Do I need iMatch of iMatch Anywhere?

[bobkoure]

I'm a DAM neewbie, and am trying to figure out if I need iMatch or the 'anywhere' version. I don't make any money with photography, so definitely not a 'pro'.
Here's a bit about my workflow:
I have a desktop PC I usually post-process photos on. Nightly, a mirror of my photo directories is swept up from that PC to my NAS (a Synology Diskstation).
I also have a laptop on which I keep my most recent few months of photos.
I have a firewall (pfSense) that supports OpenVPN. When I'm away from home, I connect the laptop via OpenVPN - and can access (read/write/delete) the photo archive folders on my NAS via SMB (windows 'net use). I often use the laptop to cull (raw-only shooter so FastRawViewer).
I've been using hierarchical folders to manage my photos. I can usually find something that way, but I'm starting tho think I'd be happier with a DAM.
I use DxO Photolap and Photoshop CS6 on both desktop and laptop.
So, I have copies of the same photo archive in a couple of places, and need to find things using two different machines. I'd like to also be able to tag photos via both machines.
Any thoughts on which version I might need?
Also, is there an upgrade path between the two? if there is, I can just start with the non-anywhere version, and upgrade if I need it.
Hoping this was the right forum to ask in. Moderators please feel free to move or delete if you deem that appropriate.
Thanks!

[Mario]

Hi, welcome to the community.

You need IMatch for Windows to create and manage all your photos.
If you want to run IMatch Anywhere WebServices to access your image collection remotely, you also need the IMatch Anywhere add-on.

I allow the installation of IMatch on multiple computers by the licensed user. Provided that he/she is the only user.
Usually you would just install IMatch on both your computers and use Pack & Go to move your database and settings between the two machines.
This is simple and requires no additional tools or software.

I don't think you need IMatch Anywhere. Unless you have a Windows PC that can run IMatch Anywhere WebServices and this PC is accessible remotely. By the sounds of it, you have a Linux NAS box which may be able to run Windows in a container, but I doubt this effort will be worth it in your case.

IMatch Anywhere is an add-on to IMatch. You can save a few bucks when you buy a PLUS version. But the HOME edition costs only 45$ and you can purchase it later anytime.

[bobkoure]

Thanks!