knowledge, you may be left to use an out of the box solution, which might not be exactly applicable to your situation. Also, it seems like it is difficult to do certain email things on Mac with Outlook. Things like click-through links back to the FileMaker system from an email notification. Review Source DS Duane S. Owner Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I have used the product as both a user/administrator, and as developer." April 25, 2018 4.0 Pros The software is easy to use and relatively easy to learn from a developer's standpoint. It has all of the functional capability one needs to develop a useful database application, such as contact/client management or - in my case - management of an art gallery's permanent collection. Cons What do you do when you outgrow the system or want to migrate to a more robust database system? For me this is the major drawback of Filemaker Pro - there are no tools to help you export a complete file that can be imported into another database. You can import text fields and fields with yes/no on/off switches, but you cannot export images/photographs. This is a major drawback if you are planning to use the product for a couple of years before migrating to a standard relational database. Basically, Filemaker Pro files are proprietary files and are not accessible to standard relational database methods, such as SQL. This is okay if (a) you will not outgrow the product or (b) you have no images/photographs included in the database. Review Source JT Julio T. IT Consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best cross-platform rapid application development framework out there!" June 12, 2017 5.0 We have been developing custom B2B apps extensively on this platform for over 15 years and use it internally for our own business. Pros You can quickly and easily design powerful and sophisticated custom applications that run on Mac, Windows, iOS, and the Web. You develop once and deploy the same base code on all platforms, customizing your forms according to each platform's needs. Their iOS runtimes take great advantage of Apple technologies like: the buit-in GPS hardware and external iBeacons for location/geolocation based workflows  the built-in camera for snapping photos and reading 2-D Barcode (barcode scanning) multi-touch, for gesture-triggered actions and capturing on-screen signatures Their Server and Cloud products are among the easiest to deploy and maintain. Their proprietary WebDirect technology is the easiest and fastest way to deploy web-based applications for workgroups that I have ever seen. Their suite of built-in web-integration capabilities spans the gamut: PHP, cURL, REST APIs, XML, and WebDirect. Cons Lack of a built-in push notification mechanism, either thru their Servers or via the host OS. Also, their Cloud product could benefit from Load Balancing support. Review Source Roxanne F. Business Owner Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Filemaker Database" December 18, 2018 5.0 I use Filemaker for client lists and also for file references. Each file I allocate a number to it and enter it into Filemaker and at any given time, I can look up that file and see where it is at - it might be in my re-sub system, filed away or in my 'Action' trays - makes life a lot easier and quicker. Pros Filemaker is easy to set up your database and very easy to get reports on what data you want. You can set up a form style data entry platform and customise to your liking. I find this easier to use than using a spreadsheet style layout. Cons There isn't anything negative about this software that I have found. Review Source Aaron E. Founder and CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "What was so elegant got so messy" February 12, 2021 3.0 We used FileMaker for dozens of business processes over many years. But year by year it got more difficult to keep up with it's upgrades and changes. Finally, we abandoned it for a mix of integrated special-purpose tools that do what we want. Pros I used to like FileMaker, it was easy to use but powerful. As it evolved it got complex and confusing. It requires a computer scientist to figure out how to use it now. Cons It requires a computer scientist to figure out how to use it now. What was simple and intuitive became complicated and confusing. Alternatives considered [Airtable](https://www.capterra.com/p/146652/Airtable/)[Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Review Source Response from Claris February 15, 2021 Hi Aaron, thank you for your feedback. Our customers are very important to us so we have shared your notes with our product team. If you would like to discuss your experience further, please do not hesitate to reach out to our customer care specialists at customer\_support@claris.com. Jay L. Owner Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing Product" August 17, 2022 5.0 Excellent. Have used it for years and will continue to use it. Pros Flexibility, Ease of Use - This software makes it easy for almost anyone to develop a business solution. When I started using it, I had never done any development and still found the software intuitive. As I learned development in other platforms, I fully realized the brilliance in their UI. Cons Since it is a desktop based product, it requires frequent updates and must be installed on the machine of the users who need to use it. Review Source BD Brendan D. Director Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Customer support is horrible. Non existent " February 22, 2022 1.0 Pros Its customisation. Most processes can be replicated. Cons Customer support is horrible. Was repeatedly told id get a refund but it still hasn't arrived. Our programmer had difficulties uploading the files to cloud so we needed to host it elsewhere. We paid for licensing with the new host and have painfully been trying to get a refund for the cloud licence that we were unable to upload our files to. Review Source CT Cindy T. Account Director Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "FileMaker - A great, user-friendly database" October 9, 2020 5.0 I have found FileMaker to be very user friendly. It bridges the needs between our customer viewed data and our manufacturing needs. Pros I have used FileMaker in a manufacturing setting for 20+ years. It is a great solution for bringing together different data into one solution. The fact that we can alter the views for different aspects of our business is phenominal! I have trained many people on this software, and it is very user firendly and easy to use. Cons For our applications, a better interface with art files - such as .ai or .eps files would be wonderful. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CEO Atatiki UK Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Workplace Solutions for Any Business" December 12, 2019 5.0 Solving business data issues without huge implementations and long running projects. Pros Easy to prototype and visualise the solution. Easy integrations to most APIs. Restful API build in, just needs customisation. Works across multiple platforms and on the web. Cons The licensing models can take some time to understand, especially if you have a legacy licensing model. No native Android support. Review Source Dante G. Programador de software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent multiplatform to manage your databases for your application." May 15, 2018 5.0 It offers great performance for the management and creation of simple elements that need to be tested with a database. Pros A truly complete multi-platform, easy to use and quick to adapt at any time, providing a very good management of data and contacts for clients. Cons It is somewhat expensive, it is complicated when migrating a database but it is something that has a solution. Review Source MAG Mary Alice G. Co-Owner & Director of Marketing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "So Good We Became Developers as Well as Users" January 26, 2018 5.0 Pros FileMaker has been around forever, but it has made great strides in the last five years to become a modern, robust and versatile platform. It's our go-to platform for clients for whom off-the-shelf products aren't sufficient or don't warrant the cost and sweat equity required for some of the other platforms. From sales and workflow systems to contact and inventory management and everything in-between, we've yet to find a project for which FileMaker wasn't a viable platform option. In most cases, it's the ONLY option. Cons It can be intimidating for first-time users AND developers. The licensing and hardware requirements can also be prohibitive when pitching it to a client as the foundation for their project. Review Source Similar Products Featured