Document management software compared

What to compare in document management software

Four behaviours decide whether a document platform suits a team: how search surfaces results, how far back versions can be recovered, how approvals run, and what activity remains visible afterwards. Two teams on the same product can see all four differently, because plan tier and admin settings shape them.

Box shows this plan dependence. The maximum number of retained file versions runs from 10 on Personal Pro to 100 on Enterprise, with unlimited versions through Box Governance. Box Support also notes search results may differ based on enterprise settings.

Admin switches are as decisive as the product name. Box Relay must be enabled by an admin for the enterprise before anyone can build workflows, and the builder needs Editor access or higher on the folder used by the trigger. SharePoint lets you enable or disable modern approvals in any list or library at any time.

Compare the tier you would actually buy, configured as you would actually run it, rather than the product's headline feature list.

Search: access-aware results, filters and operators

SharePoint search is personal. A colleague searching the same words sees different results, and you only see items you already have access to, so private documents stay private. Suggestions appear from your previous activity in Microsoft 365 before you type, update as you type, and you can widen the scope from a site to all of SharePoint in one click.

Box shows suggested results as you type, and pressing Enter or choosing See all opens the full results page. Box Support warns that the order of suggestions may differ from the full results page, and that the results themselves may differ based on enterprise settings.

Box filters cover keywords, file type, date modified, file owner, folder location, file size, tags and metadata templates. File type includes Box Note, Box Canvas, PDF, spreadsheet, presentation, image, audio, video, drawing, 3D and folders; date modified includes a custom range. Folder location can be anywhere in Box, in trash or a specified folder. Search-only targets include comments, descriptions, file and folder names, file contents and tags.

Box operators reward precision. Double quotes find an exact phrase, and parentheses are not valid. Exact matching works on word sequences rather than characters, so "Blue-Box" may also return "blue.box" and "Blue Box". Boolean AND, OR and NOT are supported, but only in capitals.

Box also offers a "did you mean" spelling alternative for mistyped terms, available when the web page language is set to English.

Google Drive uses filter chips for Type, People and Modified, either alone or combined with search terms such as a file name or text inside the file. Chips layer: Type=Presentations plus the word Client returns presentations containing that word. Results are sorted by relevance, and clicking a column header changes the sort.

Google Drive's advanced search adds quotes for an exact word or phrase, a minus sign to exclude a word, and operators including owner:, pendingowner:, creator: for shared drives, and to: and from: for sharing relationships. With Gemini in Workspace features, a question typed in the search bar returns an AI Overview at the top of results, with links to the source files.

Versioning: retention limits, recovery and workflow risk

In Box, an admin sets the file version limit in the Admin Console under Enterprise Settings. The maximum depends on the account type: Personal Free is unavailable, Personal Pro keeps 10 versions, Starter 25, Business and Business Plus 50, and Enterprise 100. Box retains the maximum allowed by default.

Box Governance adds an unlimited retention option, active by default. Clearing the Unlimited check box returns the account to a finite list. Existing Box Elite customers can still access an unlimited number of file versions.

The version count Box displays excludes the current version. There is always one more version of a file than the screen lists. Limiting versions to 1 still leaves two: the current version and the most recent prior one.

Restrictive limits carry operational risk for signatures. Box Sign relies on the specific file version tied to each active signature request. It automatically uploads a newer version each time progress is made, such as signatures, initials or fields applied and the request moving to the next recipient. If those new versions exceed a tight limit, version control deletes the oldest. Losing the original before completion can cause errors when signers open the file.

Google Drive keeps only the most recent versions of past documents unless you click Keep forever, and a version might be permanently deleted after 30 days or if there are 100 newer versions. Manage versions lets you pin a version, download a copy, upload a new version, or delete a previous one. Uploading a new version of a file owned by someone else leaves the original owner unchanged.

SharePoint allows versioning to be enabled and configured for a list or library, so retention depth is a decision made per list or library rather than a fixed product setting.

Best for Document Versioning Depth

Approvals and workflow automation: built-in approvals vs no-code workflows

SharePoint modern approvals work in lists and libraries: you create approval requests for a list item or file, respond to them, and view approval status. Approvals come preconfigured in two built-in list templates, Content scheduler with approvals and Travel requests with approvals.

