WebMerge vs Windward vs Docmosis
A Definitive Comparison in 2024

WebMerge, Windward Studios and Docmosis all provide software products that simplify the creation of business documents.

While it might seem they serve the same purpose, their subtle differences make them more appropriate for different uses.

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WebMerge (now Formstack Documents) produces documents from templates using data from form submissions and automation tools like Zapier. It’s perfect for creating personalized sales proposals and agreements but there can be significant shifts in layout when exporting documents with changes in the size and formatting of images and tables.

Meanwhile, Windward Studios (now Fluent by Apryse) is built for creating documents from templates with the ability to pull data from multiple data sources including SQL, Oracle, and DB2. It’s ideal for employees in large enterprises, with decentralized data, who want to automate the creation of their own reports without involving their tech team. However, it also produces shifts in layout for documents with complex formatting, and users without some technical knowledge may find it difficult to use.

Both have issues with template-to-document conversion, which is where Docmosis shines. It’s a fast, reliable, and scalable solution, designed to integrate with custom-built business software applications or third-party platforms to automate the document generation process.

This article discusses the differences between WebMerge vs Windward vs Docmosis in their:

icon price

Price

icon start-up

Ease
of Setup

icon template

Creating
Templates

icon data server

Data
Sources

icon quality

Quality
of Output

icon resources

Resources
 & Support

If you prefer hands-on learning, sign up for a 30-day free trial of Docmosis.

WebMerge
(now Formstack Documents)
Windward Studios
(now Fluent by Apryse)
Docmosis
logo webmerge logo windward docmosis logo colored
Price
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14-day free trial

Starts at $110/month for 150 document merges.

Teams is $220/month for 500 document merges

Pro is $440/month for 2,000 merges

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30-day free trial

Pricing is now hidden. Last known pricing in
April 2023 started at $6,790/yr for the
self-hosted engine.

The MS Word plugin called
Designer was $730/yr.

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30-day free trial

Cloud starts from $49/mo for 4,000 pages

Self-hosted prices start at $3,695 for a
perpetual license.

Ease of Setup
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Cloud solution (web app) that requires no
installation and has an easy account
creation process.

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Offers a self-hosted solution that’s
complex to install and configure. The
cloud option (Windward Hub) was shut
down in the move to Apryse.

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Offers both SaaS and self-hosted
solutions. Both are easy to set up,
enabling users to begin generating
documents with minimal effort.

Creating Templates
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The template creation process is
unintuitive, with three different
competing ways of creating templates.

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Creating templates requires a license
for the Designer and an MS Word
plugin, which has a steep learning curve.

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Templates can be designed
in MS Word, without plug-ins,
using simple plain-text fields.

Data Sources
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Connects with Formstack forms. Can be
connected to other third-party platforms
using Zapier and the Salesforce CRM.

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Connects directly and in real-time with
multiple data sources including JSON,
XML, SQL, Oracle, and DB2.

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Accepts JSON and XML data inputs via
the API — ideal for integrating with
custom software. Can be connected to
third-party platforms using Zapier.

Quality of Output
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Various export options: DOCX, XLSX, PDF,
HTML, JPG, and email. However, the
DOCX and PDF documents can differ
significantly from the original template.

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Nine export options including DOCX, XLSX,
PPTX, PDF, RTF, JPG, and direct-to
printer. The outputs may vary from the
original template.

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Specializes in text-based paginated
documents like DOCX, ODT, TXT, and
PDF. Achieves the best transformation
between template and generated
document.

Resources & Support
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Resources are not organized for easy
navigation and searchability. Some users
report that customer support quality
dropped since the Formstack acquisition.

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It’s hard to find specific support
documents, and some are
outdated. However, customer
support is responsive.

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Resources are thorough, neatly
organized, and regularly
updated. Customer support is
prompt and helpful.

Best for

Creating simple documents from
forms and CRMs, with e-signature
support.

