SHSelfHostIndex

Filestash vs Signature PDF

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?
FI Filestash Web-based file manager and document gateway VS SI Signature PDF Sign and manipulate PDFs with collaboration, organization, compression
FeatureFilestashSignature PDF
CategoryDocument ManagementDocument Management
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoJavaScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 14,451★ 818
First released20172025
ReplacesDropbox, SharePoint—

Why pick each one

Choose Filestash if…

  • Unifies access to many backends
  • Easy deployment
Filestash details

Choose Signature PDF if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in JavaScript
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Signature PDF details

Frequently asked questions

Is Filestash or Signature PDF better?

Filestash is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Signature PDF if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Filestash and Signature PDF free and open-source?

Yes. Filestash is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Signature PDF under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Filestash and Signature PDF with Docker?

Filestash: yes. Signature PDF: yes.

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