Claris

Claris is an Apple-owned software company whose principal business is the development, support, and marketing of FileMaker, a cross-platform low-code platform for building custom business applications. The company was established in 1987 as a subsidiary of Apple Computer during a period when Apple was trying to separate application software from its hardware and operating-system activities. Claris received the rights to several Apple-developed programs, including MacWrite, MacPaint, MacProject, MacDraw, and AppleWorks, allowing Apple to address concerns from independent developers who believed that Apple’s bundled applications discouraged competition. The new company initially operated with a broad portfolio and access to Apple’s distribution, acquisition, and marketing resources. Its early products were often updated to remain compatible with newer Macintosh system software, while Claris also pursued a larger modernization effort that produced the “Pro” generation of applications, including MacWrite Pro, MacDraw Pro, and FileMaker Pro. Claris expanded beyond office productivity through products such as ClarisWorks, Claris CAD, Claris Home Page, Claris Emailer, Claris Organizer, and other utility and creative applications. ClarisWorks became a particularly successful all-in-one productivity product, although the company struggled to match Microsoft’s scale, bundling strategy, and feature breadth in the office software market. FileMaker became Claris’s most durable and strategically important product. Originally created by Nashoba Systems as the database application Nutshell, it was acquired by Claris in 1988 and released as FileMaker II. FileMaker Pro followed in 1990, and a cross-platform Mac and Windows edition arrived in 1992. Later releases added stronger relational database functions, scripting, layouts, security, and tools for deploying tailored applications. The platform combined a database engine with a graphical design environment, making it accessible to business users and power users as well as professional developers. By the mid-1990s, declining sales and intense competition led management to narrow the portfolio. In 1998, Claris divested or discontinued most of its products and changed its corporate name to FileMaker Inc. AppleWorks, derived from ClarisWorks, returned to Apple, while FileMaker became the company’s central offering. FileMaker Inc. later released Bento, a template-oriented database product aimed at home users and small businesses, but Bento was discontinued in 2013. Claris Home Page was also discontinued, leaving FileMaker as the company’s core product. The Claris identity returned in 2019. At its developer conference, FileMaker Inc. announced that it would restore the Claris name, and the company became Claris International. The principal database product retained the FileMaker identity as Claris FileMaker. In the same year, Claris acquired Italian startup Stamplay, whose cloud integration technology connected web services such as Dropbox and Slack with limited or no traditional programming. The technology was introduced under the Claris Connect name and broadened the company’s positioning from database software toward low-code application and workflow integration. Today, Claris is positioned within the enterprise software and low-code development market. Its offerings are intended to help organizations create custom applications for operational workflows, manage structured information, connect cloud services, and deploy solutions across macOS, Windows, iOS, and web-connected environments. The company remains a wholly owned Apple subsidiary rather than a separately listed public company. Its historical importance comes from transforming Apple’s former application-software portfolio into a dedicated software business and from sustaining FileMaker as a long-running platform for custom database applications.

