OpenKM vs Scrive

Compare OpenKM and Scrive on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Documents & E-signature tools, Freemium vs Custom, quote-based pricing (contact…

At a Glance

 OpenKMScrive
Primary categoryDocuments & E-signatureDocuments & E-signature
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFreemiumCustom, quote-based pricing (contact sales)
Starting priceFree (Community Edition); Professional and Cloud plans are custom-quoted, with third-party estimates starting around $30/user/monthCustom pricing; contact sales
Free planYesNot documented
Free trialNot documentedYes
PlatformsWebWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedYes
Public APIYesYes

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

OpenKM

Community Edition — Free N/A
Professional Edition — Custom (estimated from around $30/user/month) Monthly or annual
Cloud Edition — Custom quote Monthly or annual

Scrive

eSign Online — Custom pricing contact sales
eSign API — Custom pricing contact sales, often per-transaction
eSign GO — Custom pricing contact sales
eID Hub and ID Check — Custom pricing contact sales

Pros & Cons

OpenKM

Pros

  • Free, open-source Community Edition available for self-hosting
  • Strong workflow and business process automation via jBPM
  • Purpose-built records management features for compliance-heavy industries
  • Scales from small teams to large enterprise deployments
  • International presence with localized support in multiple regions

Cons

  • Professional and Cloud pricing is not published and requires a sales quote
  • Community Edition has no official vendor support, only forums
  • Admin interface feels dated compared to newer cloud-native DMS tools
  • Workflow configuration has a learning curve for non-technical users
  • Smaller third-party app marketplace than mainstream competitors like Box

Scrive

Pros

  • Strong European eID and eIDAS compliance focus
  • Combines e-signature and identity verification in one platform
  • High transaction scale reported, over 100 million per year
  • Flexible deployment through portal, API, or managed service
  • Established company with over a decade in the market

Cons

  • No public self-serve pricing, requires contacting sales
  • Primarily optimized for European and Nordic markets
  • Onboarding and API integration can require technical work
  • Per-transaction cost model can be harder to predict at scale
  • Smaller brand recognition outside Europe compared to global competitors

Use Cases

OpenKM

  • Legal and compliance document management — Law firms and compliance teams use OpenKM's records management and audit features to manage sensitive documents.
  • Enterprise records management — Large organizations use OpenKM to enforce retention schedules and regulatory document lifecycles across departments.
  • Educational institution document control — Universities and schools use OpenKM to manage administrative records, student files, and institutional documents.

Scrive

  • Banking and financial services agreements — Banks and fintechs use Scrive to combine e-signature with strong eID identity verification for regulated agreements.
  • HR and employment contract signing — HR teams and staffing agencies sign employment contracts and onboarding documents digitally with full audit trails.
  • Real estate and telecom contract workflows — Real estate, telecom, and public sector organizations process high volumes of signed agreements through Scrive's API and forms.

Read the full OpenKM review · Read the full Scrive review