AJOE  I used to be a FileMaker developer, but they have long ago abandoned the small/casual user for the big companies that will automatically update every time FM announces a new version.

FileMaker has gotten more bloated and less user-friendly with every recent version.

There are other options, and most of them are free!  
(Version 9.0v2)

ACCOUNTCLOSED  All day, no emai with link to download the demo. Customer support said it would arrive "within the hour"—seven hours ago. Filemaker, before making e a demo available, you might want to have your act together so people actually can download it. A poor showing, especially for a major player.   
(Version 10)

DONMONTALVO  I stopped upgrading at 8.5.

The pricing structure is a bit ridiculous. I can see FileMaker developers making a lucrative business out of selling companies on the idea of upgrading to the newer version of FileMaker for whatever reason.

If 8.5 "breaks", I'll sell my copy on Craigslist and move on to something else. I would hate to believe FileMaker is the only game in town...

Don Montalvo  
(Version 10.0v3)

MREHAB  Used FMP since ver4 and found updates GREAT. Very easy to build templates fast.

VERY disappointed FM shifted emphasis from small to corp, esp with IWP now set at 5? users. VERY pissed at the cost of going from ver7.0 to ver8.0 to ver8.5. Ver8.5 really is ver8.0, what a rip! Monopoly as only Apple relational database hurts their clients. Downloaded ver8.5.2 update because I went Leopard & ver8.0 hung & now can NOT print to pdf in Apple printing dialog box. FM says they don't look for backward OS compatibility, so buy the ver9.0. Acts like FM and Apple don't talk to each other.

What a crock ...  
(Version 9.0v3)

BIBERKOPF  I'm surprised and really sorry to read all the bad responses to FileMaker. And as someone who has followed the product closely since version 2 in 1989, I have to say: It's utterly unfair!

Some of you seem to judge the product as a cheap piece of shareware after 5-10 minutes testing. Others compare it to unnamed databases. Sure, you can get databases that will provide in- and output possibilities for free. I, too, use some of them for certain projects. But for differenct tasks than FileMaker. FileMaker is a full featured, extremely mature and reliable DB with a rock solid server foundation that you can build your buisiness on. Year after year. And with a developer environment, that hands you so many features and functions. If you add to that:

• client-server with up to 999 simultaneus users

• perfect cross-platform (Windows/Mac - alas, no Linux :-[)

• web-publishing (instant, customized or xml-feed)

• ligtning fast search in millions of records

• flexible and intuitive design tools to build user totally customizable interfaces

• send email from server or client via smtp

• webviewer that enables presentation of web pages inside FM

• tabs to cut down on presentation layouts

• very low learning curve for beginners

• direct SQL-access (read/write) to MySQL, MSSQL and Oracle

• excellent, flexible and unrivalled reporting (print or pdf)

• very compatible import/export posibilities

• script triggers

• customizable business logic

• many exellent, cheap plug-ins to further expand the power of FileMaker (provides a.o. system and internet integration)

To name just what spring to mind ...

In the late 90's I was giving up on FileMaker. The developer platform was not moving anywhere. But with the totally revamped version 7 in 2004 things changed. Since then every single update has been a major one. Check out the frequency here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filemaker#Version_history

Since 7 I have felt that the developers at FileMaker are actually listening and understanding what is important for FMP developers to get value to the customers - easy, fast and reliably.

FileMaker is not Oracle - and shouldn't be, but I bet it could often do the job of many existing Oracle installation much cheaper, much more flexible and with less developing time. Still, what is more interesting is, that at a very fair price you can get your business up and running on FileMaker AND grow and scale securely and with an incredible flexibility while growing your business.

FileMaker is a professional tool with amazing power if you understand and known it to its full potential.

Unless you want to build a transatlantic tunnel or send rockets to Mars FileMaker can help you.

However if you just want to keep track of your VHS-video-collection, don't bother.

I'm surprised and really sorry to read all the bad responses to FileMaker. And as someone who has followed the product closely since version 2 in 1989, I have to say: It's utterly unfair!

Some of you seem to judge the product as a cheap piece of shareware after 5-10 minutes testing. Others compare it to other unnamed databases. Sure, you can get databases that will provide in- and output possibilities for free. I, too, use some of them for certain projects. But for differenct tasks than FileMaker. FileMaker is a full featured, extremely mature and reliable DB with a rock solid server foundation that you can build your buisiness on. Year after year. If you add to that:

• client-server with up to 999 simultaneus users

• perfect cross-platform (Windows/Mac - alas, no Linux :-[)

• web-publishing (instant, customized or xml-feed)

• ligtning fast search in millions of records

• flexible and intuitive design tools to build user totally customizable interfaces

• send email from server or client via smtp

• webviewer that enables presentation of web pages inside FM

• tabs to cut down on presentation layouts

• very low learning curve for beginners

• direct SQL-access (read/write) to MySQL, MSSQL and Oracle

• excellent, flexible and unrivalled reporting (print or pdf)

• very compatible import/export posibilities

• script triggers

• customizable business logic

• many exellent, cheap plug-ins to further expand the power of FileMaker (provides a.o. system and internet integration)

To name just what spring to mind ...

In the late 90's I was giving up on FileMaker. The developer platform was not moving anywhere. But with the totally revamped version 7 in 2004 things changed. Since then every single update has been a major one. Check out the frequency here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filemaker#Version_history

Since 7 I have felt that the developers at FileMaker are actually listening and understanding what is important for FMP developers to get value to the customers - easy, fast and reliably.

