Skip to main content Skip to footer

iManage vs NetDocuments

Discover the iManage advantage

With streamlined email and document management, easy collaboration, and secure access from anywhere, the iManage AI enabled knowledge work platform is the right choice for law firms and legal teams of all sizes.

1,500+

small and mid-market law firms in the iManage Cloud

5:1

ILTA members choose the iManage Cloud by a 5:1 margin

40%

of the Fortune 100 use iManage

1M

users around the world rely on iManage

Now available: Next Generation Co-authoring

Work together seamlessly, stay in control, and drive productivity without disrupting your workflow. 

Everyday features that matter

Say goodbye to platform constraints

iManage understands that lawyers need to work with and preserve large volumes of data without affecting productivity.

Journaling that captures changes

iManage

Document changes are recorded, ensuring that context is never lost and decisions are well understood

NetDocuments

Only indexes an official document, either per the user's assignment or the latest version

Advanced versioning control

iManage

Indexes up to 20 versions making all versions and edits accessible and searchable

NetDocuments

Only indexes 1 version so users cannot view or search incremental changes or earlier document versions

Folder flexibility

High performing: Supports up to 10k folders per workspace and files up to 64GB

iManage

High performing: Supports up to 10k folders per workspace and files up to 64GB

NetDocuments

Size restrictions limited to 500 folders per workspace and files limited to 2GB

I gave NetDocuments six months to turn things around, but my calls and emails went unanswered. Switching systems costs money, but if a document management system can’t do the one thing it’s designed to do, it’s a waste of resources.

Paralegal

E-commerce 

Security & performance

Don't let poor cloud performance hold you back

iManage Cloud, built on Microsoft Azure, utilizes the most-advanced cloud-native technologies to provide the performance, scalability, and security legal leaders require for uninterrupted productivity.

Continuous deployment model

iManage

Software is always up to date with no scheduled downtime

NetDocuments

Requires scheduled downtime for software updates and patches, interrupting productivity

Zero Touch principals

iManage

All updates and patches are automatically deployed, so security protections are always state-of-the-art

NetDocuments

Dated network that is susceptible to malware attacks

Data processing compliance

iManage

Single in-geo cloud processing ensures all data compliance regulations are met, providing peace of mind

NetDocuments

AI, OCR, and Indexing applications all require data to be moved across cloud systems, introducing unnecessary security and compliance risks

Highly scalable

iManage

Modern cloud architecture that leverages orchestration services such as Kubernetes, so scaling does not impact performance

NetDocuments

Legacy architecture where performance could be impacted when onboarding new clients and/or processing large amounts of data

We're all concerned about cybersecurity and the risk of a breach. Knowing that their information is secured in an appropriate and efficient manner with iManage Cloud is very important to our clients.

Debra Dowdy

COO, Lewis Wagner

Governance & compliance

Enhance your document security beyond basic measures

iManage Security Policy Manager and iManage Threat Manager provide industry-leading security to sensitive content throughout the entire lifecycle of the document.

Security policy management

iManage

iManage Security Policy Manager layers in additional security so content is protected from unauthorized or unethical access through ethical walls, insider reports, audit trails, and notifications

NetDocuments

Limited security policy functionality with narrow support for ethical walls, insider reports, audit trails, and notifications, and no ability for users to efficiently grant access as required

Threat management

iManage

iManage Threat Manager allows you to monitor anomalous behavior 24/7 across the entire repository of content, while also providing visibility into usage and adoption

NetDocuments

Does not offer the ability to have 24/7 intelligent threat detection. Threats are only “neutralized” by locking at-risk files so they cannot be downloaded.

“iManage provides world-class data security. Ultimately, it helps us support the wider business and accelerates getting new healthcare innovations to market.”
Brien Bergner
Legal Operations Manager at Gilead

Microsoft partnership

Uninterrupted work for busy professionals

The iManage and Microsoft partnership builds seamless user experiences across applications, including Teams, Outlook, and Copilot, so busy professionals can focus on their work.

