If you're running a FileMaker application with 15 users, you're paying Claris $45 per user per month just for the right to use your own software. That's $8,100 a year in licensing alone — before you pay a developer, before you host anything, before you build a single new feature.
What if you could replace that with a flat $100/month?
FileMaker: $8,100/Year in Licensing Alone
Claris restructured its licensing in 2025. For a team of 15 users, the cheaper "Starter" cloud tier caps out at 10 users, so you're forced onto the Max tier at $45/user/month.
| Cost Item | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Claris Cloud Max licensing (15 users × $45/mo) | $8,100/yr |
| 5-year licensing total | $40,500 |
Source: Claris pricing page (claris.com/pricing). All prices USD. This is licensing only — it does not include developer support, integrations, or upgrades.
And that number only goes up. Claris increased prices 10% across the board in 2022, and the trend continues. Every new team member you add costs another $540/year.
A Modern Web App: $100/Month. Unlimited Users.
A custom web application built on Ruby on Rails runs on standard cloud hosting. There are no per-user license fees — whether you have 15 users or 150, the hosting cost is the same.
| Cost Item | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Cloud hosting (e.g. Heroku, Render, AWS) | $1,200/yr ~$100/mo for a production-grade setup with database included |
| Per-user licensing | $0 |
| 5-year hosting total | $6,000 |
The 5-Year Comparison
| FileMaker Cloud Max | Modern Web App | |
|---|---|---|
| One-time migration cost | — | $10,000* |
| Year 1 | $8,100 | $1,200 |
| Year 2 | $8,100 | $1,200 |
| Year 3 | $8,100 | $1,200 |
| Year 4 | $8,100 | $1,200 |
| Year 5 | $8,100 | $1,200 |
| 5-year total | $40,500 | $16,000 |
Over 5 years, FileMaker licensing costs $40,500. A modern web app — including the migration — costs $16,000. That's a saving of $24,500.
*Migration cost varies based on application complexity. $10,000 is a starting point for straightforward applications. We provide a fixed-price quote after reviewing your FileMaker file — request your free estimate.
It Gets Worse for FileMaker as You Grow
FileMaker charges per user. A web app doesn't. The more your team grows, the more dramatic the difference becomes.
| Team Size | FileMaker (5-Year Licensing) | Web App (5-Year Hosting + Migration*) | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 users | $27,000 | $16,000 | $11,000 |
| 15 users | $40,500 | $16,000 | $24,500 |
| 25 users | $67,500 | $16,000 | $51,500 |
| 50 users | $135,000 | $16,500 | $118,500 |
| 100 users | $270,000 | $17,000 | $253,000 |
Web app hosting increases slightly at larger team sizes. FileMaker licensing scales linearly at $45/user/month.
At 50 users, you're paying Claris $27,000 a year just in licensing. A web app serving the same 50 users costs $100–$150/month to host.
The Costs That Don't Show Up in a Spreadsheet
The dollar comparison above only covers licensing and hosting. But some of the most significant costs of staying on FileMaker are harder to quantify:
- Talent risk. FileMaker developers are a shrinking pool. The Claris community forums are filled with businesses struggling to find replacements when their developer leaves. Web developers number in the hundreds of thousands globally.
- Opportunity cost. Every feature your team wants — mobile access, API integrations, automated workflows, AI-powered reporting — is either impossible or prohibitively expensive on FileMaker. On a web app, these are standard capabilities.
- EOL anxiety. FileMaker 19.6 reached end-of-life in December 2024. FileMaker 2024 reaches end-of-life in June 2026. Each version sunset forces an upgrade cycle with its own costs and risks.
- Developer rates. FileMaker consultants charge $150–$195/hour. Web developers are more plentiful and generally less expensive.
When Does Migration NOT Make Sense?
We believe in being honest. Migration isn't the right move for everyone:
- Very small teams (2–5 users) with simple needs may find FileMaker's on-premise Starter plan ($16.50/user/month) cheap enough to stay.
- Teams that barely use FileMaker and could switch to an off-the-shelf tool without needing custom development.
- Applications with minimal business logic that are really just data entry forms — a no-code tool might be a better fit than a custom build.
But if your FileMaker application runs core business operations and serves 10+ users? The math overwhelmingly favors migration.
Want to See the Numbers for Your Application?
Send us your FileMaker file and we'll give you a specific cost comparison and a fixed-price migration quote.
Get Your Free Estimate