Side-by-Side Document Management Software Comparison for Law Firms
Many law firms now rely on digital document management solutions to manage, secure, and access attorney-client work product, emails, attachments, contracts, images, and other things related to client matters. There are certainly a lot of document management options to choose from. It’s important to choose the document management system that meets the specific needs of your law firm.
With so many options, it can be difficult to take the time required to review the different programs to find the one that’s right for you. So in this article, we’ll do a side-by-side comparison of three of today’s most popular Document Management Systems for law firms: Worldox vs. iManage Work vs. LexWorkplace.
Related Video:
Document Management Software Overview
First in our comparison of Worldox vs. iManage vs. LexWorkplace, we’ll provide a brief background and overview of each product. Each Document Management System has its own unique background and advantages.
Worldox is a popular document management system for law firms. Worldox is a mature product: it’s been around and used by law firms for over a decade. Worldox is powerful and capable, and integrates with a number of premise-based Practice Management applications. Worldox is server-based, which means you’ll need to own and maintain an on-premise server to run it, or will need to host Worldox in a cloud environment.
iManage is powerful software, but it requires significant server infrastructure to run well. Specifically, it requires multiple servers to handle storage, indexing and other functions of the iManage software. (iManage would certainly be not described as “lightweight”). Because of iManage’s inherent complexity (software and IT), you’ll need a qualified iManage consultant to plan, implement and train your firm on using iManage.
LexWorkplace is a cloud-based, matter-centric document & email management system. LexWorkplace is cloud-based and includes document versioning, powerful search, Email Management/Outlook integration and document tagging/profiling. Data stored in LexWorkplace is secured with two-factor authentication, data encryption in-transit and at-rest, and by geographically redundant data centers.
Software Comparison Chart
Next in our comparison of Worldox vs. iManage and LexWorkplace, we’ll provide a side-by-side comparison of each product. We’ll compare deployment (cloud vs. on-premise), features, data security, implementation and other options for each product.
Overview
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Cloud Application
Is the application natively cloud-based?
Worldox
No (On-Premise or Hosted)
iManage
No (On-Premise or Hosted)
LexWorkplace
Yes
Organization
How are files, folders and data organized?
Worldox
By Profile Group
iManage
By Project
LexWorkplace
By Client / Matter
Technical Expertise Required
How much technical know-how will you need to have (or hire)?
Worldox
Moderate
iManage
High
LexWorkplace
Low
Windows & Mac Support
Does the software work on both Windows and Mac OS?
Worldox
Windows Only
iManage
Windows Only
LexWorkplace
Windows and Mac
Storage Included
How much storage is included by default, without having to pay for more?
Worldox
Determined by Your Server
iManage
Determined by Your Server
LexWorkplace
1 Terabyte
Migration & Support
Third-Party Consultant Required
Does implementation, training and support require you to hire a third-party reseller/consultant?
Worldox
Yes
iManage
Yes
LexWorkplace
No
Migration Performed By
Who handles the conversion and migration of your firm’s data?
Worldox
Third-Party Reseller (Not Worldox)
iManage
Third-Party Reseller (Not iManage)
LexWorkplace
LexWorkplace Team
Features
Store & Manage Documents
Store, organize and manage documents within the software
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Email Management / Outlook Integration
Save emails to a matter from within Microsoft Outlook
Worldox
Outlook for Windows Only
iManage
Outlook for Windows Only
LexWorkplace
Outlook for Windows & Mac
Automatic / Integrated OCR
Built-in OCR for all documents stored in the software
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Full-Text Search
Search across content of all documents & email
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Document Version Management
Automatic Versioning, Review Prior Document Versions
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Document Profiling & Tagging
Apply custom document types, statuses and tags
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Document Check-Out / In
Check documents out to keep them locked from editing
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Favorite & Recent Docs
Quick access to recent and favorite documents
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
One-Click Open, Edit & Save
Open and edit documents with a single click
Worldox
Profiling Required for Every Document
iManage
Profiling Required for Every Document
LexWorkplace
Profiling Optional, One-Click Open/Edit/Save
Security
User & Group Permissions
Define who can (and cannot) access certain matters and data
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Data Encryption in Transit
Your data is encrypted in transit (on the Internet)
Worldox
Determined by Your Network
iManage
Determined by Your Network
LexWorkplace
Data Encryption at Rest
Your data is encrypted at rest (on the server)
Worldox
Determined by Your Server
iManage
Determined by Your Server
LexWorkplace
Native Multi-Factor Authentication
MFA for additional data security and compliance
Worldox
Requires Third-Party Software
iManage
Requires Third-Party Software
LexWorkplace
Built-in Geographic Redundancy
Data automatically backed up to multiple data centers / regions
Worldox
Determined by Your Network
iManage
Determined by Your Network
LexWorkplace
Options
Office 365 Included
Office 365 + Support Included
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Optional
Exchange Email Included
Microsoft Exchange Email + Support Included
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Optional
Additional IT Support
Extended IT Support for your law firm
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Optional
Legal Software Support
Support for Your Firm’s Other Legal Software
Worldox
iManage
LexWorkplace
Optional
Worldox Details
Worldox is server-based document management software, which means it can be run onsite, on your own local server, or in a hosted private cloud.
There are several different versions of Worldox to choose from: Worldox Professional and Worldox Enterprise. In addition, the company makes Worldox Web, which is not (as the name implies) a cloud version of Worldox, but rather a web interface for your on-premise Worldox software.
