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Best Museum Software in 2026

Museum software helps organize collection records and support loans, exhibitions, rights tracking, and public access to collections. This list is for museums and collection teams comparing those functions on a budget.

  1. 1

    CollectiveAccess

    Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

    CollectiveAccess provides a broad cataloguing and publishing toolkit without a software charge. Hosting and consulting are separate paid services, and the listed community support is best-effort.

    7.2 Free plan Visit site
  2. 2

    CatalogIt

    by It Unlimited, Inc.
    Free plan AndroidiPhoneMac+2
    6.5 Free plan · paid from $54/mo Visit site
  3. 3

    CollectionSpace

    Free plan APILinuxMac+2
    6.0 Free plan · pricing on request Visit site
  4. 4

    eHive

    Free plan APIWeb
    5.7 Free plan Visit site
  5. 5

    Argus

    Paid APIWeb
    4.6 Pricing on request Visit site
  6. 6

    Axiell Collections

    Paid AndroidAPIiPhone+4
    4.6 Pricing on request Visit site
  7. 7

    TMS Collections

    Paid iPhoneMacWeb+1
    4.5 Pricing on request Visit site
  8. 8

    MuseumPlus

    Paid AndroidiPhoneMac+2
    4.3 Pricing on request Visit site
  9. 9

    CuadraSTAR

    Paid WebWindows
    4.2 Pricing on request Visit site
  10. 10

    Mimsy XG

    Paid MacWindows
    4.1 Pricing on request Visit site
  11. 11

    TMS Conservation

    Paid
    3.6 Pricing on request Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

Compare the collection, loan, exhibition, rights, and public-access features you need, plus deployment options such as web, Windows, macOS, iOS, self-hosted, or API access. Check what a free plan includes, whether a trial has limits, what paid pricing starts at, and the licence if you need to read or change code.

Questions

What does museum software cover?

The list compares collection cataloging, loan management, exhibition management, rights tracking, and public collections access.

Is museum software available with a free plan?

A free plan is offered by items on this list. Check the included functions, limits, and upgrade terms before choosing.

What platforms are supported?

Listed deployment options include web, Windows, macOS, iOS, self-hosted, and API access. Support differs by tool.

How much does museum software cost?

Pricing ranges from free plans to paid plans and quotes on request. CatalogIt lists paid plans from $54 per month.

Can I inspect or change the code?

Check the licence and code availability for the tool you choose. A free plan does not by itself indicate an open-source licence.

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