M-Files vs Mayan EDMS

Fit:

Migration notes

Partial fit for document storage, metadata, versioning and approval workflows. Rebuild M-Files metadata relationships, workflows, access rules and Microsoft 365 experiences; Mayan API supports custom integration but no direct vault migration was verified.

Sources: www.m-files.com, docs.mayan-edms.com · checked 2026-10-21

M-FilesPaid incumbent

Entry priceUSD 65 / seat / month

Pricing modelper-seat, billed annual

OwnerM-Files Corporation

Essentials EUR65/seat/month; subscriptions typically billed annually, other terms by agreement. Enterprise custom quote. Source

M-Files plans reviewed
Essentials	entry	USD 780 / seat / yr
Essentials	business	USD 780 / seat / yr
Enterprise	enterprise	Quote only

Mayan EDMSOpen-source alternative

Fit for M-Files

License

GNU General Public License v2.0 The GNU GPL is the most widely used free software license and has a strong copyleft requirement. When distributing derived works, the source code of the work must be made available under the same license. There are multiple variants of the GNU GPL, each with different requirements. May Commercial useModificationDistributionPrivate use Must License and copyright noticeState changesDisclose sourceSame license No LiabilityWarranty Summary from GitHub's choosealicense.com

Paid-feature tier A

Self-host

Paid-feature limitsNone established

Mayan EDMS plans reviewed
Open-source core	free self-hosted core	Free
Level4enterprise support	optional paid support for self-hosted software	USD 13,188 / support contract for one installation / yr
Custom contract support	optional enterprise support	USD 35,000 / support contract starting price / yr

What you may give up

No paid-feature limits established for this edition.

Paid support contracts restrict covered users/documents/installations and offer SLAs, migration assistance, customization and early access; these are service terms.
Optional external OpenAI API usage may incur provider costs; local Ollama integration also documented.

Tier A: Current canonical GitLab LICENSE and official FAQ establish GPL-2.0-only since 4.6; Apache metadata belongs to older mirror. Public software includes workflows, versions, OCR, granular permissions and REST API. Commercial support tiers limit service coverage, not software user/document capacity. No separate paid software edition identified. License source

What running it takes

RabbitMQ
Application with background Celery workers
Persistent application/document and database volumes

Hover or focus an icon for its name. Dashed means not established; struck through means no; grouped icons are alternatives.

Official4.12.2 documentation and currently linked s4.12 Compose stack. Minimum and recommended sizing distinct; actual throughput depends on OCR and document workload. Infrastructure and staff time are not priced here; this page does not compare total cost.