Software
Selection Guide
Which archival system is right for your UK institution?
Choosing an archival management system is a significant decision. The right choice depends on your institution type, collection size, budget, technical capacity, and long-term goals. This guide is written from the perspective of practising archivists working in the UK sector.
The UK Landscape
The UK archival software market is dominated by a small number of commercial products — principally CALM (Axiell) — alongside growing adoption of open-source alternatives. The open-source ecosystem has matured significantly in the past five years, and the cost argument for commercial systems is increasingly hard to justify.
AtoM — Access to Memory
Best for: religious archives, diocesan archives, smaller county collections, charity archives
AtoM is the most widely deployed open-source archival management system in the world. Developed by Artefactual Systems with ICA backing, it is built natively on ISAD(G), ISAAR(CPF), and other ICA standards. It provides a public-facing online catalogue out of the box.
- Strengths: Standards-native, excellent public UI, IIIF support, free software licence, active development community
- Weaknesses: Accessions module less developed than ArchivesSpace; no built-in location management
- UK fit: Strong fit for institutions that primarily need a descriptive catalogue and public online access
ArchivesSpace
Best for: university special collections, larger institutional archives, those needing accessions and locations
ArchivesSpace is the standard system for US research libraries and is growing in UK universities. It provides richer accessions management and physical location tracking than AtoM, alongside a public access portal.
- Strengths: Comprehensive accessions, locations, and assessment modules; strong REST API; active development
- Weaknesses: Steeper learning curve; annual membership fee for the ArchivesSpace programme (though the software itself is open source)
- UK fit: Good fit for university archives and institutions managing active accessions workflows
CALM (Axiell)
Common in: local authority archives, county record offices
CALM is the most widely used commercial archival system in the UK public sector. It is a mature, feature-rich system, but its annual licence costs are substantial and its online catalogue (WebCat) is an additional charge. Many institutions are looking to migrate away.
- Strengths: Familiar to most UK archivists; strong locations and conservation modules; good support
- Weaknesses: High annual cost; limited API access; online catalogue is a chargeable add-on; IIIF integration limited
- UK fit: Still dominant in local authority sector, but TCO over 5–10 years is significantly higher than open-source alternatives
eScriptorium
Best for: institutions with manuscript or handwritten collections requiring transcription
eScriptorium is not a catalogue — it is an HTR (Handwritten Text Recognition) platform. It sits alongside your catalogue to provide searchable transcriptions of handwritten material. If you have parish registers, estate papers, medieval manuscripts, or any significant volume of handwriting to transcribe, eScriptorium is the open-source alternative to Transkribus.
Epexio (Metadatis)
Common in: UK local authority and museum archive contexts
Epexio is a UK-developed commercial archival management system from Metadatis. It is present in around 34 UK institutions, primarily local authority archives and museum collections. It offers a web-based catalogue and collections management interface designed for non-specialist staff.
- Strengths: UK-designed for UK institutions; straightforward interface; local authority sector experience
- Weaknesses: Commercial licence (annual cost); smaller user community than CALM or AtoM; limited IIIF integration; API access limited
- UK fit: Present in smaller local authority and museum archive contexts; less prevalent than CALM but a real presence in the market
- Migration path: We can migrate from Epexio to AtoM — data export format varies by version, so contact us to discuss your specific setup
My Recommendation
Religious and charity archives: AtoM. It's built for your use case, it's free, and we can have you live within weeks.
University special collections: ArchivesSpace if accessions management is critical; AtoM if online access and IIIF are the priority.
Currently on CALM: AtoM is your most natural migration target. The descriptive model maps cleanly, the cost savings are immediate, and the public catalogue is included.
Manuscript collections: AtoM or ArchivesSpace for the catalogue, eScriptorium for transcription. They integrate well together.