What Is Claris and What Does the Company Offer?

Updated

Claris is an Apple company that makes software for building custom apps, automating work, and integrating systems. If you need a way to create a business app without starting from scratch, or to connect tools and automate processes across an organization, Claris is aimed at that job. Its core products are Claris FileMaker, Claris Connect, FileMaker Cloud, and FileMaker Server, with AI features and hosting options layered on top.

What Claris is

Claris describes itself as "an Apple company" and positions its products around creating custom apps, automating processes, connecting systems, and launching secure solutions that scale with an organization. The homepage framing is "Create the solution you wish you had," with supporting lines about going "beyond humanly possible" and connecting systems "reliably, flexibly, and with Apple security."

That tells you two things about fit:

  • It is aimed at organizations that want to build their own solutions rather than buy a fixed off-the-shelf product.
  • Security and scale are presented as built-in concerns, not add-ons.

Core products

Product What it is for
Claris FileMaker Build powerful custom apps
Claris Connect Integrate your entire tech stack and automate workflows
FileMaker Cloud Cloud-hosted databases, users, and settings, without hosting hassles
FileMaker Server Host with your own infrastructure; manage licenses, add-ons, and team access

The split between Cloud and Server is the main hosting decision: Cloud if you want Claris to handle hosting, Server if you want to run it on your own infrastructure. The site also points to a "Hosting options" page for choosing between them.

AI and automation features

Claris lists several AI-related capabilities:

  • Agentic development — described as building more with AI on your side
  • AI script steps and AI functions — documented in the Claris help center
  • Semantic image search
  • Work with LLMs — supercharging custom apps with AI tools and LLM integration

There is also a "What's new in FileMaker" page and a FileMaker 2026 / version 26 feature overview for release-specific details.

Who it is for

The site lists industries including education, entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit, and service. Common use cases include mobile automation, event planning, inventory management, project management, system integration, and work order management.

If your need matches one of those patterns — tracking inventory, managing work orders, connecting systems — the pre-built route may be faster: Claris points to a Marketplace with pre-built apps and templates, and to a partner network if you have no time to build.

How to get started and where to go next

  • Pricing — there is a dedicated pricing page at claris.com/pricing
  • Start free — a "Start free" entry point appears in the site navigation
  • Login — separate sign-in paths exist for FileMaker Server, FileMaker Cloud, and Claris Connect
  • Learning — Claris Academy, certifications, community live sessions, virtual office hours, and live training
  • Support — documentation, release notes, system status, contact support, and AI support resources

The practical first step depends on your situation: if you want to evaluate the product, use the free start option and the pricing page; if you already run FileMaker, the upgrade guidance and release notes are the relevant pages; if you would rather not build, look at the Marketplace or find a partner.