# Page 3 | Claris FileMaker Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 3 - Is Claris FileMaker the right Database solution for you? Explore 207 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 (207) [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 April 14th, 2026 # Page 3 - Reviews of Claris FileMaker ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 51-75 of 207 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use VR Verified Reviewer Intern Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The BEST tool for Creative Problem Solvers" March 5, 2019 5.0 We have used it to build custom workflows that integrate a facility calendar, invoicing clients for rental of space, and taking payments. Each company is unique, which is why it was so helpful to be able to build our own solution to the issues we were running into. Pros The flexibility offered by FileMaker is incredible. The more that I learn about how it works, the more I'm convinced that there's nothing you can't build with FileMaker at the core. Also, there's nothing like the community surrounding this platform. FileMaker developers are the most helpful, sharing people I've ever met. You never have to be afraid to ask a question if you get stuck because someone else has run into that problem before and they will help you through the other end. Cons Depending on your use case, it might be too expensive. The buy-in can be high so you have to be willing to invest in making something critical to your operations. Review Source Gary F. Database Magi Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Build your own... everything!" November 6, 2019 5.0 We use FileMaker for everything. We recently installed an SMS system (as an API tagged to SendHub). We can now send messages, track messages, view threads, and analyze usage - all from within our CRM which was built entirely in-house in FileMaker. Pros FileMaker allows anyone to create anything. Ok , that's a bit of an exaggeration. The truth is, with a little work, you can build most every kind of database you would need - Payroll, CRM, Time Management, Mass Market Email, Inventory, etc. And what you can't build, you can find skilled developers to build for you. Plus there are add-ons galore, and FileMaker is compatible with any system that allows for an API interface. Cons There are only three things wrong with FileMaker. They are 1) the price, 2) the price, 3) the price. It's not that the price tag is not necessarily hefty, but the pricing structure makes entry difficult for a small business. Yet, FileMaker is IDEAL for small businesses in every other way! Review Source JCG José Carlos G. Administración Wholesale Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Facilidad para trabajo diario " September 23, 2022 5.0 La operación esta concentrada en este sistema Pros Amigable Personalizable Compatible Facilidad para crear nuevos módulos y acceso desde la web e incluso Ios Cons Las actualizaciones interfieren con sistema operativo u ocasionan deje de funcionar mientras se actualiza Hace falta acceso más fácil a ayuda para usuarios Review Source Tony C. Director Web Technology Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "FileMaker: The Only Easy-To-Use Solution for SOHO" February 26, 2021 5.0 FileMaker currently runs my event business, and for 20 years ran my publishing business. I have FMP scripts that export structured data like white pages listings and vendor listings. These scripts have run, with little modification for decades—that says a lot. Pros FileMaker works right out of the box as a relational database that can run the back end of your business. Doctors, shopkeepers and consultants can all benefit from using FileMaker. It's powerful yet, simple to use. Cons Over the years, the licensing of FMP has progressively gotten worse. If I could find another solution, I would. Believe me, I have looked. I return to FMP because I can develop sophisticated solutions myself, or with the help of a seasoned developer. 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 Darrel R. Director Sports Used the software for: 2+ years ### "FileMaker Rocks!" June 11, 2020 5.0 Pros I had previously setup a student database in Microsoft Access and it was just way too difficult to understand for someone with very little programming experience. FileMaker was very easy to setup and was easy to import all my data from Access and setting things up was basically drag and drop things onto new layouts. Cons The help / manual included with the software leaves a lot to be desired, but the great thing about FileMaker is that the community both official and unofficial is extremely helpful plus lots of great resources on YouTube...many of the big developers for FileMaker offer FREE tutorials on YouTube for people who are complete beginners like I was Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Filemaker Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best solution to do application." September 18, 2019 5.0 Filemaker helps the developer to create applications more easily, in addition, for the client it is cheaper if the application is developed in less time. The Filemaker interface makes designing and organizing easier and we can create designs more quickly. Pros Easy do applications and understand the application. Easy interface to work. Share a database between different users. Strong security. Multiplatform, you can develop in Windows, Mac, Web and smartphone. Very customizable layouts, scripts and database. Cons Limited on some occasions. If your solution is very simple, is possible that Filemaker is not a platform for you. Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker Because of its ease of use and rapid learning, it helps not to spend so much time on some tasks that should be simple and create solutions that customers are happy with. Review Source aC allison C. consultant Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The only database you will EVER need" February 10, 2020 5.0 We use Filemaker for all of our database and customer relation needs. It is extremely easy to set up and teach users how to navigate. Much different software integrate very easily with Filemaker. Filemaker is a dream to work with. If you can imagine it you can create it with a FileMaker layout. You can even use it to set up your website. Users can also access your databases via a web interface with no need for a license. Another great feature is the mobile apps which run very smoothly. Pros Ease of Use Features Stability Updates Integrations Cons Licensing prices . Fees to obtain newer and better versions. Alternatives considered [AdvancedMD for Mental Health](https://www.capterra.com/p/183961/AdvancedMD-for-Mental-Health/) Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker Filemaker was more flexible, affordable, and easier to use. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) advanced MD was very expensive and you had to pay them to make any customizations. Filemaker you can customize every part of it yourself. Review Source SS Sara S. coordinatrice nationale Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Un outil de gestion de base de données facile à utiliser et accessible" September 21, 2022 5.0 Ce logiciel nous permet de gérer toutes les personnes qui contactent ou participent aux activités de l'association, les versements des adhésions et des dons, les participations aux formations, universités d'été, sessions, de faire des statistiques sur les participants, les adhérents, de générer les reçus fiscaux, de gérer les abonnements à la revue éditée par l'association, d'effectuer les relances en fin d'abonnements etc... Pros On peut l'utiliser de façon basique même sans avoir de formation spécifique. Il est accessible en terme d'utilisation (recherche, actions de base) même pour quelqu'un qui ne s'y connait pas en base de données, car relativement intuitif et convivial. Quand on maitrise vraiment l'outil, il offre une panoplie de possibilités et remplace à lui seul plusieurs autres logiciels (mailing, factures, statistiques...) Cons La fonctionnalité de mailing à une liste de personnes peut présenter des bug parfois Alternatives considered [Microsoft Access](https://www.capterra.com/p/233275/Microsoft-Access/) Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker plus simple d'utilisation et plus convivial Review Source Jisselle B. Managing Director Staffing and Recruiting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "It's a robust tool but the UI makes it challenging to use " November 21, 2023 3.0 I have used Filemaker with a client for a while now, and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it's a robust tool, the search functionality is impressive, and I really appreciate it. However, I find the UI to be very dated, clunky, and challenging to use. It stalls frequently, and it's not the most user-friendly product out there. I also think that it requires some training to really grasp its full potential. Pros I like the search functionality. I can create custom searches and get all the information I want at my fingertips with a couple prompts. Cons The UI is very dated. It's clunky, it stalls, it's difficult to use. You need training to really grasp it; it's not the most user-friendly product. It's robust but clunky. 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 DN Doug N. IT Manager;;;;;;;;;;; Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "FIleMaker - Tasty - Great" December 2, 2020 5.0 I cannot learn this product fast enough. The ability for FileMaker to talk to anything else on the internet is just amazing. It has help our business grow quickly without the overhead and everyone just loves what it can do. Pros How easy it was to go mobile within minutes of deployment. Data that was traditionally tied to PC and servers was suddnely in the hands of our team out in the field. With no training we had mobile apps overnight. Cons The WIndows platform is a bit behind vs. the Mac. You can detect that support for WIndows is certainly there but always behind. It is slowly gaining ground though. Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker Speed of development. Cost. Flexibility 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 VR Verified Reviewer Director of Education Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Obsolete Database Software - Stay Away!" February 9, 2022 2.0 Pros We were sold on how customizable it would be... Cons Everything. First, this system is obsolete and no one uses it. Second, it is extremely difficult to make any changes or adjustments to our custom database. It’s not intuitive, it’s not “pretty” and it’s clunky and gives errors often. Review Source Reinaldo O. Principal DBA Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Its a very good software. You can easily developper other programs and have access to your BDD" July 27, 2018 4.0 Its very easy to develop with and I've created many applications for the enterprise that I work for. Pros You can easily developper other programs and have access to your BDD