Although it was not made with the legal industry specifically in mind, it is a trusted document management option for law firms. In fact, unlike iManage, Worldox integrates with Office 365. It also integrates with several popular time and billing programs. It also integrates with Outlook.
Documents are organized through a feature known as worklists. Finding and accessing documents is very similar to using Windows Explorer. Several worklists may be kept open at the same time. Tabs may be set-up to help organize each individual workspace. Profiling may be done with both documents and emails. This feature helps users more easily find the documents they need.
Documents may also be organized as bigger projects. Projects can be shared with work groups. Permissions for files (regardless of whether they’re contained within a project) may be set-up that allows different access levels for different users as well as the checking-in and checking-out of documents.
How Worldox is accessed depends on which version you purchase. If you have more than one law office, Worldox Enterprise will centralize all of the documents. This can make it easier for lawyers (and clients) who change office locations. It can also help ensure consistency with the way that documents are created across the board.
iManage Details
iManage is a long-standing DMS used traditionally by large law firms. Much like Worldox, it’s used in several industries. iManage can be hosted on-premise or on a private cloud. However, it is not a native-cloud application. It is important for you to know that if you want to install iManage to your own private cloud, you’ll need quite a bit of technical knowledge to do it (and a lot of cloud server horsepower).
iManage integrates with Outlook, Microsoft Office, document scanners, and popular document repositories such as Google Drive, OneNote, and Dropbox. The DMS comes with predictive email management. When this feature is enabled, emails are automatically moved to projects based on the content of the email.
iManage organizes documents through projects. In those projects, you can place emails, documents, and other matter-related data. Projects appear on the left side of the screen. To search the documents, iManage first indexes them. However, it does not come standard with OCR. Users can also tag documents to make searching for what they need a little bit easier. It is important that users go through the process of filling out the client information, author name, and other pertinent information of each document to make it easier to find it through the search feature.
It also provides a check-in / check-out feature as well as document change alerts. These features can make managing and collaborating documents easier. Much like Worldox, when a document is checked-out, other users can still read the document, but they cannot change it. Document change alerts are helpful because they can be set to notify someone anytime a change is made to a document.
Full Product Reviews
If you’d like to learn more about Worldox vs. iManage, we recommend reviewing our comprehensive review of each product.
Additional Document Management Resources
Learning about law firm Document Management Systems? Check out our other resources.
Looking for Document Management Software?
LexWorkplace:
Modern Document Management for Law Firms
LexWorkplace is document & email management software, born in the cloud and built for law firms.
Organize by Client & Matter
Organize documents, email and notes by client or matter. Store and manage all data for a case or project in one place.
Go Beyond Basic Files & Folders
Supercharge your firm’s productivity with true DMS functions.
- Version Management
- Document Tagging & Profiling
- Document Check-Out / Check-In
- Microsoft Office Integration
Search Everything
LexWorkplace is like Google for your law firm. Search across millions of pages, documents, folder email and notes in seconds. Refine your search by matter, document type, author and more.
Seamless Outlook Integration
Save emails to a matter without leaving Outlook. Saved emails are accessible to your entire team.
Organize Email With Folders & Notes
Organize matter-related emails into subfolders. Add notes to call out important emails.
Works with Windows and Macs
LexWorkplace is 100% compatible with Mac OS and Windows.
LexWorkplace Features
The legal industry has had to put up with dated, clunky document management systems for too long.
No more.
With LexWorkplace, you’ll have access to a wide range of features, including:
- A Terabyte of Storage: LexWorkplace starts with 1TB of storage for your firm, giving you plenty of room to grow.
- Advanced security: LexWorkplace encrypts your data in transit and at rest. It also includes enhanced security measures such as permission setting capabilities and two-factor authentication.
- Geographic redundancy: We have multiple independent data centers across North America. This means we can securely back up your data, so you can trust your data is available to you no matter what happens next.
- Document tracking IDs: Each file you save to LexWorkplace has a unique ID for easy document tracking.
- One-click functionality: LexWorkplace can help you move faster. View, edit, and save your documents with a single click, no re-upload required.
- Document check-in/out: Want to make changes to a document without others doing so at the same time? By checking out a document, you can make the changes you need to make without others on your team interfering. Then, just check the document back in when you’re finished.
- Version management: LexWorkplace will automatically track each version of your documents, so you can see when changes were made and by whom.
- Profiling and tagging: You can easily set document types and statuses for each of your files. Plus, you can create tags to keep documents organized based on your firm’s needs.
- Recent file prioritization: LexWorkplace will place your recent files front and center, so you can easily return to your work. Or, you can set certain documents as important for easy access.
- Email management capabilities: Easily save emails to each matter file straight from Outlook. Plus, LexWorkplace will provide instant deduplication, so you can avoid saving multiples of the same email. It’s a time-consuming process that LexWorkplace automates on your behalf.
Get in Touch
Want to learn more? Watch the demo below, or get in touch with our team to learn more about LexWorkplace for your firm.
Watch the Demo
Schedule a Demo
Get in Touch – Speak with a LexWorkplace Specialist Today
What to expect:
- We'll discuss your firm's current system, challenges and objectives.
- We'll demonstrate LexWorkplace and how LexWorkplace will fit into your firm.
- If it sounds like a good fit, we'll send a proposal and talk next steps.
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