Replacing FileMaker? Here is how to go about it
Most businesses reach a point where FileMaker starts to chafe. The licences get more expensive, the one colleague who really understands the system retires, or an update brings everything to a halt. The system itself often still works perfectly well. That is precisely what makes it difficult: you are not replacing something that is broken, you are replacing something you no longer dare to build around.
We built FileMaker applications ourselves for many years, so we are not saying this to run FileMaker down. But if you want to replace it, these are your three routes.
Route 1: an off-the-shelf package
Does your FileMaker system really just handle customer management, invoices or stock? Then there is probably an off-the-shelf package that can do it just as well. Look at that first. It is the cheapest route and you do not need an agency for it.
It goes wrong when your system has been tailored to your business over the years. That one extra status, the field only you use, the link with the webshop. Off-the-shelf packages do ninety per cent, and that last ten per cent is usually exactly why the system was built in FileMaker in the first place.
Route 2: a low-code tool (Airtable, Ninox)
For simple databases Airtable is fine, and of all the tools Ninox feels most like FileMaker. You can read more about this in our overview of FileMaker alternatives. Just do not count on an automatic migration: scripts, layouts and integrations do not come along. You rebuild everything, but yourself, in the evenings. For a list with a few relationships that is doable. For a system your business runs on, usually not.
Route 3: having it rebuilt as a web application
This is what we do. We analyse your FileMaker file, rebuild it as a web application and transfer your data. The same screens, the same data, the same way of working, but it runs in the browser. No licences, no server, and no dependence on someone who knows FileMaker.
For years, a rebuild sounded like tens of thousands of euros and six months of waiting. That has changed: a conversion that is not overly complex already fits within €395, including analysis. After that you pay from €19.50 per user per month for hosting, backups and a team that manages your application. You can read how such a project works, step by step, in from FileMaker to web application.
And sometimes: simply staying put
Does your system run reliably, do you have a licence without monthly costs and is little changing in your business? Then staying put may be the wisest choice. But do put two things alongside it: a decent backup and a plan for the moment it stops running. Because that moment will come one day, and better at a time of your choosing than at the time of a system update.
Frequently asked questions
Should I replace FileMaker if it still works fine?
Not necessarily. If your system runs reliably, you have a licence without monthly costs and little is changing in your business, staying put may be the wisest choice. Do make sure you have a good backup and a plan for the moment it stops running, because with every old version that moment comes eventually.
What are the options for replacing FileMaker?
Three routes. An off-the-shelf package: the cheapest, but it usually lacks exactly the ten per cent of custom work the system was built in FileMaker for in the first place. A low-code tool such as Airtable or Ninox: good for simple databases, but you rebuild everything yourself. Or having it rebuilt as a web application: your screens and data come along and the result runs in the browser.
Will my data and screens come along when I switch?
Not with an off-the-shelf package or low-code tool: scripts, layouts and integrations have to be rebuilt, and only the raw data can be transferred. When your system is rebuilt as a web application, your screens are recreated the way your team knows them and all data is transferred.
What does it cost to have FileMaker rebuilt as a web application?
A conversion that is not overly complex fits within €395, including analysis. After that you pay from €19.50 per user per month for hosting, backups and management. If your application requires more work, you receive a quote for it in advance.
Free and without obligation: have your FileMaker file assessed
Send us your FileMaker file via the secure upload, or schedule an introduction. We will tell you what is in your application, what converting it costs and what it saves you. Only then do you decide. We work for businesses throughout the Netherlands and Flanders; everything can be done remotely.