Rubex by eFileCabinet Review

Our 2020 research and analysis of document management systems leads us to recommend Rubex by eFileCabinet as the best low-cost document management system for small businesses. We chose eFileCabinet from the dozens of document management systems we considered for its useful features and low cost. It offers a cost-effective solution that doesn't cut corners on the most important features. Small businesses can leverage eFileCabinet as a reasonably comprehensive platform for document management without breaking the bank.

To read our full methodology and a more comprehensive list see our best document management systems page.

Editor's note: Looking for a document management system for your business? To help you choose the one that's right for you, fill out the questionnaire below for more information from our vendor partners.

Pricing

Rubex by eFileCabinet offers several plans for small businesses, which differ in storage space and features and are each billed annually. Monthly billing is available at a slightly higher price per month. Full details can be found on eFileCabinet's pricing page.

• Advantage – $55 per user, per month (3-user minimum): The Advantage pricing package builds on the Basic plan's offerings, expanding storage space to 1TB of data and including secure file sharing, workflow automation, custom and preset templates, user check-in and checkout, profile tagging, e-signature tools, audit trail features, and mobile access. When paying monthly, the Advantage plan costs $66 per user, per month. 
  
  
• Business – $99 per user, per month: The Business package is marketed as Rubex by eFileCabinet's best value, offering the widest array of features among the pricing packages. In addition to the features available in the Advantage plan, the Business package offers 5TB of storage space, onboarding tools, manager and admin approvals, and data-specific file routing. Workflow automation tools and zonal optical character recognition (OCR) capture are available as add-ons. When paying monthly the Business plan costs $119 per user, per month.
  
  
• Unlimited – $199 per user, per month: The Unlimited plan offers all the features in the Business plan with unlimited storage capacity. Add-on features for the Business plan, such as zonal OCR and workflow automation tools, are included in the subscription price at this level. When paying monthly, the Unlimited plan costs $239 per user, per month. 

Features

In its lowest-cost plan, Rubex by eFileCabinet offers some of the most important features we looked for in our review. These are the major features in the Basic plan.

Secure File Sharing

Rubex by eFileCabinet has partnered with SecureDrawer, which allows you to encrypt and electronically send confidential files as large as 1GB to co-workers or clients. For Rubex by eFileCabinet's cloud-based platform, it requires several security precautions to ensure files are always protected. All documents are stored in the company's data centers, which are certified Level 1 PCI-compliant. For maximum protection, documents are encrypted in transmission. These security measures are critical when you're trusting a third-party custodian to monitor and manage your documents.

Version Control

Rubex by eFileCabinet saves all the different versions of documents as they are edited, whether the changes are minor or major. It also archives previous versions of each document for later reference.

Integrations

Rubex by eFileCabinet integrates with Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, Salesforce, Sage and Foxit. It also offers API integration at the Advantage level and higher.

Mobile Application

Rubex by eFileCabinet offers a user-friendly mobile app. It provides quick access to the documents you use most. The homepage displays files you have recently worked on and those you have marked as favorites. In addition, there is a menu tab with a search bar to quickly locate any document in the system and a link to view all your cabinets, drawers and folders.

User Permission Settings

Rubex by eFileCabinet allows system administrators to restrict which users can access and edit files. Permissions can be assigned on both an individual and group basis, making it easy to set up general permissions, but one nice aspect of the software is that you can override these general permissions on a case-by-case basis as needed.

For businesses with more extensive document management needs, the Advantage pricing tier considerably expands upon the features available in the Basic tier. These are some of those tools.

Custom Templates

You can use templates to quickly generate common document types, like letters generated automatically on your company letterhead or invoices. You can choose from and then customize a variety of templates to automate the routine aspects of document creation for your business.

Check-in and Checkout

A check-in and checkout feature ensures that two users cannot be making parallel edits to the same version of a document. This prevents the creation of multiple branches of the same document and ensures all edits are included in a single updated version of the file. Older versions are archived for later review.

OCR

The zonal OCR tool is used when scanning files or importing them into the system. OCR can read images, making the document fully searchable. It can also be used to automatically pull keywords out into the metadata fields, helping to automate the document organization process.

Metadata

Metadata fields allow you to affix tags to a file, organizing it within the larger file cabinet structure of your document management software. Those keywords can also be used to quickly search for a file and any others with the same metadata.

Audit Log

The audit log is a useful administrative and security tool that shows every action taken by every user on the system, with a date and time stamp. Audit logs can help ensure the security of a system and the accountability of individual users. It can also be used for regulatory compliance if your business must meet certain data security standards.

APIs

At the Advantage level and higher, eFileCabinet offers APIs to build new integrations with third-party software your business may use.

Rubex by eFileCabinet Pros

Rubex by eFileCabinet's user interface resembles an email inbox, such as Microsoft Outlook, and can be navigated in much the same way. On the left side of the screen, Rubex by eFileCabinet features a customizable folder tree that organizes all your documents. You can see and annotate documents in a preview window.

For small businesses on a budget that need the central features of a document management system, Rubex by eFileCabinet delivers a comprehensive software application that should suit their needs and workflows. The higher-priced plans provide a path for very small businesses to grow into as they scale and their budget expands, making eFileCabinet our best pick for a low-cost document management system.

The interface is sleek, modern and minimalist. However, the multiple windows and icons will take new users some time to learn. The learning curve isn't very steep, but some users might require some minor training to grasp the less-intuitive aspects of the system. Still, eFileCabinet shouldn't slow down your day-to-day workflow once your staff becomes proficient with the system.

Rubex by eFileCabinet Cons

While Rubex by eFileCabinet offers a strong low-cost option with its Basic plan, many useful features are only available in its Advantage package or higher. At $55 a month per user, that plan is comparable to the costs of other document management companies we evaluated.

The interface itself is sleek, modern and minimalist. However, the multiple windows and icons will take new users some time to learn. The learning curve isn't very steep, but some users might require some minor training to grasp the less-intuitive aspects of the system. Still, Rubex by eFileCabinet shouldn't slow down your day-to-day workflow once your staff becomes proficient with the system.

Ready to choose a document management system? Here's a breakdown of our complete coverage:

• Best Document Management Software and Systems
• Document Management Systems: A Buyer's Guide
• Best Free Document Management System
• Best Document Management System for Ease of Use

Editor's note: Looking for a document management system for your business? To help you choose the one that's right for you, fill out the questionnaire below for more information from our vendor partners.