Is FileMaker still being developed in 2026?

Yes. Claris International Inc. (the company behind FileMaker, a wholly-owned Apple subsidiary) continues to actively develop the Claris platform in 2026. The three connected products - Claris FileMaker, Claris Connect and Claris Studio - all receive regular feature releases and security updates. Claris publishes a roadmap and an annual release cadence.

Is Claris FileMaker dead or deprecated?

No. The 'FileMaker is dead' meme reappears on the internet roughly every two years and has been wrong every time. Claris FileMaker remains a supported, actively developed, enterprise-licensed Apple-owned product with hundreds of thousands of active deployments globally. The product has been rebranded from FileMaker Pro (2019 onward it is marketed under the Claris brand) but the platform, file format, licensing model and developer community are alive and growing.

What has Claris added to FileMaker recently?

Recent Claris platform additions include: AI and large language model integration hooks built into the scripting engine; Claris Studio for web-native form and data interfaces that complement FileMaker; deeper native REST and OData support; improved SSO and SCIM for enterprise identity; ongoing performance work on FileMaker Server; and native Apple Silicon optimisation. The broad direction is integration-friendly, cloud-native and AI-ready.

When is FileMaker the wrong choice in 2026?

FileMaker is the wrong choice when you need: a consumer-facing web app at scale (use a modern web stack), a global data platform with many millions of records per table (use a cloud data warehouse), a spreadsheet-shaped workflow for 1–10 users (Airtable is faster), or a pure mobile-app product (build native iOS/Android). FileMaker is the right choice for internal, workflow-heavy, relational, multi-user business applications with 5–500 users.

Should I start a new FileMaker project in 2026, or pick a different platform?

For a bespoke internal business application at 5–500 users, FileMaker is one of the fastest and cheapest routes to a production system in 2026 - genuinely low-code, with a proper relational data model, a mature scripting engine, native iOS, and UK-hostable servers. For consumer-facing products or ultra-high-scale data, use something else. The honest framing is not 'FileMaker or nothing' - it is 'FileMaker where the shoe fits'.

RESOURCES · PLATFORM

Is FileMaker still worth using in 2026?

Q: Who still uses FileMaker in 2026?

Apple itself, still. Plus hundreds of thousands of organisations globally - roughly half in the US, the rest spread across Europe, Japan and the rest of the world. In the UK, users skew towards professional services, sports and governing bodies, media, healthcare, manufacturing, public sector, education and charities - anywhere a team of 5–500 users needs a custom workflow that off-the-shelf SaaS can't quite cover.

An honest 2026 assessment of Claris FileMaker - where the platform is, where it's going, who still uses it, and when it is (and isn't) the right tool.

Published 2026-04-17 · Written by Neptune Digital

A client asks us some version of this question roughly once a fortnight, usually after reading a LinkedIn post from someone who hasn't touched the platform in ten years. The short answer is yes - but it depends on the shape of what you're building. This is our honest 2026 assessment.

Where the platform is in 2026

Claris International Inc. - a wholly-owned Apple subsidiary, formerly FileMaker Inc. - continues to ship three connected products under the Claris brand:

Claris FileMaker - the core application platform. Relational database, scripting engine, layout designer, server, native iOS/iPadOS client (FileMaker Go). Desktop (macOS, Windows), WebDirect, iOS, REST/OData.
Claris Connect - integration platform for connecting FileMaker to third-party SaaS, with pre-built connectors.
Claris Studio - web-native form and data interfaces that complement FileMaker deployments.

The release cadence is roughly annual for major versions with point releases throughout the year. Claris maintains a public roadmap and an active developer programme.

What Claris has added recently

AI / LLM integration hooks in the scripting engine - native support for calling language models from within FileMaker scripts.
Claris Studio - a web-native layer for forms, data entry and dashboards, bundled with modern Claris plans.
Native Apple Silicon performance on macOS, iPadOS and iPhone.
Enterprise SSO and SCIM for identity-federated deployments.
Expanded REST and OData support for modern integrations.
Ongoing FileMaker Server performance work - larger deployments scale further than they used to.

"Is FileMaker dead?" - the meme vs the reality

The "FileMaker is dead" meme has reappeared on the internet roughly every two years since 2010. It has been wrong every time. In 2026 the platform:

Is actively developed by an Apple-owned company.
Has hundreds of thousands of active deployments worldwide.
Has a growing Claris Partner ecosystem.
Continues to be licensed to enterprises and governments.
Has a developer community that ships new techniques, add-ons and open-source modules every week.

None of which is a guarantee that FileMaker is right for your project - only that the platform is not going anywhere.

Who still uses FileMaker in 2026?

In the UK, the user base skews to:

Sports bodies and governing associations (The FA, British Olympic Association, British Paralympic Association, county associations).
Professional services - legal, accountancy, architecture, consulting.
Healthcare, clinical operations and NHS-adjacent teams.
Manufacturing and engineering operations.
Media, production, creative agencies.
Education and research.
Charities and non-profits.
Central and local government.

The common thread: teams of 5–500 users that need a custom workflow that off-the-shelf SaaS doesn't quite cover, and that can justify a proper build rather than a spreadsheet.

When FileMaker is the right choice in 2026

Internal, line-of-business applications with 5–500 concurrent users.
Workflow is genuinely custom (you've looked at SaaS and none of it fits).
Field workers or mobile users who need offline iOS access.
UK GDPR / data residency is a requirement - Claris FileMaker Server can be hosted on UK infrastructure.
You need a platform that one person can maintain (lower total cost of ownership than most custom code).
You want to own the platform long-term rather than rent it.

When FileMaker is the wrong choice in 2026

We say this a lot, which usually surprises people who expect a Claris Partner to sell FileMaker into every brief. FileMaker is the wrong tool for:

Consumer-facing web applications at scale. Use a modern web stack.
Very high-volume data workloads (many millions of records per table, heavy analytics). Use a cloud data warehouse.
Spreadsheet-shaped workflows for 1–10 users. Airtable is often faster (see our FileMaker vs Airtable guide).
Consumer mobile apps. Build native iOS/Android.
Workflows you can genuinely get from off-the-shelf SaaS - FileMaker is a build, not a buy. Only build when the SaaS doesn't fit.

The short answer

FileMaker in 2026 is a mature, actively-developed, Apple-owned low-code application platform with a strong niche: internal, relational, workflow-heavy business applications for 5–500 users. If that is what you are building, it is one of the cheapest and fastest routes to a real production system. If it isn't, pick the right tool for the job - a good Claris Partner will tell you when FileMaker isn't it.

FAQs

FileMaker in 2026 FAQs

Not sure if FileMaker fits your project?

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