Museum Collection Management Software
Vitrine is collection management software built for museums of all sizes — from independent heritage sites to multi-site institutions. Catalog objects, manage loans, track condition and compliance, and publish a public collection website. Professional plans from £79/month.
Why museums choose Vitrine
Legacy CMS software is expensive and complex to maintain
Enterprise collection management systems cost tens of thousands of pounds to license and require IT support to maintain. Vitrine is web-based, requires no installation, and is priced for institutions that do not have a dedicated IT team.
Collections compliance requires proper documentation
Provenance documentation, acquisition records, disposal registers, and loans agreements are legal and ethical requirements. Vitrine's Professional plan includes dedicated compliance tools for each of these.
Staff need different levels of access
Curators, registrars, and volunteers all need to access the collection — but not all need the same permissions. Vitrine's role-based access system lets you give staff exactly the access they need.
Features for museums
Full object cataloguing
Record all standard fields — object name, accession number, medium, dimensions, acquisition method, provenance, condition, and location.
Loans management
Track outgoing and incoming loans with lender/borrower details, due dates, and condition reports. Overdue loans are flagged automatically.
Compliance tools
Provenance documentation, acquisition method records, disposal register, and collections review — all required for ethical collections governance.
Staff accounts and roles
Invite staff as Admin, Curator, Editor, or Viewer. Control who can add, edit, and approve records.
Public collection website
Publish a branded public collection page automatically. Choose which objects are publicly visible. No web development required.
CSV bulk import
Import existing spreadsheet records on Professional plans. Vitrine maps your columns and flags anything that needs review before committing.
How to catalog your museum objects with Vitrine
- 1
Create your museum account
Sign up at vitrinecms.com. Choose Community for small collections or Professional/Institution for full museum functionality. No credit card required for Community.
- 2
Import or enter your collection
Import an existing spreadsheet via CSV on Professional plans, or enter objects one by one. All standard museum cataloguing fields are available from the start.
- 3
Invite your team
Add staff with role-based access. Curators can edit records; Viewers can search and report; Admins manage settings and access.
- 4
Publish your public collection
Choose which objects are publicly visible and your collection website goes live automatically. Update it as you add new records.
Vitrine vs other museum objects tools
| Tool | Limitation |
|---|---|
| Vitrine | Web-based, free to start, full cataloguing with public collection page |
| Axiell EMu | Enterprise system designed for large institutions. High licensing costs, long implementation timelines, and requires dedicated IT support. |
| PastPerfect Online | US-focused with limited compliance tools for UK institutions. Annual licensing fees and an interface that has not modernised significantly. |
| Spreadsheets | Used by many small museums by necessity. No role-based access, no public website generation, and no compliance workflow tools. |
Pricing for museums
Community — Free. Up to 100 items, public collection page, core cataloguing.
Hobbyist — £5/month. Up to 1,000 items, collection analytics, CSV import, wanted list, and 100 MB document storage.
Professional — £79/month. Up to 5,000 items, full dashboard, visitor analytics, event ticketing, compliance tools, staff accounts, and 1 GB document storage.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vitrine suitable for a small independent museum?
Yes. The Community plan is free for up to 100 objects. The Professional plan at £79/month gives a small museum full cataloguing, compliance tools, staff accounts, and a public website — without the cost of enterprise software.
Does Vitrine meet Spectrum or UKAD compliance requirements?
Vitrine's Professional plan includes the core records required for Spectrum compliance — acquisition, loans, disposal, condition checking, and collections review. We recommend reviewing these against your specific accreditation requirements.
Can I migrate from our existing system?
Yes. Export your existing records as CSV and import them into Vitrine on Professional plans. Vitrine maps your columns to its fields and lets you review before committing.
How do staff accounts work?
Invite staff by email. Assign them a role — Admin, Curator, Editor, or Viewer. Roles control what each person can see and change. Professional plans include up to 10 staff accounts.
Does Vitrine provide a public collection website?
Yes. Every Vitrine account gets a public collection page on a vitrinecms.com subdomain. You choose which objects are publicly visible. The page updates automatically as you edit records.
Start cataloguing your museum objects
Free to start. No credit card required. Your collection stays private until you choose to share it.
Create your free account →