573 Claris FileMaker Reviews
I developed my first Filemaker database 1979 for my first business a recruitment company. That FM-v0 was developed on a MacPlus which had an orange screen and was ex the DevTeam.
While we now longer have a Recruitment business in our group of companies - I have developed custom FM data bases for each of our subsquent busubness - through 4 x Construction & Development companies to Business Consulting.
Those FM solutions have covered Scheduling / staff timing/task recording - and in case of Business Consulting a CRM database with 800+ fields of information ...
Best FM feature -- that you can literally add fields/features into a live FM Served database without any disruption to standard Users -- other than maybe for layout changes. What this has meant to our business - is that a new 'need' can you 'prototyped' and 'tested' live -- and either adopted or adapted --- this is a huge time-saver!! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
As long as Claris continues to offer & support FM Server that we can run internally on our own MacMini Server - with external VPN access when needed --- then there is absolutely nothing to dislike about Filemaker.
Note : historically there were changes on ownership - and emphasis on (only) cloud-based external Servers which we found unsettlingly !!
Remember : Many many users of Filemaker must have (presumedly) embraced the ease of creating and growing their own databases and related functionality ...
This feels possibly unique in the databaseApp world .. so please never loose sight of Filemaker's uniqueness !! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
FileMaker is an exceptionally accessible platform that's easy to customize for those who are curious and have moderate tech skills. It has the potential to revolutionize the way an organization operates. You can begin with a simple database and, as you grow more comfortable, scale up to create complex software solutions that can meet a wide range of needs. Additionally, FileMaker offers the ability to connect with external systems and applications through APIs. Overall, it's a robust platform supported by a fantastic community of developers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The options for designing a layout could be better. Hiding and sliding objects or making layouts responsive and web-like isn't easy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Its rapid development capabilities. You can instantly build what people need, and it’s especially powerful at solving and adapting to system problems across all kinds of industries. It works well for everyone—from complete beginners to experienced developers—and it’s a great starting point for anyone learning database languages. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
1. Even though FileMaker has been around for 40 years, it’s still not widely adopted globally. I believe the single-user version of FileMaker Pro should be free, so more people can try it. Once people start using it and see its value, they’ll likely invest in FileMaker Server.
2. I wish FileMaker Go had an Android version. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
This is a product that a regular business can get started with on their own, or work with a consultant to build exactly the kind of system they want. I've yet to have to say no to any idea a client has had for the unique needs of their business. My favorite compliment is when they exclaim how much time has been saved by using Filemaker.
It is easy to get started, and really fun to work with, and the community fostered by Claris, consisting of other developers sharing and collaborating on tools & resources; makes this a family as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Warning: Enjoying what you do for a living may impede on your time for socializing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Claris FileMaker is a great tool for no-code rapid application development. It allows you to quickly build bespoke databases/'custom apps' for web, iOS and native Mac/Windows desktops. For maximum speed RAD it has its own built-in database engine, but can also be used as a front end to 3rd party SQL database backends such as MySQL, MS SQL and Oracle.
The platform scales well for small & medium enterprises - i.e. workgroups from 10 - to a few hundred users.
It has been a work horse tool for me as consultant/developer for over 18 years now. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Licensing has changed radically over the last few versions and so can be complex to navigate if you are not already familiar with the different differ offerings.
The WebDirect feature is very technically impressive in that produces very graphically rich interfaces, but does require significant performance overhead and so does require substantial hardware. Currently this is limited to around 100 concurrent connections. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
You can create almost anything with FileMaker; it brings your ideas to life. Its adaptability enables you to quickly iterate and deploy features that allow you to move forward. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I dislike that it gets a bad rap. People who dislike FileMaker don’t actually dislike the software; they dislike the applications built by a person using FileMaker. It’s a great modern tool that, when used properly, can achieve excellent results. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
How adaptable it is
How robust it can be
How easy it can integrate with other APIs
How inexpensive it is to develop in compared to other alternatives Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Although you can design a very nice looking UI, it needs a more modern approach to layout design
It needs a more robust way to create web forms for anonymouse users Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
FM is flexible and powerful. We can continually update and expand or solution to handle new situations / needs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Setting the tab-order in layouts with large numbers of fields is very difficult. Need better tools for clearing just the visible fields or something. Also we use many files and tables in our solution. References across multiple files are challenging to manage / clean up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Claris FileMaker is a great platform for building and deploying custom apps for small businesses. The native features allow for integrations with external services and extendability beyond the typical functions. The community is very welcoming and vibrant. There is always someone in a forum who is eager to answer questions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Scalability can be quite tricky to handle. It helps to prepare in advance and there are ways to make a solution scalable, but it is difficult. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
It has what a power user needs to accomplish a task or create a solution. You can also use it for simple tasks that don't even include scripting or custom functions. I can make a script to process my data with minimal time or difficulty. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I subscribe to this software for my business. It would be nice to have a lite option for those not as likely to do much with it. Like ClarisWorks database used to be. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
