Ever accidentally deleted or messed up an up-to-date version of a document? It happens to the best of us.
Document version control software is your safety net in such cases. If something goes wrong, you can always return to a previous version, restore it, and avoid those “oops” moments.
Without version control document management software, everyone has their copy, and you can’t be sure who has the latest version. Document control software keeps things in order, ensuring everyone is on the same page (literally!) by managing different versions of your business processes.
Let’s review the top 10 document control version software for 2024, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and explore how they can help your business grow.
Top 10 Document Version Control Software for 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in Document Version Control Software?
When choosing a top document version control system for your business, prioritize the features that align with your needs. Here are some key features you can look for:
- Version history tracking: A robust version control software keeps a detailed history of document changes, showing each owner and their edits. This feature ensures transparency and accountability and enables version comparison, so users can revert to previous versions when needed
- Real-time collaboration: Enabling real-time collaboration is crucial. The ability to add comments and annotations facilitates smooth teamwork, making it easy for multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously
- Flexible access control: Managing who can access what is vital, especially for sensitive information. Your software should offer flexible access control, thus ensuring only authorized personnel can view or edit specific documents
- Intuitive interface: An intuitive design ensures users, regardless of their technical expertise, can navigate the software effortlessly
- Integration capabilities: Integration capabilities allowing the document management platform to work harmoniously with your existing tools, so you can be more efficient
- Backup features: The software should provide robust backup features to prevent data loss and ensure your sensitive documents are always secure, even in unforeseen circumstances
- Scalability: As your organization grows, so should your document management solution. Scalability ensures that the document version control software can handle increasing data and user loads, all without compromising performance
- Training: Multiple people collaborating on the same document can lead to confusion, especially if they don’t know how to use the tool and its features. So, the tool should have comprehensive training materials for successful software adoption
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Document Version Control Software to Use
While document management software solutions are available on the market, a few might still lack significant features. We looked at different options and checked their pros and cons to present the 10 best document version control software for you. Let’s find out who made it to the list!
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity and collaboration platform designed for teams of all sizes to work together without interruptions.
It’s the ideal app for creating company wikis and technical docs and for documenting product features, departmental processes, and individual tasks and responsibilities.
ClickUp Docs’ version control feature lets you protect your documents with privacy and edit controls and assigns ownership by adding Owners and Contributors. Create links that can be shared exclusively with a particular team, guest, or public member by inviting them.
Also see the history of changes made to a Doc or restore to previous versions if needed.
With ClickUp’s live collaboration detection feature, everyone in your workspace can edit documents simultaneously, list info, add tags, tasks, and goal descriptions, and manage changes. What’s more, the platform instantly updates everything in real-time.
ClickUp best features
- Add headers, tables, banners, tags, comments, bookmarks, images, videos, and links, allowing efficient knowledge sharing
- Edit documents collaboratively in real time
- Utilize templates to keep your docs looking consistent
- Save time and get more done with Focus mode, Page Details, and Archive features
- Duplicate a publicly shared document
- Protect your docs from unwanted changes by opting for the Business Plus Plan
- Create Doc tags so as to find documents easily
- Write, format, summarize, and edit content quickly using ClickUp AI
ClickUp limitations
- It may have a learning curve for first-time users
- Some features are not fully accessible in the mobile app
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3900+ reviews)
2. Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is software that helps you create, edit, and manage PDF files. You can convert documents from different formats into PDFs and also add security features like passwords or signature permissions to protect your files.
Its version control feature updates the version number every time the document is modified. It also lets you compare changes and save different versions.
Moreover, you can comprehensively modify PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat’s editing tools, including text, images, and formatting.