Claris was created by Apple Computer in 1987 as a separate software subsidiary. Apple had bundled MacWrite and MacPaint with Macintosh computers, but independent developers argued that these applications reduced the market for competing products. Apple responded by transferring the applications to a new company, giving Claris responsibility for their development and commercial distribution. The new company also received rights to products including MacProject, MacDraw, and AppleWorks. Claris initially benefited from Apple’s resources while aiming to operate as a more autonomous application-software business. During its first years, Claris mainly maintained and incrementally improved inherited products. It then began a broad rewrite program intended to produce applications with a more consistent modern interface. This effort led to the Pro versions of products such as MacWrite, MacDraw, and FileMaker. Claris also expanded through acquisitions and new releases. In 1988 it acquired FileMaker from Nashoba Systems, which had developed the original database program under the name Nutshell. Claris released FileMaker II and later FileMaker Pro, turning the product into the company’s most enduring platform. In 1991, Claris released ClarisWorks after acquiring and reworking an integrated application developed by former Claris employees. ClarisWorks became a major success, although the company faced increasingly strong competition from Microsoft’s productivity software and bundled office suites. FileMaker’s importance increased as Claris diversified and the Macintosh office-software market became more difficult. A Mac-and-Windows version was released in 1992, making the database product cross-platform. Later development added relational capabilities and scripting, moving FileMaker beyond simple database lookup and record-management functions. Other Claris products included Claris CAD, Claris Graphics Translator, Smart Form Designer, Smart Form Assistant, Amazing Animation, Claris Home Page, Claris Emailer, Claris Office Mail, and Claris Organizer. These products addressed design, forms, education, web publishing, messaging, and personal organization, but they did not collectively overcome the company’s competitive disadvantages in office software. In the late 1990s, Claris management decided that FileMaker was the strongest remaining product. The company placed most of its other applications on hold and completed a corporate transition in 1998 by becoming FileMaker Inc. ClarisWorks was taken back by Apple and renamed AppleWorks, while Claris Home Page continued for a limited period before being discontinued. FileMaker remained the company’s principal offering. Bento, launched in 2008, offered a more approachable, template-driven database experience for individuals and small organizations, but it was discontinued in 2013. The company revived the Claris identity in 2019. FileMaker Inc. announced the restoration of the Claris name at its developer conference and became Claris International. FileMaker continued as the name of the database and low-code application platform, while the company added Claris Connect after acquiring Stamplay, an Italian cloud-integration startup. This acquisition broadened the product family from database application development to connecting cloud services and automating workflows. Claris now operates as an Apple subsidiary focused on low-code development, custom business applications, database management, and service integration. FileMaker is available across major Apple and Microsoft desktop platforms and on iOS, and is designed for organizations that need specialized applications but may not want to build them entirely with conventional software development methods.

1. 2019The Claris name returns

   FileMaker Inc. announces the restoration of the Claris brand and becomes Claris International.

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2. 2019Stamplay is acquired

   Claris acquires Italian cloud-integration startup Stamplay and presents its technology as Claris Connect.

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3. 2013Bento is discontinued

   Bento reaches end of life, leaving FileMaker as the company’s principal product.

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4. 2008Bento launches

   FileMaker introduces Bento, a template-oriented database application for individuals and smaller organizations.

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5. 1998The company becomes FileMaker Inc.

   After concentrating on FileMaker, Claris changes its corporate identity to FileMaker Inc.; Apple resumes control of ClarisWorks and releases it as AppleWorks.

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6. 1995Claris Home Page is acquired and released

   Claris adds a graphical WYSIWYG HTML editor to its product portfolio.

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7. 1992FileMaker expands to Windows

   A cross-platform edition of FileMaker becomes available for Macintosh and Microsoft Windows systems.

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8. 1991ClarisWorks is released

   Claris launches ClarisWorks after acquiring and reworking an integrated application.

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9. 1990FileMaker Pro is introduced

   The first FileMaker Pro release becomes part of Claris’s broader modernization of its software portfolio.

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10. 1988FileMaker is acquired

    Claris acquires the database application FileMaker from Nashoba Systems and releases a Claris-branded version.

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11. 1987Apple forms Claris

    Apple establishes Claris as a software subsidiary and transfers several Apple application products to it.

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A low-code application development and integration platform for business users, professional developers, and organizations that need tailored workflows and databases without building every system from scratch.

• Claris FileMakerLow-code relational database and application development1988

  Claris FileMaker is a cross-platform relational database and low-code application development platform. It combines data storage, layouts, forms, scripting, security, and graphical design tools so users can build applications for business operations and specialized workflows. The platform evolved from the FileMaker database acquired by Claris in 1988, gained a Windows edition in 1992, and later expanded its relational and scripting capabilities. It is available across macOS, Windows, iOS, and connected deployment environments.

• Claris ConnectCloud integration and workflow automation2019

  Claris Connect is a cloud integration offering created from the technology of Stamplay, acquired by Claris in 2019. It is intended to connect online services and automate business workflows, reducing the need for custom point-to-point programming. Examples associated with the technology include integrations among web services such as Dropbox and Slack. The product extends Claris’s scope beyond database applications into service orchestration and workflow integration.

