What is file tracking?

File tracking is the procedure of tracking physical and digital files. It includes tracking the files' locations, people working on different files, changes made and so on.

Can files be tracked?

Yes, both digital and physical files can be easily tracked and maintained through technologies like RFID and file tracking software.

How to use file tracking system?

File tracking systems can be used to track and maintain files and documents. Users can add RFID tags to physical files to store their information and track the storage location. For digital files, users can create a link which can also be used to share and track files.

How does a tracking system work?

A file tracking system works by creating a specific link for each stored file. This link is then used to share documents, track a file's location, check history, manage files permissions, etc.

Why file integrity monitoring is important?

File integrity Monitoring is important as it helps in tracking details of a file like permissions and modification details. This monitoring is important as any modification in files or changes to the files' permissions might make those susceptible to cyber threats and data breach.

11 Best File Tracking System & Software for Business in 2024

Summary: Users can track and maintain an archive of digital files to be accessed by authorized users via file tracking software. What is the best software to track and manage your digital files? Find below!

Maintaining a physical repository of all files and documents is difficult as they can be easily lost, or data may be stolen. Moreover, there are bulk of data sets that need to be captured and stored on a regular basis. Thus, manually entering these data sets can be overwhelming and time consuming.

However, with the file tracking software, all these issues can be resolved. It simplifies the process of sharing and tracking files, capturing data, and digitizing paper files.

In addition to that, it comes with various security protocols like password protection to keep the files secure and prevent unauthorized access. Hence, investing in file tracking software is a worthwhile investment.

What else will you get with a file tracking solution and what are the top choices? Learn more about file tracking software below.

What Is a File Tracking System?

A file tracking system helps users track, maintain, and store important data files. This software simplifies the task of tracking who has accessed the files, edited, or deleted anything. The system also lets users manage individual and business files that include data, documents, records, etc. With it, users can work on several files with different users in real time.

11 Free File Tracking System Software for Small Business

Docsend
CMW Tracker
DocuWare
ProofHub
Google Drive
Alfresco
M-Files
ONLYOFFICE Docs
LogicalDoc
Dokmee
Hightail

Here is the list of some of the most popular free file tracking system software that you can consider for storing and tracking your digital files.

DocSend

DocSend is a file tracking software that helps in sharing and tracking the documents shared via links. Through these links, users can track the files activities in real time, generate and share signable files, create data rooms to share files, and so on.

Overall Features of DocSend

Real-time files collaboration
Set granular permissions for files
Support for sharing zip and audio files
Restrict users access for files

DocSend Pros and Cons

Easily integrate with Gmail, Outlook, or Dropbox
Users can share multiple files via a single link
Docsend can convert all documents in CSV format

Does not have a free plan
Supports only 50 GB storage space even in the enterprise plan

Pricing: Free plan is not available | Paid plan starts from INR 819.54/user/month

CMW Tracker

CMW Tracker lets users share, maintain, and securely store all digital documents. From document control to legal files management and files verification, this software helps businesses with overall document management.

Overall Features of CMW Tracker

Real-time changes to processes and documents
Advanced workflow tracking
Document matching and verification
Automated document processing

CMW Tracker Pros and Cons

You can assign permissions for all the documents.
Offers the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capability to scan text files and convert them into an editable file format.
Users can save edited versions of a document through document versioning.

Software lags sometimes during the task automation.
Complicated procedure to create a custom workflow.

Pricing: Customized pricing plans according to the number of user licenses

DocuWare File Tracking System

DocuWare is a document management software designed to manage and share documents. It captures and processes data and lets users share it via a secured file.

Overall Features of DocuWare

Document encryption and separation
AI-driven intelligent indexing
Document versioning
Workflow automation
Documents digitization

DocuWare Pros and Cons

Keeps all your documents and data secure with (AES) encryption
Easily change the images or annotations without altering the original content.
You can export data or files to other platforms like ERP or CRM for synchronization.

Difficult to create automated workflows
Not enough documentation to troubleshoot problems

Pricing: Price is available on request on the DocuWare website

ProofHub

ProofHub, a project management software lets users to send, share, or collaborate on files in real-time. It has made it easier for businesses to collaborate on projects with its real-time file sharing option. Further, you can also annotate their files simultaneously with team members through ProofHub.

Overall Features of ProofHub

Task history management
Projects reports
White labelling
Bookmarks creation to locate files and documents
Exporting projects
File-version control

ProofHub Pros and Cons

It lets users restrict IP addresses to prevent unauthorized usage
Users can visualize tasks and events through a customized calendar
With ProofHub, you can also create a customized workflow

Kanban boards navigation lags a lot
ProofHub does not have project budgeting features

Pricing: No free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 3,708.07 per month.

Google Drive

Google Drive lets users store, share, and collaborate on data files. It helps to keep all the stored files secure by providing protection against malware attacks. With real-time collaboration features, users can easily work simultaneously on files and documents.

Overall Features of Google Drive

Support for history versioning
Store and edit 100+ additional documents
Support multiple files format
Easily save big attachments on Gmail

Google Drive Pros and Cons

Easily convert PDFs into documents.
Google Drive lets users work on documents in the offline mode
It lets users translate documents

Only 15 GB storage space is available in the free plan.
Users can upload files up to 750 GB in a day

Pricing: Free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 130 per month

Alfresco

Alfresco’s document management software helps businesses manage and share content and files. With it, users can automatically maintain all the documents record, manage content across platforms, group files together, scan and capture documents, and search content through relevant filters.

Overall Features of Alfresco

Files filtering
Files folder management
Documents review and approval
Automated workflow for repetitive tasks
Enterprise grade security for data protection

Alfresco Pros and Cons

Users can scan and capture data with Alfresco
It comes with full rollback functionality to get the previous file version.
Users can move the content or files through different stages of a task with metadata models.