Try free for 14 days
(no card required)

Document creation with basic
formatting from multiple
databases.

Try free for 30 days
(no card required)

Creating business documents
and automating exports with
advanced formatting and logic.

Try free for 30 days
(no card required)

webmerge

What is WebMerge?

Change user inputs into simple documents

In 2011, Jeremy Clarke founded WebMerge to automate repetitive document creation for businesses. In 2019, WebMerge was acquired by Formstack and renamed to Formstack Documents. Besides the name change, the core functionality stayed the same.

WebMerge’s cloud platform is straightforward to use. Users can create document templates from scratch, select pre-existing ones from the template library, or upload a custom Microsoft Office design. For data input, WebMerge integrates with various form creation tools, CRM programs, and e-signature apps, and enables export of created documents in DOCX, PDF, and JPG formats.

WebMerge is ideal for businesses that need to generate simple documents like these, with form responses, CRM data, and e-signatures. But it can struggle with accurate template to document conversions.

What is Windward?

Turn raw data into organized documents

David Thielen founded Windward Studios in 1996 with the belief that “no one should have to repetitively create any document”. By 2021, it was acquired by PDFTron and then renamed again to Fluent by Apryse, but the core functionality stayed the same.

Windward provides a self-hosted platform made up of a template designer plugin, a template manager, and a document generation engine. The plugin integrates with Microsoft Office for designing templates, connecting them to multiple databases, and storing them in the template manager. Plus, the document generation engine automates the population of templates with data and exports final documents to formats like DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, and PDF.

Windward is best for large enterprises that want to generate documents like these, with data from multiple databases. However, it falls short if you want your export document formatting to look precisely like the template.

windward
docmosis

What is Docmosis?

Generate professional documents with high precision

Paul Jowett began work on the Docmosis concept in 2006 to answer two simple questions: What if business documents could be generated from templates? And what if these templates could be created by anyone using popular software they already know?

Docmosis offers three document generation products:

  • Docmosis Cloud: An online SaaS solution that provides access to the Docmosis engine via a REST API.
  • Docmosis Tornado: A self-hosted stand-alone solution that makes the Docmosis engine connectable with custom software applications via a REST API.
  • Docmosis Java: A Java library, optimized for high performance, specifically for embedding in Java applications.

Regardless of the product, you can create templates with two of the most popular word processing software: Microsoft Word and LibreOffice, without installing any third-party plugins. To populate documents, Docmosis supports JSON and XML data sources sent to the REST API.

Docmosis is best for businesses that want to connect with external apps to generate documents like these (reports, proposals, contracts, certificates, invoices, etc.) with advanced formatting and automation logic.

WebMerge vs Windward vs Docmosis

Ease of Setup

WebMerge offers an easy cloud-based app, while Windward’s self-hosted solution is harder to get started with. Docmosis offers both cloud and self-hosted options.

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logo webmerge
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logo windward
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docmosis logo colored

WebMerge is easy to get started with because it’s a cloud-based document generation solution — there’s no need for any software download or installations which keeps setup time to a minimum. You only have to go through the sign-in process and you’re ready to go.

webmerge document

Windward only offers a self-hosted solution for document automation. You have to install a Microsoft Office plugin, called the Fluent Designer, to be able to edit templates with Microsoft Word. This is a licensed product and requires separate licenses for every template author.

You also need the Processing Engine for exporting & the Template Manager to keep your documents organized.

webmerge processing

The installation process of these modules and getting them to work together is complex, even with the help of an IT team. Quite a hurdle if you’re looking to get started quickly.

webmerge invoice

Unlike WebMerge and Windward, Docmosis has three options:

  • Cloud (a SaaS option) that saves you the hassle of complex installations.
  • Tornado (a self-hosted option) to install on your own servers.
  • Docmosis-Java (a java libary) to embed in a Java applications.

docmosis interface

Note: Docmosis’ interface is provided for managing templates and generating test documents.
The actual document generation happens automatically via the API based on integrated third-party software.