Make links between tables and between files its easy It is posible to create the scripts in order to simplify further jobs Cons The script must be done in the langue of your OS. I work in France, so mines are in french, that dificults the job when i have to search for help in forums cause the scripts that I've found are allways in english and then i have to translate the syntax. NO ALLWAYS EASY 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 JM Jenn M. Owner/music promoter Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Just-right database management software" March 24, 2019 5.0 I've been using FileMaker Pro as my database management software for over ten years. I'm dug in enough now with it that I don't expect to change, but I also don't want to. Pros I came in as a total novice, not a coder or any kind of database professional, and was able to build the forms and pages I needed to keep the info on my contacts organized and clear. It's a lightweight program that doesn't use much memory even for a database with thousands of pages, so it can move quickly and sort easily. I'm still discovering functionality years later that I didn't know existed, but happy with what I have already figured out. Cons I found it annoying that when I recently got a new computer and had to get a new copy of Filemaker, it couldn't read my .fp7 file, so it had to update the file, which then makes it unreadable on the old software on my old computer. Why couldn't they have just made one universal Filemaker file extension type? But that's a minor complaint. Review Source Cleto Luca C. Industrial Designer Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Claris FileMaker è davvero chiaro " March 5, 2023 5.0 Un esperienza entusiasmante, è bastato poco tempo per comprenderne il funzionamento e è possibile lavorare a 4 mani su un progetto. Pros Di solito imparare a utilizzare un nuovo software può richiedere grandi sforzi, per Claris FileMaker non è affatto così. L' interfaccia è intuitiva, in pochissimo tempo si comprende il funzionamento e si è già operativi. Cons Il programma potrebbe essere implementato con librerie di script opensource rendendo più accessibile la proggettazione dell'user experience legata al design di App. 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. David H. Software Engineer Semiconductors Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Create applications with speed and versatility" April 30, 2022 5.0 Claris FileMaker is a powerful solution for building custom applications and simplifying processes with workflows that are fully tailored to our business. Pros It has a visually pleasing and easy to use user interface. It is highly customizable and quite easy to set up. It has the drag and drop tool that makes it easy to create presentations. It has a significant number of templates ready to use. The ability to combine plugins streamlines the process for creating applications. Cons They can give you greater dynamics Incorporating integrations of applications commonly used in the office and its cost is significantly high. Review Source 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 Deanna B. owner Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great database software for client management" April 6, 2018 5.0 Pros I found this software super easy to learn on the job. It gave me instant access to millions of customers, searches, custom finds, everything I could imagine I needed right there. Cons We had so many customers and pets in our system it would often crash on us leading to a whole skew of problems at the office and more work when it came back online to catch up all the changes we needed to make to each client file that called. 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 ravi R. Associate Software Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Makes the development rapid" August 23, 2018 4.0 We use the dashboard screen of Filemaker for tracking of projects, orders and management of inventory. Filemaker combines our cloud services into one unit. It helps us analsying the project needs through scientific data. It has enhanced visions for our techniques. Pros It has a complex structure which makes it robust yet it is very easy to use and learn. It makes the planning very easy for our projects. Commands and scripts can be easily combined. It has many custom solutions for different needs and you can get it working in no time. It is very flexible and customisable. Cons It lacks some of the visualisation techniques for the representation just same as excel sheets. It should also have more licensing options for the small scale to medium scale companies. Review Source 一野 一子 野. 経営者 Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "ユーザレベルに応じた選択バージョンを可能に" July 4, 2023 3.0 弊社では創業以前から２０年以上継続して使用している。販売管理、経理、給与計算、顧客管理など連動して使用している。 Pros データベースのプログラミング知識がなくても言語感覚でスクリプトを作成することができること。Macユーザ、Windowsユーザが共有して利用できること。 Cons ２０年以上のユーザだが、年々機能が増強されて複雑になりすぎて、作業時間ロスとなることが多い。頭の回転が年々鈍いせいもあるかもしれないが、初級レベルと、プロレベルで分けて販売すべきかと。集計後のグラフ作成も行えるようにしてほしい。　また、最低５ライセンスは必要ないので、１ライセンスから購入できるようにしてほしい。年間契約ではなく、月額のサブスク契約を希望している。 Reason for choosing Claris FileMaker MacでもWindowsでも利用できるソフトだったから。弊社ではMacユーザ、Windowsユーザが混在しているので。 Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Project Management](https://www.capterra.com/project-management-software/)[Application Development](https://www.capterra.com/application-development-software/)[Content Management](https://www.capterra.com/content-management-software/) ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.