Archivematica vs I, Librarian
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Archivematica
Digital preservation system for long-term archives
VS
I, Librarian
Organize PDF papers and office documents
| Feature | Archivematica | I, Librarian |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 512 | ★ 346 |
| First released | 2010 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Preservica | — |
Why pick each one
Choose I, Librarian if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Archivematica or I, Librarian better?
Neither is universally better. Archivematica has the larger community, while I, Librarian is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Archivematica and I, Librarian free and open-source?
Yes. Archivematica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and I, Librarian under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Archivematica and I, Librarian with Docker?
Archivematica: check the project docs for container support. I, Librarian: check the project docs for container support.