DeDRM Tools vs Paperless-ngx

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureDeDRM ToolsPaperless-ngx
CategoryE-books & Media LibraryE-books & Media Library
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguagePythonPython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM128 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentsourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 15,275★ 44,077
First released20142022
ReplacesAdobe Digital EditionsEvernote, DEVONthink

Why pick each one

Choose DeDRM Tools if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Mature project with 15.3k GitHub stars
  • Written in Python
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
DeDRM Tools details

Choose Paperless-ngx if…

  • Excellent for paperless offices
  • Very active community
Paperless-ngx details

Frequently asked questions

Is DeDRM Tools or Paperless-ngx better?

Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are DeDRM Tools and Paperless-ngx free and open-source?

Yes. DeDRM Tools is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Paperless-ngx under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run DeDRM Tools and Paperless-ngx with Docker?

DeDRM Tools: check the project docs for container support. Paperless-ngx: yes.

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