You can enable or disable approvals in any list or library from the Integrate dropdown. The Configure Approvals dialog has a toggle for Enable Approvals, lets you enable default approvers, and lets you decide whether users with lower permission on the list or library can overwrite the configured approvers. Disabling approvals only hides the approvals columns; active approvals remain actionable in Teams and the columns can be re-added to a view.

To request approval, select the item or file and choose Request approval, then enter one or more approvers. By default any single approver grants the request; a toggle below the approver field requires a response from all approvers. The status pill changes to Requested, and approvers respond with Approve or Reject from the approvals dialog.

Editing a file cancels any in-flight approval if the changes are saved. SharePoint discourages this by opening files in view-only mode in Word, Excel and PowerPoint for the web, marking documents as final in the Windows desktop apps, and warning users that metadata updates will reset approval status.

Box Relay is a no-code workflow automation tool built into Box, used to automate repeatable, content-based processes such as reviews, approvals and routing documents. Each workflow has one trigger: a file uploaded to a folder, a Box Form submitted, a manual start, a scheduled date or time, or a File Request receiving uploads.

Outcomes are the actions Relay performs, and a workflow can have one or many: assigning a task for review, approval or general work; moving or copying files; updating metadata; sending notifications; and requesting an e-signature. Outcomes run in order and can change based on user responses, such as approval or rejection.

Building or editing a workflow requires three things together. Box Relay must be enabled by an admin for the enterprise. Permission to use Relay must not be restricted by admin settings. The user also needs Editor access or higher on the folder used by the trigger. Missing any one stops a user from selecting folders or saving workflows.

A simple Relay example from Box Support: when a file is uploaded to a specific folder, Relay assigns an approval task, and if the file is approved it is automatically moved to an approved folder.

End-to-End Approval Flow Comparison

Activity and audit: seeing who did what

Google Drive's activity view captures the changes people make: editing or commenting in a file, renaming a file or folder, moving or removing one, uploading a new file to a folder, and sharing or unsharing an item. You reach recent changes through My Drive, then Info, then Activity, or open a specific file or folder to see its own activity.

Drive also exposes a created date for any file. Right-click the file, choose File information, then Details, and scroll the side panel to Created date. This answers when something arrived in Drive, separately from who last touched it.

Manage versions is the recovery side of the same picture: it shows the versions available, lets you pin one with Keep forever, download a copy, or delete a previous version. Note that version history for Google Docs, Sheets and Slides works differently from history for PDFs, images and other files stored in Drive.

In Box, what you can show afterwards is bounded by the admin's file version limit, since that setting controls the previous versions Box keeps track of and makes available. Box Governance accounts can retain an unlimited number of prior versions instead, and the displayed count never includes the current version.

Used together, these features answer everyday questions without guesswork. The created date shows when a document landed. The activity feed covers renames, moves and sharing changes. The version list shows which copy is current and whether the one you need still exists.

Match the process to the capability, not the brand

Box Support gives a usable filter for automation candidates. Box Relay works best for processes involving files or folders stored in Box. Those processes require multiple people or steps and follow the same pattern each time. Named examples are contract approvals, creative reviews, employee onboarding and invoice processing.

Contract approvals need both a decision trail and recovery depth. If every approver must sign off, SharePoint's require-a-response-from-all-approvers toggle matches the process. If signing runs through Box Sign, check the file version limit first, because a tight limit can delete versions the request depends on.

Creative reviews lean on versioning rather than approval routing. In Google Drive, pin the drafts that matter with Keep forever before the 30-day or 100-newer-version window closes. In Box, confirm the account tier's version allowance covers the number of rounds your review cycle generates.

Onboarding fits workflow automation because it repeats: trigger on a new upload or a submitted form, then assign review tasks, update metadata and send notifications as outcomes. Before designing anything in Relay, confirm the builder holds Editor access on the trigger folder and that an admin has enabled Relay for the enterprise.

Invoice processing depends on findability as much as approval. Box filters by file type, owner, date modified and folder location. SharePoint approvals can route the item for sign-off. Relay outcomes can request an e-signature on files held in Box.

Pilot the software with your own documents instead of comparing brand reputation. Search for a phrase as a colleague would and check they cannot see what they should not. Upload past your version limit and see what disappears. Run one approval end to end, including an edit mid-flight, then read the activity trail it leaves.