Claris FileMaker Reviews

Filemaker gives us a really easy to develop environment. You can start with a blank canvas, sketch up something, use it, and refine it. Even if it called low code, you can do a lot of advanced things.

I wish I can have more help from the support. Our company wants to step up and invenst into this platform. Maybe I should reach out the awesome community instead of our direct contact.
We had troubles connecting different kind of databases to our current solution. You have to really know what are the limitation of the software.

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.

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!

Instant compilation & execution of syntax-free code, visually-based object-linking / selection, immediate UI changes, plug-in and web-service extensibility, multi-platform deployment of single code-base solutions, from desktop to web and mobile.

Cost is the only consideration when recommending, though in comparison to other systems, it offers better value, just would benefit from a lower entry-level option for people to discover its power.

I like that FileMaker is simple to learn (and to keep learning), with tons of resources available online including their own forums. Between youtube videos and some paid Lynda.com courses I feel very confident I can develop quality database solutions for my company. It's great software and I actually enjoy working with it.

The recent pricing structure change for version 17 file has me concerned about the direction FileMaker might be taking. So we've held onto version 16 for now and will be waiting to upgrade. Other than concerns about pricing I don't have anything else bad to say about it.

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.

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.

I regularly use this software for inventory reasons, especially in relation to art. With that said, it allows you to build your own layout and database to adapt it to exactly what you want it to be. When fully adapted it works beautifully. Using it in the context of galleries or other spaces where it has been set up is a dream. It allows relatively easy searches in many categories, allowing you to create very specific, isolated keywords to find things later (such as their price, year created, subject matter, title, name of creator etc). It's very useful.

This software is not easy to set up. I did a trial run at my house, as an artist myself, to see if I could use filemaker for my own inventory needs. Once I had the software downloaded, I found it exceedingly complicated to begin to create the boxes/ qualifiers with which I wanted to be able to add data. I don't consider myself a novice with softwares. I think I'm fairly capable on a computer and even after watching a few YouTube tutorials I ended up giving up on the prospect of using this at home. It seems more relevant for businesses where there is someone well-versed in database softwares to adapt it to yoru specific needs.

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.

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.

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.

Limited on some occasions.
If your solution is very simple, is possible that Filemaker is not a platform for you.

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.

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.

This software gets the job done. You can create databases and stores and more with this software; it's very flexible.

This database solution was by far the hardest software I've had to learn how to use. Frequently our company had to hire consulting companies to manage our legacy databases after our lead designer left the team.

The ease of creating forms and spreadsheets for data tracking with this software was pretty great. We used this mainly in our event planning business and I didn't really have a complaint. You can tell the program what information you need and it will track it and input what ever you've indicated you need it to input. It definitely depends on user input and you have to take the time to ensure your databases are updated. If you do that, you won't have a problem.

The only real aspect I didn't like was that there was no workflow type tracking. As our business grew, this is something we desperately needed, but it was never marketed to us as such, so I can't really complain about this. If you're looking for an all in one platform, this wouldn't be my first choice.

Import your Excel spreadsheet, place a few fields on a form, within minutes you have created a user interface as a starting point for what can become a very powerful business application. Using the database manager, you can create links between data tables quickly and visually. Cross platform capable! Run the application on a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or use a web interface (requires the server product). Once you start using this product, and it becomes an integral part of your business operation, you can either teach yourself the advanced features, or hire a consultant to help you out as there is a very strong developer community. The development language is a easy to learn scripting language.

FileMaker still struggles to gain acceptance in IT departments, and yet it is a legitimate application development environment with very powerful capabilities.

Excellent software and easy to use. Have been using this software for the last 25 years.

The software has suddenly turned into ransomware. Windows 10 is no longer supported by Filemaker, I now find myself in the position of being forced to buy completely new software in order to access my files. It wouldn't be so bad if I could upgrade but no apparently I can't upgrade from my version to Filemaker Pro 19.

Options to choose font, color, formatting (test only, currency, etc). Ease of use for existing forms

Making any changes to existing applications/forms and adding new ones. Almost have to have a computer programming degree