Knowledge · documents
What Does Document Management Cost? Models and Real Numbers
License, flat rate or pay-per-use? Which cost models exist for document management, which hidden items lurk and how you calculate.
Document management is paid for in three models: as a license per user and month, as a flat or package price, or usage-based per processed document (pay-per-use). What ends up cheaper depends on your document volume and your team size – for small companies with a few hundred documents a month, pay-per-use is usually the most economical option, because there are no base costs.
The three cost models compared
- License per user: Plannable, but expensive if many people only access occasionally. Each read access costs a full seat.
- Flat rate/package: A fixed price for a quota. Works if your volume is stable – below it you pay for air, above it you have to buy more.
- Pay-per-use: No base price, you pay for consumption. Scales from "almost nothing" to high volume, without having to dimension in advance.
A concrete calculation
With the pay-per-use model from webRichtung documents the calculation looks like this: account and users cost €0, processing a document from €0.09 – in batch, for example during the mass upload of larger collections, €0.06. The archive storage is included in the current model; what's relevant for billing is the workspace. Payment is made with Credits, where 1 Credit corresponds to 1 euro net.
Example calculations:
- 100 documents/month (typical small business): around €9 per month
- 500 documents/month: around €45 per month
- One-time legacy migration of 10,000 documents in batch: around €600 – one-time, not monthly
For comparison: a license model with e.g. €15 per user and month costs a five-person team €900 per year – regardless of whether a single document was filed.
Hidden costs you should check
The list price is rarely the final price. Ask every provider about:
- Setup and training: Are there onboarding flat fees or consultant days?
- Minimum term and minimum users: Are you committing for 12–36 months?
- Storage costs: Does the archive cost extra when the collection grows?
- Connections: Are scanner connection, email import or interfaces surcharge modules?
- Additional users: What does it cost when the tax advisor or a temp needs access?
The other side: What does no DMS cost?
An honest calculation includes the status quo. Search time is the biggest invisible item: anyone who searches for documents in mailboxes, folders and filing trays several times a day burns working time worth a multiple of the software costs. On top of that comes the risk of incomplete retention during a tax audit. So the question is less "What does a DMS cost?" than "From what document volume does having none cost more?" – and that threshold is lower than most people think. Which selection criteria matter beyond price is shown in the article Comparing document management software.
Rules of thumb for the decision
- Under 1,000 documents per month: Pay-per-use is almost unbeatable – no base costs, full feature scope.
- Many readers, few filers: Models where users are free avoid the classic license lever.
- Fluctuating volume (seasonal business, project peaks): with usage-based billing you only pay for the peak when it comes.
- Legacy migration planned: watch for batch prices – the difference between €0.09 and €0.06 per document adds up noticeably with ten thousand documents.
FAQ
Which cost models exist for document management?
Essentially three: license per user and month, flat or package prices, and pay-per-use, where billing is per processed document.
What does document management cost at webRichtung?
Account and users cost 0 euros. Billing is per processed document from 0.09 euros, in batch 0.06 euros; the archive storage is included in the current model. 1 Credit corresponds to 1 euro net.
Which hidden costs should I check?
Typical items are setup and training, minimum terms, surcharges for archive storage, scanner or email connection, as well as costs for additional users.
Is pay-per-use worthwhile for small companies?
Often yes: without a base fee you only pay for the actual document volume. With 100 documents a month the costs are in the single-digit euro range.
How do I calculate my DMS costs realistically?
Count your monthly document volume (incoming invoices, outgoing invoices, scans, contracts) and calculate it against each pricing model – including all users who need access.