Winner: Docmosis. It has cloud and self-hosted solutions and works with tools you’re already familiar with — Microsoft Word and LibreOffice.

Creating Template

Docmosis lets you quickly iterate the development of a template, WebMerge offers many different template builders and it’s difficult to know which one to use, and Windward’s approach to templates can be quite complex.

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logo webmerge
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logo windward
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docmosis logo colored

Windward comes with 11 pre-made templates and requires a template designer plugin.

The plugin supports template creation with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While these interfaces might feel familiar, the plugin’s features require a high level of technical competence — you need to familiarize yourself with Windward’s auto-tag and wizard features, learn to configure and connect with databases, and have a good grasp of data structures.

webmerge creating template

WebMerge has 40 pre-made templates to help you get started.

These include employee contracts, W4 and W9 forms, event tickets, and invoices. However, most of these templates only include simple merge fields for basic text input like dates [1], names [2], emails, and descriptions. If you need advanced formatting with conditional logic, you’ll have to customize the default templates or build your own from scratch.

webmerge creating template document

WebMerge provides three different approaches to create templates from scratch:

  • Builder mode: A regular, text-based builder with text-based merge fields.
  • Drag-and-drop builder: A text-based builder with drag-and-drop merge fields.
  • Advanced mode: An HTML mode for more granular control if you’re comfortable reading/writing code.

webmerge creating template document

While the builder lets you create all kinds of documents, finding features and designing high-quality templates comes with a learning curve because of all the options and builder variations — even with the mini tour and demo videos.

Alternatively, you can upload templates to WebMerge from any of the Microsoft Office Apps: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

With so many options for creating templates, it’s difficult to know which one to use. The question of which one is best for any particular document can only really be answered through trial and error, which can be very time-consuming.

Additionally, WebMerge can generate a simple web form for testing the template with mock data (image below). However, it doesn’t include automatically generated sample data, so there can be a significant amount of manual work if your template has many fields and if you need to test multiple data sets.

webmerge test document

Similar to WebMerge, Docmosis has 39 document templates that include:

Many of these are made by Docmosis and come with sample data for testing. Docmosis also provides the ability to generate sample data based on the fields in the template either via the user interface or via the API.

docmosis api

You can create templates from scratch using LibreOffice Writer or Microsoft Word by adding plain-text placeholders to create the merge fields. When uploaded to Docmosis they can be easily tested with the sample data to see what the final document will look like once generated. Also, creating conditional statements for content and injecting data into table rows requires only a few lines of code.

docmosis invoice

The final document retains the formatting applied to merge fields in your template (which we cover in-depth in the next section).

Winner: Docmosis makes it easy to design templates from scratch using plain- text placeholders. It lets you kick-start your work with a library of 39 practical templates. Additionally, you can quickly test the templates with auto-generated sample data.

Quality of Export

WebMerge and Windward support multiple output formats with lower template-to-document conversion accuracy, while Docmosis supports fewer output formats but offers a higher conversion accuracy.

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logo webmerge
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logo windward
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docmosis logo colored

WebMerge and Windward can output documents in DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, PDF, and HTML formats. In addition to that, WebMerge also exports to email while Windward does RTF and direct to printer.

When it comes to the quality of document exports, both tools are acceptable for simple documents with basic formatting and simple tables. However, when working with complex documents, the final output can look quite different from the original template. For example, images can get resized or moved, font types changed, and table column widths expanded.

This means that, after investing time designing templates, they’ll end up looking different in the output, which defeats the purpose of a template-based process.

export quality

Meanwhile, Docmosis only focuses on the following document-based outputs: PDF, DOCX, ODT, and TXT. Unlike WebMerge and Windward, the generated documents look like the initial template for simple and multi-page documents.

docmosis export quality

This gives you the flexibility and control expected of a template-based approach knowing that your hard work will be reflected in the final document.

