Name: FileMaker
Rating: 4.6 (43 reviews)

Overview

Product Information on FileMaker

Updated 13th October 2025

What is FileMaker?

FileMaker is a software that enables users to create custom applications for managing and automating data and workflows across various devices. It offers tools for building databases, organizing information, and developing interactive solutions to address operational needs in businesses or organizations. The software supports integration with other technologies and platforms, allowing connections to external data sources and web services. FileMaker addresses challenges related to manual data entry, inefficient processes, and disparate information by providing a unified environment for application development, data sharing, and process optimization, designed to improve productivity, collaboration, and information accessibility.

Overall experience with FileMaker

IT Business Analyst

Gov't/PS/ED <5,000 Employees, Education

FAVORABLE

“Exploring the Strengths and Challenges of FileMaker for Custom App Creation”

5.0

Jan 31, 2025

For building custom, inhouse, low-code, data-based applications, I found FileMaker to be excellent.

SYSTEMS ANALYST

Gov't/PS/ED 5,000 - 50,000 Employees, Education

CRITICAL

“Expensive DBMS with a front end GUI ”

3.0

Nov 1, 2023

UI is intuitive and easy to use. Forms are difficult to maintain and requires extensive knowledge and training. You could easily find a replacement for FileMaker, but my client refuses to use anything else...

About Company

Company Description

Claris is a company that provides a range of services that enable professionals in business teams of varying sizes to develop, disseminate and incorporate custom applications aimed at enhancing work productivity. The company's main focus is on solving business problems through technology.

Company Details

Company type

Public

Year Founded

2019

Head office location

Sunnyvale, United States

Number of employees

201 - 500

Website

http://www.claris.com

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Key Insights

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Reviewer Insights for: FileMaker

Performance of FileMaker Across Market Features

FileMaker Likes & Dislikes

When I started using FileMaker (back w/ version 7) I had no experience with relation databases. Despite that, I was fairly quickly able to build complex data-based applications. In my situation, I built a student information system that tracked attendance and grades, created schedules, generated invoices and managed applications. I found the power, flexibility and ease of use of FileMaker to be really great.

Great user interface for both the server and client. Good product support.

FileMaker provides a complete development environment that enables rapid creation of more customized solutions. The search functionality is impressive. A lot of third party systems integrate well with FileMaker.

1. There is definitely a learning curve as it isn't quite like any of the other tools out there. 2. It can be tricky to integrate with some things because it isn't so common. 3. Because it's so flexible, it's easy for a single developer to build very complicated, custom applications, which can mean you end up with something that only that developer truly understand which creates sustainability risk.

Complex for clients to improve their forms and databases, it requires training. The added complexity for developing forms also means that forms do not get updated. It's expensive for what it delivers. FileMaker upgrades do not upgrade form functionality with new features.

The UI looks and feels outdated, and sometimes it does stall. It is also hard to find best practices or tutorials. And licensing fees for additional features also make it a bit frustrating to want to upgrade.

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Recommended Gartner Insights

Gov't/PS/Ed

Education

Review Source

Exploring the Strengths and Challenges of FileMaker for Custom App Creation

MARKETING ASSOCIATE

50M-1B USD

IT Services

Maximizing Reporting Efficiency with FileMaker's Range of Capabilities

Dec 9, 2024

I really enjoy how FileMaker speeds up and simplifies my reporting needs through Excel. It offers a wide range of features and capabilities that make it easy to design and adapt to your needs.

Expensive DBMS with a front end GUI

IT MANAGER

<50M USD

Fantastic Database Design Product for Mac and Windows

Oct 2, 2023

This is the best and easiest way to create a database from scratch in a few weeks.

SCIENTIST

A software to manage products usage

Jun 26, 2022

With FileMaker we could make our laboratory much more organised and the reagents used can now be monitored