• ClarisWorksIntegrated productivity software1991

  ClarisWorks was an integrated productivity application combining functions associated with word processing, spreadsheets, drawing, and related personal or small-business tasks. It became one of Claris’s best-known products, but its development and market position were affected by competition from Microsoft’s office suites. Apple later took the product back and released it under the AppleWorks name.

• BentoTemplate-based database software2008

  Bento was a simplified database application designed for home users and small businesses. It emphasized templates and the organization of information drawn from other applications rather than the full development depth of FileMaker. Bento was introduced in 2008 and discontinued on September 30, 2013.

• Claris Home PageWeb-authoring software1995

  Claris Home Page was a graphical WYSIWYG HTML editor acquired and released by Claris during the 1990s. It enabled users to create web pages without writing all markup manually and was regarded as one of the more approachable visual HTML tools of its period. The product was later discontinued.

• MacWrite and MacWrite ProWord processing software1987

  MacWrite was one of the Macintosh applications transferred from Apple to Claris when the subsidiary was formed. Claris maintained the product and later pursued a more extensive Pro-generation rewrite. MacWrite Pro was part of the company’s attempt to create a coherent modern application suite, but the products ultimately struggled against Microsoft Word and bundled office software.

• MacDraw and MacDraw ProDrawing and graphics software1987

  MacDraw was another Apple application transferred to Claris in 1987. Claris developed a Pro successor as part of its effort to modernize the inherited portfolio and offer a coordinated family of Macintosh productivity applications. The product line was eventually discontinued as Claris concentrated on FileMaker.

• 2019Restore the Claris corporate brandStrategy

  After operating for more than two decades as FileMaker Inc., the company sought to present a broader identity around low-code development and integration rather than only its database product.

  What changed. FileMaker Inc. announced the return of the Claris name and became Claris International, while continuing to market the database product as Claris FileMaker.

  Aftermath. The restored identity supported a wider product family that included Claris FileMaker and Claris Connect.

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• 2019Acquire Stamplay to expand integration capabilitiesM&A

  Claris wanted to extend its low-code proposition from custom databases toward cloud-service connectivity and workflow automation.

  What changed. Claris acquired Italian startup Stamplay and renamed or incorporated its cloud integration offering as Claris Connect.

  Aftermath. The acquisition broadened Claris’s business scope into connecting web services such as Dropbox and Slack with limited traditional coding.

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• 2013Discontinue BentoOther

  Bento served a simpler consumer and small-business use case than FileMaker but did not remain part of the long-term product portfolio.

  What changed. FileMaker discontinued Bento on September 30, 2013.

  Aftermath. The company’s product focus remained centered on FileMaker rather than maintaining a separate simplified database application.

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• 1998Concentrate the business on FileMakerStrategy

  Claris faced declining sales and intense competition in office productivity software, while FileMaker remained its most durable and strategically valuable product.

  What changed. Management placed most other applications on hold, completed the transition to FileMaker Inc., and retained FileMaker as the central offering.

  Aftermath. ClarisWorks returned to Apple and became AppleWorks, several products were discontinued, and FileMaker became the company’s defining platform.

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• 2019Claris restores its historic corporate brand

  FileMaker Inc. announced a return to the Claris name at its developer conference. The FileMaker product identity was retained while the company expanded its platform positioning.

  Leadership changeOther
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• 2019Claris acquires Stamplay and introduces Claris Connect

  Claris acquired Italian startup Stamplay, whose cloud integration technology linked online services. The offering was subsequently presented as Claris Connect.

  M&AProduct launch
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• 2013Bento database software is discontinued

  Claris/FileMaker discontinued Bento, a template-based database application designed for home users and small businesses.

  OtherProduct generation
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• 1998Claris changes its corporate identity to FileMaker Inc.

  After narrowing its portfolio around FileMaker, the company completed its transition from Claris to FileMaker Inc. ClarisWorks returned to Apple and most other applications were discontinued or placed on hold.

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1. Claris
2. Claris official website