Winner: Docmosis wins for specializing in document-based formats and ensuring high-quality outputs; a top priority for businesses that need professional-looking documents that comply with company brand guidelines.

Data Sources

For input data, Windward connects with multiple databases, WebMerge connects with forms and CRMs, while Docmosis primarily supports JSON and XML data.

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logo webmerge
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logo windward
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docmosis logo colored

Docmosis accepts data in XML and JSON formats, making it compatible with most modern custom-built software applications. It also has an easy-to-use API that lets you connect with other apps and third-party software. However, it doesn’t offer as many direct integrations as WebMerge and Windward.

**Update: From November 2023, Docmosis now provides a Zapier integration!

WebMerge’s documents can be populated with data from its native integration with Formstack forms and other integrations like Salesforce. WebMerge also integrates with Zapier enabling document generation from apps like Google Forms, Eventbrite, and Constant Contact, and has a public API for even more data source integrations.

It also lets you set rules for when data should be populated in documents.

data sources

Windward is very flexible when it comes to data sources. In addition to its API, it connects directly with JSON, XML, SQL, Oracle, and DB2 databases to inject data into templates in real time. Unlike Docmosis and WebMerge, Windward can combine data from multiple sources into a single template, which makes it more flexible.

data sources

Winner: Windward wins for its robust database integration features and for being able to seamlessly connect and streamline data collection from multiple sources.

Resources & Support

WebMerge has scattered resources and inconsistent support, Windward’s resources are outdated, but their support is reliable, and Docmosis offers organized resources and excellent support.

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logo webmerge
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logo windward
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docmosis logo colored

Having a well-organized help section means seamless troubleshooting, done by end-users themself. This helps take the load off higher-level decision-makers and removes bottlenecks like IT since the person encountering issues can also resolve them.

WebMerge’s resources are scattered throughout its website and buried under lots of pages, making it challenging to navigate and find precisely what you’re looking for. While their customer support was good, users have reported the quality dropped since the Formstack acquisition, and many of the help articles have broken links and missing images.

Now that Windward is part of the larger Apryse group, finding specific resources is challenging due to poor organization and searchability. The knowledge base also isn’t frequently updated, which leads to confusion and lengthy troubleshooting sessions. But on the other hand, users praise the customer support team; they say it’s helpful and responsive.

Unlike WebMerge and Windward, Docmosis’ resource section is neatly structured and organized, with filters that make it easy to find resources according to products (Cloud, Tornado, and Java) and their different versions.

docmosis resources

Winner: Docmosis wins for simplifying learning and troubleshooting sessions with well-organized, detailed, and updated resources as well as a helpful customer support team.

Price & Free Trial

Docmosis has the longest and full-featured free-trial and offers the best value paid plans. By comparison WebMerge is quite expensive, and Windward’s pricing plans are hidden.

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logo webmerge
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logo windward
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docmosis logo colored

Docmosis and Windward offer a 30-day trial, while WebMerge has a 14-day trial.

WebMerge offers a 14-day free trial of their cloud solution. However, the trial documents have watermarks and “Test Document” headers, which make the test documents difficult to view and don’t provide an accurate representation of the product.

Windward’s free trial lasts for 30 days. During this period, generated documents have the Windward branding at the bottom.

liquidation policy

Similar to Windward, Docmosis also offers a free 30-day trial. However, Docmosis gives full access to its features, without any form of branding in the headers and footers, and no watermarks.

WebMerge’s paid plans are based on document merges, Docmosis’ are based on pages, and Windward isn’t transparent with their plans.

Currently, Windward’s (or Apryse’s) paid plans are hidden. However, as at April 2023 (the last time they were public) the starting price for the Windward engine was $6,790 per year. It begs the question, what happens at the end of the year? Editing templates requires an MS Word Add-in that has an additional cost of $730 per designer per year. This means that the number of template authors needs to be known and licensed in advance.

