Contxt vs. PastPerfect: features and operation compared
PastPerfect offers accessible collection and contact management, with public pricing and continuity for institutions using its desktop editions. PastPerfect offers desktop continuity and a current Web Edition; Contxt connects collection and curatorial workflows. Compare public access, data handling and ongoing operation.
Published by Contxt, one of the suppliers included. Based on the linked product documentation; this is not an independent product test or a ranking.
Approaches compared.
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| Vendor / product | Collection & publishing | Licensing & operation | Workflows & automation | Authority data & vocabularies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contxt | Objects, people, curatorial content and publishing in a connected platform. | SaaS with public pricing and open import/export. Core Open Source: Announced¹. | Research, deduplication and record-linking with staff review, according to Contxt. | Contxt describes automated suggestions for GND, Wikidata and Getty ULAN. |
| PastPerfect | Collection and contact management; Web Edition with optional Public Access publishing. | Proprietary; public package prices; hosted maintenance and export options. | Accession, loan and exhibition procedures. Clarify additional research and cleanup automation. | Local authority files for consistent cataloguing. Clarify external reconciliation. |
Products appear alphabetically, without scores or an overall ranking. Entries summarise the linked vendor documentation; they are not independent hands-on test results. Additional components and configuration are described without treating them as inherently inferior. “Clarify” identifies information to request from the supplier, not a proven absence of functionality.
¹ Core Open Source is announced. The public release and download are pending; no release date is confirmed. Hosted automation is not implied to be included in every core module. Contxt pricing and release status
Product profiles and requirements.
PastPerfect
PastPerfect offers accessible collection and contact management, with public pricing and continuity for institutions using its desktop editions.
Questions for the shortlist
Start with the work your museum needs to do: document collections, manage loans and exhibitions, maintain relationships, publish information and exchange data. The four areas below help structure a shortlist. They are not a complete requirements catalogue: conservation, rights, accessibility, security, migration and support also belong in the assessment.
Collection work, data and operation.
Collection & publishing
PastPerfect Web Edition manages collections and contacts in a browser. Public Access is an optional publishing add-on that updates records immediately. Contxt’s unified proposition extends from collection records into connected curatorial content and publication; compare the editorial work each system supports.
Licensing & operation
PastPerfect publishes package prices and offers hosted operation with maintenance. Those are real planning advantages. It remains proprietary, while Contxt combines open data interfaces with an announced MIT core. Compare usable exports and future operating choices alongside the subscription.
Contxt offers a hosted service and open import/export. Core Open Source is announced, with core modules intended for release under the MIT licence. Once released, the core will enable independent operation and extension; managed automation and hosting are part of the SaaS offering.
Workflows & automation
PastPerfect supports established collection procedures, including accessions, loans and exhibitions. The reviewed material does not establish the combined automatic research, deduplication and record-linking workflow. Contxt puts those repetitive data tasks at the centre of its automation proposition.
Authority data & vocabularies
PastPerfect has local authority-file functions for consistent cataloguing. The unverified criterion is automated external reconciliation against GND, Wikidata and Getty ULAN. Demonstrate that specific task rather than comparing the word “authority” in feature lists.
Use the same demonstration brief for every supplier
Give each supplier a representative object, related people, an image, a curatorial text and a sample loan. Ask the team to import and link them, handle a duplicate, prepare a publication and export the result. Record which steps are included, which need configuration and which remain manual. Include permissions, accessibility and staff training in the discussion.
Compare responsibilities as well as capabilities
PastPerfect
PastPerfect Web Edition includes hosted maintenance and lists Public Access separately. Compare that package with the people, records, publication and automated data work required by your team.
Compare total costs over the same period and for the same scope: software, editing and read-only users, hosting, migration, training, interfaces, public access, maintenance and support. Published prices are a starting point; quotations can cover different services. Open-source licensing does not remove operating costs, and a bespoke quote does not establish that a product is more expensive.
For each offer, establish hosting location, access rights, backups, updates, service levels and a usable export for a later move. A hosted product and self-hosted software assign these responsibilities differently. Have suppliers state which responsibilities remain with your institution.
Choose by requirements, not by institution size alone
Document what every shortlisted system meets, what needs configuration and what remains unresolved. Request a written scope for migration, publishing, interfaces, support and ongoing operation. The most suitable choice is the one your team can use and maintain with confidence.
Common questions
Where is PastPerfect strongest?
PastPerfect offers accessible collection and contact management, with public pricing and continuity for institutions using its desktop editions.
How does Contxt differ from PastPerfect?
PastPerfect offers desktop continuity and a current Web Edition; Contxt connects collection and curatorial workflows. Compare public access, data handling and ongoing operation.
When will the MIT core be available?
Core Open Source is announced, with core modules intended for release under the MIT licence. No public release date is confirmed. Open import/export and the hosted service are available; the pricing page will link to the source when it is published.
Does “not documented” mean a competitor cannot do it?
No. It means the sources reviewed do not establish the complete criterion. Configuration, optional products or newer releases may add capabilities. Ask for the specific workflow and its licensing in the written proposal.
Sources and product documentation · Reviewed 9 September 2026
- PastPerfect · Product documentation · PastPerfect Web Edition
- PastPerfect · Product documentation · Public Access
- PastPerfect · Product documentation · PastPerfect FAQ
- PastPerfect · Product documentation · Collection management practices
- Contxt collection management
- Contxt workflows
- Contxt publishing
- Contxt hosting and integrations
- Contxt pricing and release status