Adobe Acrobat’s best features
- Collaborate easily by creating versions of documents and comparing edits
- Type comments, add freehand drawings, and highlight text to give feedback
- Make extensive edits such as adding text and pages, cropping and rotating pages, modifying images, and fixing typos
- Add, remove, and reorder pages using a simple drag-and-drop feature
- Convert files into PDFs and vice versa while preserving formatting
- Share files easily by compressing them without losing quality
Adobe Acrobat limitations
- May have a significant learning curve for beginners
- Users report occasional compatibility issues
Adobe Acrobat pricing
- Acrobat Reader: Free
- Acrobat Standard: $12.99/month
- Acrobat Pro: $19.99/month
- Acrobat for Teams: Starting at $22.19/month per user
Adobe Acrobat ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (3200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (10,200+ reviews)
3. QT9 QMS
QT9 QMS is quality management software with document management and control features. It lets you share controlled documents with your team and other users such as suppliers and customers.
Its master copy and display copy feature ensures you manage changes easily. Users appreciate its auto-archiving feature, so you can work with only what’s relevant.
QT9 QMS helps you organize documents, fix problems, conduct audits, and manage suppliers. It also ensures that businesses follow processes, improve their work, and keep track of quality information to make smarter decisions for ongoing improvements.
QT9 QMS’s best features
- Centrally connect documentation records across multiple locations
- Use multiple tools covering various compliance aspects
- See an electronic timeline of the changes made to any document
- Use real-time analytics to track changes
- Send email alerts to get documents reviewed
- Assign approvers and enable electronic signature compliance
QT9 QMS Limitations
- Might pose challenges in integrating with other systems or software
- Customization might be challenging
QT9 QMS Pricing
- Contact for pricing
QT9 QMS ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (40+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7 (70+ reviews)
4. MasterControl
MasterControl is an all-in-one quality management software. It makes quality-related tasks smoother and more efficient, especially for regulated industries.
Its document revision management software lets companies control document revisions and maintain updated versions in its web-based system. These documents can then be made available to users virtually anywhere.
The tool facilitates training management, change control, audits, and compliance, ensuring adherence to industry standards and regulatory requirements. In addition, users love its approval workflows, which reduce delays.
MasterControl best features
- Simplify your work with automated workflows
- Locate all documents in one place and get a time-stamped audit trail
- Utilize tools to track, manage, and improve quality with its centralized platform
- Keep track of inspections and checks with timely updates
- Maintain updated versions through document control
- Ensure compliance adherence with its strong tools
MasterControl Limitations
- Implementation might be challenging and time-consuming due to its complexity
- Customizing requires special skills, making it less flexible for some users
MasterControl pricing
- Contact for pricing
MasterControl ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (280+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)
5. Sierra QMS
Sierra QMS is a user-friendly quality management software that manages quality tasks for organizations. It focuses on document control, corrective actions, and audit management to follow industry standards.
Its document control feature lets you control visibility and rights for any assigned user. Moreover, it stands out for its natural language processing (NLP) feature that lets you know where to add content for better topic coverage.
Sierra QMS’s best features
- Auto-assign training tasks to users with easy access to SOPs and policies
- Monitor document status with custom notifications and reports
- Organize and manage documents with a robust record-keeping system
- Upload templates to keep your documents consistent
Sierra QMS limitations
- It might have challenges in connecting or working smoothly with other software or tools outside its system
- It might not offer advanced data analysis capabilities
Sierra QMS pricing
- Contact for pricing
Sierra QMS ratings and reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
- G2: Unavailable
6. HotDocs
HotDocs is a document automation software that helps create documents quickly and easily.
With the HotDocs Author plugin, you can keep track of the various template versions you’ve created. It also lets you share the template development role with other team members and maintains an organized repository of all your template files.
HotDocs uses two kinds of version control: centralized and distributed, based on the location of the file repository.
You can create templates for various documents, like contracts or forms, and then fill in the details automatically. This saves time and ensures accuracy by reducing manual work when generating repetitive documents.
HotDocs best features
- Save time with reusable templates for various types of forms or contracts
- Link the version control repository to your workspace and make changes to the template file directly from the workspace
- Automate template creation while meeting internal brand guidelines and industry compliance requirements
- Reduce legal documentation errors with its automation feature
HotDocs limitations
- Might need programming skills to create certain complex templates
- Limited compatibility with certain operating systems or older software versions
HotDocs pricing
- Contact for pricing
HotDocs ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (80+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (60+ reviews)
7. Seismic
Seismic is a platform that helps businesses manage and optimize their sales and marketing content. It centralizes all content-related assets, such as presentations, documents, and videos, providing tools for creating, organizing, and sharing these materials.
