Home document management software?

[UnfoldedHeart]

I've gone paperless and I have a massive amount of documents, mostly in PDF and DOCX format, that I'd like to categorize. I've used enterprise solutions like Worldox, but I don't need something on that scale. I don't need multi user support or collaboration tools; looking for something relatively simple. I'm perfectly fine with paying for it. Does anyone know of something like this?

 

[Jzap van der Veen]

DevonThink?

 

[HDFan]

DevonThink

Use it as well. Integrates with snapscan software for easy document scanning and content indexing.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

I use Mendeley.

 

[svenmany]

I use DevonThink. I have documents that are inside it's folder structure. I also use it to index documents in place when those documents are already organized on disk.

I've used DevonThink (and DevonAgent) for many, many years.

 

[UnfoldedHeart]

I use DevonThink. I have documents that are inside it's folder structure. I also use it to index documents in place when those documents are already organized on disk.

I've used DevonThink (and DevonAgent) for many, many years.

Does DevonThink aggregate files into a normal directory structure or is all packed into their database? I intend to stick this into Dropbox so I'd still like to browse the docs from my phone if needed.

 

[svenmany]

Does DevonThink aggregate files into a normal directory structure or is all packed into their database? I intend to stick this into Dropbox so I'd still like to browse the docs from my phone if needed.

I'm not an expert, but here's what I know and do.

I use DevonThink in two ways.

1 - I have it index files on disk, located in my own directory structure. The DevonThink database only keeps the indexing information.

2 - I drop files directly into the DevonThink database. Those files are placed in subdirectories of the DevonThink database. From within DevonThink you can select "Show in Finder" on any file and Finder will open on the subdirectory containing the file. You would be hard pressed to find that directory by just navigating around in Finder. The folder structure seems to be a top level folder for each file extension. And then, within that top level folder, a bunch of numbered directories.

In both cases you can create a folder structure inside DevonThink to keep all the files (of both types) organized however you wish. But, that folder structure does not necessarily impact where files are on disk.

If Dropbox is syncing in a way that all the files you care about exist on your local disk, then approach 1 seems to be what you would use based on your described desires. Be careful though, third-party synchronization is undergoing big changes forced on those vendors by Apple. For a while all my OneDrive files were of size zero in the public OneDrive folder and full-size in the private OneDrive cache folder. DropBox touches on this issue here - https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/macos-12-monterey-support

DevonThink does offer their own synchronization solution that allows you to work on your documents on iOS.

 

[MikeDr206]

I’m a big fan of Mariner Software’s Paperless.

Paperless - Mariner Software

Paperless allows you to maintain the task of organizing all your receipts and documents, simply and easily, just like it should be. And by storing documents digitally, you’ll reduce the clutter around you, be in control of your workflow, and use less paper.

marinersoftware.com

 

[svenmany]

One more thing about DevonThink - They say their main differentiating factor is their artificial intelligence which helps you find documents that are most relevant to your search query. There is a lot of machinery in the product. If you have the time, it really is worth a test drive.

 

[HDFan]

Mariner Software’s

Not a great fan of the company after they purchased MacGourmet and basically abandoned a great program which had great support. Support was minimal, known major problems such as duplication of hundreds of recipes 2 and 3 times, web synching not working went for years without any fixes.

 

[ignatius345]

I've gone paperless and I have a massive amount of documents, mostly in PDF and DOCX format, that I'd like to categorize. I've used enterprise solutions like Worldox, but I don't need something on that scale. I don't need multi user support or collaboration tools; looking for something relatively simple. I'm perfectly fine with paying for it. Does anyone know of something like this?

Maybe too basic, but have you looked into using Finder tags to organize things? I've dabbled with it and find it pretty helpful with things that belong in multiple categories at once. Definitely a lightweight solution as it involves no new software.

I believe Dropbox is pretty good about syncing tags, though obviously you'd want to verify that.

 

[ignatius345]

Not a great fan of the company after they purchased MacGourmet and basically abandoned a great program which had great support. Support was minimal, known major problems such as duplication of hundreds of recipes 2 and 3 times, web synching not working went for years without any fixes.

Off topic, but been using Paprika for recipes over the past 5 years and it's incredible.