WebMerge is now part of Formstack but you can still get it separately for $110/month on the Starter plan (It’s re-branded as Formstack Documents). It gives you access to a specific number of users, document merges, and document templates — all of which are summarized in the table below:

WebMerge Starter
$110

USD per Month

User

2

Templates

10

Document merges

150
WebMerge Teams
$220

USD per Month

User

5

Templates

20

Document merges

500
WebMerge Pro
$440

USD per Month

User

15

Templates

50

Document merges

2000

Note: The higher plans aren’t visible on Formstack’s pricing page, you have to upgrade in the app.

Docmosis Cloud unlocks all features on each plan, the only difference between them is in the number of users and work environments. Each plans price is based on the monthly page generation (with unlimited input templates):

Pages Professional Business Enterprise
Per Month
User
1
Environment
1
User
2
Environment
3
User
10
Environment
4
4,000 $49 $64 $78
10,000 $99 $127 $153
20,000 $164 $205 $246
35,000 $239 $299 $359
60,000 $339 $424 $509
100,000 $469 $584 $704

This simply means if you produced two documents with Docmosis, one document with 4 pages and the other with 6 pages, a total of 10 pages will count towards your quota.

Note: The graph below compares the pricing of WebMerge and Docmosis Cloud, assuming 1 document merge (document output or exported document) contains an average of 10 pages.

price comparison

Tornado and Docmosis Java (which are similar to Windward’s Restful Engine and Java Library) only require a one-time license payment — starting at $3,695. For support and updates, Docmosis offers an optional package, starting at $1,478 annually. Unlike Windward where the license fees need to be paid every year, if you don’t take the optional renewal, the Docmosis software will continue to run indefinitely.

Winner: Docmosis wins for having transparent, affordable, and easily scalable pricing plans for both cloud and self-hosted solutions. This makes it ideal for businesses of all sizes with various document generation needs.

Pros & Cons

WebMerge has scattered resources and inconsistent support, Windward’s resources are outdated, but their support is reliable, and Docmosis offers organized resources and excellent support.

WebMerge
(Formstack Documents)
Windward
(Fluent by Apryse)
Docmosis
logo webmerge logo windward docmosis logo colored
Pros
  • Integrates with web forms and e-sign apps
  • Offers integration via Zapier and API
  • Simple web-based interface
  • No software to download, install, or manage
  • Supports template design in Word and PDF
  • 30-day free trial
  • Output in XLSX and PPTX as well as standard document formats
  • Link multiple databases to a single template
  • Responsive customer support
  • 30-day free trial (with extensions)
  • Trial unlocks full features without branded headers, footers, and watermarks
  • Offers cloud and self-hosted solutions
  • Plans are affordable and scalable
  • Detailed resources and helpful support
  • No plugin or extra licensing costs for creating templates
Cons
  • Trial lasts for 14 days and produces test documents with heavy watermarking
  • Expensive pricing plans
  • Struggles with complex document outputs
  • No self-hosted solution
  • Customer support may not be responsive at times
  • Three template design options all with very different experiences
  • Hidden pricing plans
  • No cloud-based solution
  • Self-hosted option is complex to set up
  • Trial generates branded documents
  • Steep learning curve
  • Template designer requires licenses for every template author
  • No native integrations
  • Export options limited to document formats (no Excel or PowerPoint)

Final Verdict: WebMerge vs Windward vs Docmosis

WebMerge
(Formstack Documents)
Windward
(Fluent by Apryse)
Docmosis
logo webmerge logo windward docmosis logo colored
Best for

Businesses who want to generate
simple documents from Formstack
web forms or Salesforce and send
them to be signed electronically.

Get Started

Large enterprises and employees who
want to generate documents from
multiple data sources without involving
their tech team.

Get Started

Businesses who want to generate
documents from custom software or
third-party apps, and want the output
documents to look like their template.

Get Started