Docspell vs Paperwork
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Docspell
Personal document organizer with automatic metadata
VS
Paperwork
Personal document scanner and indexer for paperless homes
| Feature | Docspell | Paperwork |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elm | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,330 | ★ 2,400 |
| First released | 2019 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Evernote, DEVONthink | Evernote |
What are Docspell and Paperwork?
Docspell
Docspell is a personal document organizer that automatically suggests tags, correspondents, and dates for uploaded files. It performs OCR and full-text search so you can quickly find any document.
- Automatic metadata suggestions
- OCR and full-text search
- Correspondent detection
- Multi-user support
Paperwork
OpenPaper.work (Paperwork's successor project family) helps individuals scan, OCR, and organize personal documents into a searchable archive on their own machine. It emphasizes a simple desktop-and-server workflow for going paperless.
- Scanner integration
- Automatic OCR
- Tag-based organization
- Local-first storage
Docspell vs Paperwork: key differences
Docspell is written in Elm, while Paperwork is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Docspell versus GPL-3.0 for Paperwork. Paperwork is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Docspell. Paperwork is the more established project (first released 2014), while Docspell arrived in 2019. Docspell lists first-class Docker deployment; Paperwork does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Docspell if…
- Smart automatic organization
- Powerful search
Watch out for
- JVM memory usage
- Multiple components to run
Choose Paperwork if…
- Privacy friendly
- Good for personal archives
Watch out for
- Desktop oriented
- No multi-user mode
Frequently asked questions
Is Docspell or Paperwork better?
Neither is universally better. Paperwork has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Docspell and Paperwork free and open-source?
Yes. Docspell is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Paperwork under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Docspell and Paperwork with Docker?
Docspell: yes. Paperwork: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Docspell or Paperwork?
Paperwork has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Docspell. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.