FileMaker is not Oracle - and shouldn't be, but I bet it could often do the job of many existing Oracle installation much cheaper, much more flexible and with less developing time. Still, what is more interesting is, that at a very fair price you can get your business up and running on FileMaker AND grow and scale securely and with an incredible flexibility while growing your business.

FileMaker is a professional tool with amazing power if you understand and known it to its full potential.

Unless you want to build a transatlantic tunnel or send rockets to Mars FileMaker can help you - and fast. (Well, not quite, but almost... ;-] )

However, if you just want to keep track of your VHS-video-collection, don't bother.

I have no affiliation with FileMaker Inc, but I admit: I am a big fan and long time user as well as a prof. developer.  
(Version 10.0v3)

ESPIRIDION  Raddle, $179 is better than my upgrade price. I have version 7 and was a bit shocked when I read "FileMaker Pro 7 or earlier. Purchase full version for $299.00" :-)

The new interface looks nice, but for me the upgrades after version 7 -although good- have not been worth the asking price.

I only checked the upgrade price out of curiosity, though. I purchased Panorama last month, and it's more than enough for my needs. I don't know about speed, but their databases are smaller than FileMaker's, and the price was VERY attractive thanks to a promo they were having (Panorama Twenty Year Anniversary Sale). It ended December 20, but who knows, maybe it still works.

The interface looks a bit outdated, but it doesn't bother me.

Panorama's upgrades for older versions are also quite expensive, though. Overall I'm glad that my money went to ProVUE. I don't know their current prices, but 4D is also another option.  
(Version 10)

RADDLE  $179 to upgrade from 9 to 10? No thanks. I'm done with this company.

I don't mind paying for software - I do it often - or for worthwhile upgrades. But there's paying, and then there's being bled. I have slugged on with this software for years, and even bought the dreadful Bento. I'm tired of the company's attitude, tired of the continual price hikes, tired of being expected to shell out another upgrade fee to have software fixed (Bento 2) or finally made to look like it actually belongs on a machine running Leopard (FileMaker 10), over a year after the fact.

Evidently they're solely targeting the deep-pocketed corporate clients these days, and that's fine, but it's not me. I'll go find something else to store my data in.   
(Version 10)

FRIDGE  It is a pretty clear that there are no other alternatives to Filemaker pro, if there were, Filemaker would most likely have changed their product and policys a long time ago. Cross platform and ›anyone can create a database› is a pretty good thing; and as far as I know, the only application of it's kind for the Mac. But Filemaker is in a CPR desperate need for some serious competition. The whole user interface looks like something made for a PC in the 80's — anyone who thinks Filemaker could not be better then it currently is must be blind or having a seriously bad taste. Filemaker's upgrade policy and backward compatibility stinks and that is about it for me. I am no power user but I need to create simple databases on a regular basis. I also like to know that the work I do is cross platform. So in the end of the day, I will still use Filemaker as I have not other alternatives. But if there were alternatives, I would be the first one to drop my money on it and support that product. Leopard came, Filemaker was not Leopard ready. Apple owns Filemaker!? I believe Apple will do something with Filemaker in the future, but maybe that currently is far down the roadmap. Maybe Apple does not have its focus on Filemaker at the moment and this is why it is as it is at the moment. As someone else said somewhere else on the net ›It's like Filemaker is the Bastard child of Apple› but Apple will do something with this bastaard child sooner or later this I am sure of. However, Filemaker in it's current form and shape is a slow sinking ship, it's the only ship in site so everyone is still clinging to it waiting for another ship to show up at the horizon. Apple knows this, and will someday do something about it and create a database application with a user interface that reflects THIS millenium, good support, cross platform and full of features for the power users (stuff I do not have a clue about). It will come, but until then we all have nurse and babysit the bastard child of Apple.  
(Version 9.0v2)

AIKOUSHA  Wait... before I can even start with this, it requires the latest version of the OSX system? It takes us nearly 2 weeks to recover after every Apple system update, and I have to do it just to test a program that probably hasn't upgraded anything that really needs upgrading? Is the first bug update going to require 10.5?? And then the next version require you to have a Macintosh G6??

I've heard things about interface components changing (lines, font positioning, field boundaries and thicknesses altered). It did this in a previous version, but I never upgraded to it... Still using 5.5.

The WHOLE package requires a system update, yet none of the basic controls use the OSX standard (aqua) interface (pull-downs, scroll-buttons, drop-downs, just regular buttons)? What the hell is up with these people? I can suffer with the antique interface, but an upgrade should have some features useable by at leat 90% of it's user base -- you know, features that have actually been requested and would be easy to implement... not just for the developers and web-professionals (which I am, but have never used any part of Filemaker for).

I seriously need a cross-platform database, but unfortunately, this is the only program. Thankfully version 5.5 still works for everything required, but simple things in Access still haven't been implemented in Filemaker. So, I guess my databases and information continues to stay workable, but in the "stone age." No improvements or short-cuts for my users.

Every time this program is "updated," I am seriously disappointed, and pissed off.  
(Version 9.0)

D9  Uh oh...FileMaker has contracted Upgradeistis, the affliction of depreciating value in software upgrade features resulting in more frequent paid upgrades...it's a slow death with known symptoms of bloatness, poor reviews and rampant piracy.

I use version 7 instead of >   
(Version 9.0)