Ademero document management review

Flexible document management at a reasonable price

Ademero review
(Image: © Ademero)

TechRadar Verdict

Ademero is a flexible document management software that works well if your business needs automated workflows or integration with Quickbooks. The interface could use an update, but this doesn’t hinder the software’s usability.

Pros

  • +

    Automated workflows

  • +

    Integration with Quickbooks

Cons

  • -

    Outdated interface

  • -

    Limited folder navigation

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Looking for the best document management software for your business? It’s worth taking a look at the Content Central platform from Ademero, which offers advanced document scanning, automated workflows, and tons of customization options. It also supports integration with key business software like Quickbooks and Salesforce.

So, is Ademero Content Central right for you? In our Ademero review, we’ll cover everything you need to know.

Ademero: Plans and pricing

Ademero Content Central costs $35 per user per month if you opt for a cloud-based version of the software. This is competitive with other top document management platforms.

Content Central costs $35 per user per month for a cloud-based installation. (Image credit: Ademero)

Ademero also offers an on-premises installation of Content Central. This costs around $500 per user up front, but doesn’t require any subsequent subscription fees. There are no notable differences in features between the cloud and on-premises versions of Content Central.

Ademero: Features

Ademero Content Central offers a handful of features that help this software stand out in a crowded field.

Content Central uses catalogs to organize your documents. These are essentially overarching folders that split your business into divisions or processes. For example, you could have one catalog for invoices, another for HR, and another for procurement.

What’s great about catalogs in Content Central is that they don’t all have to be designed the same. For any catalog, you can define what data to import from forms and how to store that data. You can also define different filters for each catalog to be used during document searches.

Zonal recognition is a neat feature that we haven’t seen in other document management platforms. This tool enables you to define a rectangular area on a form in which to apply optical character recognition (OCR), which recognizes text in images and converts it to digital text in order to make it searchable and editable.

Zonal recognition enables you to apply OCR to a defined area of a form. (Image credit: Ademero)

Defining an area requires that you measure, in inches, the exact location of the area you want to record on the page relative to the corners. This can be a bit of a hassle when you’re first setting up zonal recognition. Ideally, we’d like to see this process go digital so that you can simply drag out a rectangle on your screen after a form is scanned in. 

Ademero also does a good job with workflow automation. You can define triggers and actions separately, then put them together in any combination using rules. While this does make it more difficult to keep track of individual workflows, it also means you can create a basic library of automations and then easily combine them or apply them to new document types. 

One of the best things about Content Central is that it integrates seamlessly with popular business software like Quickbooks, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and more. You can use workflow automations to push invoices or payment documents to Quickbooks, for example, or to push documents submitted by clients to Salesforce.

Ademero doesn’t provide a full list of the platforms that Content Central integrates with. If you have a specific integration in mind, you’ll need to contact the company to find out whether it’s supported.

Ademero: Interface and in use

Ademero’s web-based interface looks outdated at first glance. However, we found that it works seamlessly and the antiquated display doesn’t hinder functionality at all.

Content Central has an outdated-looking interface, but it’s easy to navigate and use. (Image credit: Ademero)

The platform is split up into menus for search, document capture, and current files. Filters within the search panel are responsive based on what catalogs you want to search, which we liked. For example, if you search an accounting catalog, you’ll only see filters related to documents in that catalog and not to your entire document database. You can also create and remove search filters for any catalog very easily.

One thing we didn’t appreciate as much is that you can’t customize the folders that appear under current files. You’ll find helpful folders for messages, approvals, and documents you’re currently editing. But you cannot create custom folders for frequently accessed documents or for specific projects you’re working on.

Ademero: Support

Ademero offers support by phone, email, and live chat. Phone and email support is only available on weekdays, but live chat is available 24/7. In addition, the company has a very thorough online knowledge base with step-by-step tutorials.

Ademero review

Ademero has a detailed online knowledge base for Content Central. (Image credit: Ademero)

Ademero: Security

Content Central takes security seriously and offers a number of tools for administrators. It’s straightforward to define groups of users and assign permissions to both groups and individual users. In addition, the platform automatically logs all user activities, including document searches, edits, and connections, so that administrators can easily conduct an audit.

Administrators can set access permissions for individual users or groups. (Image credit: Ademero)

The competition

Ademero does a lot of things well, but the outdated user interface and lack of folder view customizations are real drawbacks. One alternative worth considering is DocuWare, which offers a more modern cloud-based platform and extensive flexibility.

We like that DocuWare includes tons of document templates and integrations, plus it matches Ademero’s capabilities when it comes to automation. Pricing is by quote only, but expect to pay quite a bit more per user than for Ademero.

Final verdict

Ademero Content Central is a capable document management software. The platform excels at automating your document workflow, and we particularly liked the zonal recognition feature for making quick work of document input. The platform’s integrations are also a plus if your business relies on software like Quickbooks or Salesforce. The biggest downside to Ademero is that the user interface is outdated, but this is something we could live with.

Michael Graw

Michael Graw is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Bellingham, Washington. His interests span a wide range from business technology to finance to creative media, with a focus on new technology and emerging trends. Michael's work has been published in TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Business Insider, Fast Company, Salon, and Harvard Business Review.