Library & Archives · head to head
CONTENTdm vs Evergreen ILS
CONTENTdm
Library & Archives
Build, showcase, and preserve digital collections
- From
- $1495/year
- Rated
- -
Evergreen ILS
Library & Archives
Highly scalable open source library software
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Evergreen ILS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: CONTENTdm pricing requires custom quote with no public pricing available; Evergreen ILS server installation is supported only on Debian 10, 11, 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
- They diverge on capability: CONTENTdm covers Digital collection management, Evergreen ILS covers Circulation management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CONTENTdm and Evergreen ILS actually diverge.
| Attribute | CONTENTdm | Evergreen ILS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1495/year | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud | Web, Desktop, Api |
| Founded | 1967 | 2006 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Library & Archives).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in CONTENTdm
- Digital collection management
- Metadata management
- Compound object support
- Full-text search
- Faceted browse
- IIIF viewer
- WorldCat integration
- Custom websites
Only in Evergreen ILS
- Circulation management
- MARC cataloging
- Acquisitions
- Serials management
- OPAC with faceted search
- Patron management
- Offline circulation
- Consortia support
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CONTENTdm
- Digital collectionsnot Evergreen ILS
- Digitization projectsnot Evergreen ILS
- Archival collectionsnot Evergreen ILS
- Special collectionsnot Evergreen ILS
Evergreen ILS
- Running a consortium-scale library catalogue and circulation systemnot CONTENTdm
- Self-hosting an open source integrated library system across multiple branchesnot CONTENTdm
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CONTENTdm
- Pricing requires custom quote with no public pricing available
- Expensive relative to open-source alternatives
Evergreen ILS
- Server installation is supported only on Debian 10, 11, 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
- PostgreSQL 14 is the minimum supported version
- OpenSRF 3.3.0 or later must be installed separately before Evergreen itself
- Installation is a manual multi-service process requiring a dedicated PostgreSQL superuser account and shell access
Pricing, plan by plan
CONTENTdm
$1495/year- Basic$1495/year
- Up to 10,000 items
- 5GB storage
- Basic discovery
- Standard$2995/year
- Up to 50,000 items
- 25GB storage
- Custom branding
- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Unlimited items
- Custom storage
- IIIF support
Evergreen ILS
Free- Self-HostedFree
- Full ILS functionality
- Circulation system
- OPAC
- Hosted (via partners)$200/month
- Everything in Self-Hosted
- Managed hosting
- Professional support
Which should you pick?
Choose CONTENTdm if
- You need digital collection management.
- You work on Cloud.
- You also want metadata management.
Choose Evergreen ILS if
- You need circulation management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Api.
- You also want marc cataloging.
Questions people ask
- Is CONTENTdm or Evergreen ILS better?
- Neither clearly leads. CONTENTdm starts at $1495/year and Evergreen ILS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CONTENTdm or Evergreen ILS?
- Evergreen ILS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1495/year for CONTENTdm and Free for Evergreen ILS.
- Does CONTENTdm or Evergreen ILS run on more platforms?
- CONTENTdm runs on Cloud. Evergreen ILS runs on Web, Desktop, Api.
- Can I use Evergreen ILS for free?
- Yes. Evergreen ILS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CONTENTdm starts at $1495/year.
- What is CONTENTdm best used for?
- CONTENTdm is most often used for digital collections, digitization projects, archival collections, special collections. Of those, digital collections and digitization projects are not what Evergreen ILS is typically brought in for.
- What can CONTENTdm do that Evergreen ILS cannot?
- CONTENTdm covers Digital collection management, Metadata management, Compound object support, Full-text search. Evergreen ILS covers Circulation management, MARC cataloging, Acquisitions, Serials management. Both handle Cloud deployment.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
CONTENTdm: What types of organizations use CONTENTdm?
CONTENTdm is used by libraries of all types including academic and research libraries, public libraries, historical societies, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions worldwide.
SourceCONTENTdm: Does CONTENTdm preserve digital collections?
Yes, CONTENTdm secures and monitors digital originals in a cloud-based preservation archive to ensure collections remain safe for the future.
SourceCONTENTdm: How much metadata access does CONTENTdm provide?
CONTENTdm allows libraries to describe digitized materials with structured metadata and provides access to over 153 million books and 169 million library-vetted tags.
Source