Steep learning curve
Real-time editing functionality does not function properly.

Pricing: Free community plan available| Price on request for paid plans

M-Files

M-Files is a comprehensive suite with many advanced features for document management and online file tracking. It is an AI-based software to categorize, store, and find documents and files. With it, users can share files through attachments, or URLs, get files preview, manage files versions, manage permissions for each file, detect duplicate files, etc.

Overall Features of M-Files

AI-powered metadata suggestions
File conversion in multiple formats
Files co-authoring
Advanced documents rendering

M-Files Pros and Cons

It lets users share files externally through public links
With enforced version control, users can save changes in all the versions
M-Files let users view all the tasks through Gantt chart view

Only 100 characters supported to set the name of a file.
It takes time to share documents via email.

Pricing: Price is available on request

ONLYOFFICE Docs

ONLYOFFICE Docs, is an online editor to edit text documents, presentations, forms, etc. It also comes with file tracking functionalities along with file collaboration, co-editing, track changes, files version history, documents comparison, and much more. Additionally, it comes with a PDF reader and converter to convert PDFs into different formats.

Overall Features of ONLYOFFICE Docs

Built-in chat for real-time commenting
Public document sharing
Files permission management
Support for WordPress content publishing

ONLYOFFICE Docs Pros and Cons

Users can add various drawing shapes in documents and files
It lets users preview files after editing
You can edit documents even in the offline version

Limited document protection features
Co-editing feature does not function properly

Pricing: No free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 659.68/user/month

LogicalDoc

LogicalDoc is a document management software to manage, share, collaborate, and export files or documents. You can send files via e-mail, export documents to CSV, manage documents versions control, generate specific meta tags for content, etc. It also offers various integrations to seamlessly share files with other users.

Overall Features of LogicalDoc

Documents bookmarking
Files conversion in different formats
Support for digital signatures
Files import from ZIP archives
Real-time documents annotations

LogicalDoc Pros and Cons

It lets you automate document-centric workflows.
You can create calendars for all tasks and projects.
LogicalDoc encrypts files for data security

Large files might slow down the system.
Implementation is a bot complex

Pricing: Community plan is free | Price on request at LogicalDoc official website for other plans

Dokmee

Dokmee’s ECM software is designed for a variety of purposes including files sharing, document capturing and storing, files retrieval, etc. It is a great content management and file tracking software to share files globally, create customized workflows, manage files permissions, and encrypt these files.

Overall Features of Dokmee’s ECM software

Automatic document stamping
Files history tracking
Supports multiple files format
e-signature creation
Files retrieval through keywords

Dokmee’s ECM software Pros and Cons

Easily add custom stamps, sticky notes, or e-signatures to images
It automatically deletes files after a specific configured period
With Dokmee, multiple users can work and edit files in real time

Complicated workflow management
Software lags sometimes while working on multiple files.

Pricing: Dokmee’s ECM’s price is available on request

Hightail

Hightail is an online file tracking system to easily share big data files and check content accessibility through file delivery and send tracking. Along with that, it can be used for previewing files, synching documents with cloud platforms, sharing files via link, protecting files via passwords, and so on.

Overall Features of Hightail

Files version control
Advanced task management
Real-time documents collaboration
Email notifications customization

Hightail Pros and Cons

You can set expiration dates for the files and documents
It lets you archive the previous versions of files and documents
You can choose to decide who can view comments on the documents

Only 100 MB file size send limit in the free plan.
Files get automatically deleted after 1 week in the free plan.

Pricing: Free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 991.01 per month

Benefits of File Tracking Systems

Using file tracking systems can be advantageous in several ways, such as –

Improves the file storage and retrieval procedure
Helps prevent unauthorized files usage through controlled permissions.
Eliminates the risk of lost information by maintaining the track of every file.
Helps manage the version history of every file.
Assists in improving the files security through password protection.
Easily set expiration dates for shared files links.

Top Features of File Tracking Systems

A file tracking solution comes with multiple features to securely store, share, or track files. Some common features include files sharing and versioning, link expiration date setting, file protecting, etc. Other major functionalities of file tracking software are:

Files Versioning: Most file tracking systems come with files versioning functionality that saves all the edited versions of the files. Thus, making it easier to track changes.
Files Sharing: The software lets users share single or multiple files within and outside the organization through a link. This link can also be used to restrict access to the files.
Real-Time Files Tracking: The files tracking system lets users track a file in real time for people working on it and changes made.
Creation of Data Rooms: With this software, businesses can create multiple data rooms to share and collaborate on different files.
Files Folder Management: You can create file folders to categorize, sort, or manage files.
Files Permissions Management: Easily assign roles and permissions to users to access the files and documents.
Data Security: With this software, the users can use multiple security methods to keep all the data present in the files safe and secure.

FAQs

What is file tracking?
File tracking is the procedure of tracking physical and digital files. It includes tracking the files' locations, people working on different files, changes made and so on.
Can files be tracked?
Yes, both digital and physical files can be easily tracked and maintained through technologies like RFID and file tracking software.
How to use file tracking system?
File tracking systems can be used to track and maintain files and documents. Users can add RFID tags to physical files to store their information and track the storage location. For digital files, users can create a link which can also be used to share and track files.
How does a tracking system work?
A file tracking system works by creating a specific link for each stored file. This link is then used to share documents, track a file's location, check history, manage files permissions, etc.
Why file integrity monitoring is important?
File integrity Monitoring is important as it helps in tracking details of a file like permissions and modification details. This monitoring is important as any modification in files or changes to the files' permissions might make those susceptible to cyber threats and data breach.