Kthoom 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.
Not the right match-up?
Kthoom
In-browser comic book and archive reader
VS
Paperless-ngx
Document management for scanning, indexing and archiving
| Feature | Kthoom | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 150 | ★ 44,077 |
| First released | 2011 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | Evernote, DEVONthink |
Why pick each one
Choose Kthoom if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Kthoom or Paperless-ngx better?
Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community, while Kthoom is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kthoom and Paperless-ngx free and open-source?
Yes. Kthoom is licensed under MIT and Paperless-ngx under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kthoom and Paperless-ngx with Docker?
Kthoom: check the project docs for container support. Paperless-ngx: yes.