Seismic offers document version control where you can manage controls and permissions. It lets you see when a file was uploaded and whether a certain part is confidential. It also archives and retains previous file versions and maintains an audit trail.
Seismic best features
- Use powerful data analysis tools for marketing and sales
- Organize and manage sales-related materials efficiently
- Connect with various systems or software, enabling smooth workflows and data sharing
- Use LiveDocs to automate and personalize content
Seismic limitations
- Small businesses might find it expensive compared to other alternatives
- Set-up is time-consuming
Seismic pricing
- Contact for pricing
Seismic ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (1400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (200+ reviews)
8. Google Docs
Google Docs is an online word-processing tool from Google that helps users create, edit, and collaborate on documents in real-time. It offers a user-friendly interface and has various editing options similar to traditional word processors.
The cloud-based tool enables smooth collaboration among multiple users with features like autosave and easy access from any device with internet access. Its document control feature lets you access the previous versions in a timestamp format.
Its integration with Google Workspace applications, and the ability to export documents in various formats, further enhance its utility.
Google Docs best features
- Collaborate on a document with multiple users in real-time
- Identify whether someone updated a document since you last viewed it
- Create different kinds of documents with the template library
- Name up to 40 versions in any document for easy identification
Google Docs limitations
- The offline version has reduced capabilities, which affects accessibility and editing features
- Offers fewer advanced formatting features compared to some traditional word processors
Google Docs pricing
- Free
- Business Starter: $7.20/month per user
- Business Standard: $14.40/month per user
- Business Plus: $21.60/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Google Docs ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (42200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (28000+ reviews)
9. Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a popular software used for creating and editing text-based documents like letters, reports, or resumes. It’s typically the go-to tool for businesses for documentation and reporting.
Microsoft Word lets you version control a document by giving you access to all the previous versions in a read-only format.
Microsoft Word’s best features
- Utilize various formatting tools to change text appearance, insert images, and create professional-looking documents
- Collaborate in real-time with its document-sharing feature
- Access major or minor versions based on your requirements
Microsoft Word limitations
- Requires regular updating
- Accessing the full range of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, might require purchasing the complete Office suite. However, this could be costly for some users
Microsoft Word pricing
- Limited-period free version
- Custom licenses for individuals and businesses
Microsoft Word ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (1790+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (2000+ reviews)
10. monday.com
monday.com is a project management system where teams can manage workflows, tasks, and projects collaboratively. It provides a visual interface with customizable boards, timelines, and dashboards, so teams can organize tasks, track progress, and communicate effectively.
monday.com controls and maintains document versions and keeps all the files in the same place. This makes content review and approval easier compared to tracking multiple documents through emails.
monday.com best features
- Preview, download and add annotations to each version
- Delete older versions to avoid clutter
- Make project management easier through a visually intuitive interface
- Create and customize workflows
- Track and manage projects in real-time
monday.com limitations
- Might be complex for some users
- Users may require higher plans to access advanced features
monday.com pricing
- Personal use: Free
- Basic: $12/month per seat
- Standard: $14/month per seat
- Pro: $24/month per seat
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
monday.com ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9900+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4580+ reviews)
Read more: Monday Alternatives
Summarize this article for me pleaseControl Versions to Control Quality
Document version control software is your accuracy tool in team collaborations. It creates a hub where your team can work on the latest document, so there is no confusion from conflicting edits and lost data. Pick a tool that keeps everything organized and chaos-free.
If you’re yet to make your pick, then do try ClickUp!
ClickUp’s advanced software provides a user-friendly interface that tracks changes, maintains detailed version histories, allows easy version reverting, and so much more!
In addition to the document version control system, ClickUp also brings task management and project management features to make your workflow smooth.
So Sign up for ClickUp today to improve how your teams work and collaborate.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