Co-authoring

iManage

Users can collaborate on documents in real time with full access to all functionality within iManage and Microsoft across every device

NetDocuments

Co-authoring from the web interface only limits functionality and makes work clumsy and slow

Power Automate and workflows

iManage

Save unnecessary steps and launch a Power Automate workflow straight from the document in the DMS, ensuring documents remain secure

NetDocuments

PatternBuilder is a bespoke application that requires users to take documents out of the DMS to launch a workflow, creating extra steps and unnecessary risk

Document insights

iManage

Actions are performed and results are maintained within the DMS for further use or actions, such as data analysis

NetDocuments

Once a function has been executed, such as summarize, the results are provided in a new document outside the DMS

AI at scale

iManage

Document classification and enrichment are performed at scale across millions of documents in the platform

NetDocuments

Any actions with PatternBuilder are bespoke and limited to a document or a handful of documents at a time.

Answers and insights with Microsoft Copilot

iManage

Because of the iManage modern information architecture, users can leverage a seamless integration between iManage AI and Microsoft Copilot

NetDocuments

Connects to Microsoft Copilot within Microsoft Teams.

Platform enhancements

Streamline task and transaction management

iManage has invested in developing a modern platform that increases efficiency and productivity while maintaining the security and governance legal professionals need.

Task management integration with Outlook

iManage

iManage Tracker integrates with both iManage Work and Microsoft Outlook to efficiently create tasks without switching applications

NetDocuments

No email integration with a task management tool, so tasks can only be assigned from a matter

Task assignment flexibility

iManage

Tracker provides a multi-layered hierarchical list view reflecting the various workstreams and task status complex legal work requires

NetDocuments

Inflexible and offers a single linear view that does not capture the complexity of legal workflows

Legal transaction management

iManage

iManage Closing Folders creates binders or closing books with a click of a button, provides a checklist for instant visibility into status and automates the signature process

NetDocuments

NetDocuments has the ability to create binders but no other features such as closing checklists or automated signature process

Tracker was a no-brainer for us.

Shawn Curran

Director of Legal Technology at Travers Smith

AI transforming work

Boost productivity with intelligent AI solutions

Legal professionals are guardians of sensitive, high-value content, which is why iManage AI is built into our platform, allowing professionals to use AI responsibly without compromising confidentiality and security.

Classification and enrichment

iManage

Has the modern architecture platform required to scale for AI. iManage AI automates identifying types of documents & related metadata and enriches the documents within the platform, keeping the insights with the document so they can be leveraged by a user, workflow, or data analytics tool.

NetDocuments

Takes an ad hoc, document-by-document approach to perform a function in PatternBuilder where results are ‘one-off’ as it lacks the modern architecture required to process large volumes of data that AI requires

Intelligent email filing

iManage

Uses AI to automate email filing, reducing a tedious, mundane task and increasing compliance

NetDocuments

No equivalent offering

Generative AI

iManage

iManage AI delivers powerful generative AI applications that answer questions using natural language and accelerate legal workflows, improving productivity and accuracy

NetDocuments

Uses AI to perform workflow functions and queries with predefined prompts using bespoke applications that don’t scale across the DMS

"iManage saves our legal assistants and paralegals several hours a week, whether it’s saving documents or researching other cases and quickly finding the information they need.”
Tricia Boughter
Executive Director at Huff, Powell & Bailey

Trusted by your peers

iManage Work leads multiple categories and markets on G2.

How iManage makes knowledge work for you

We dedicate ourselves to empowering organizations to discover and activate the knowledge hidden within their business content and communications.

Customers say it best

Get to know what makes iManage the perfect fit for our customers.

One on One: David Ip

One on One: Josh Schreiner

One on One: Terry Hernlund

Making Knowledge Work

Request a demo

Ready to see how iManage can make a difference to your organization?