KOHighlights 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?
KOHighlights
Viewer and exporter for KOReader book highlights
VS
Paperless-ngx
Document management for scanning, indexing and archiving
| Feature | KOHighlights | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 262 | ★ 44,077 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Kindle Notebook export | Evernote, DEVONthink |
Why pick each one
Choose KOHighlights if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is KOHighlights or Paperless-ngx better?
Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community, while KOHighlights is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are KOHighlights and Paperless-ngx free and open-source?
Yes. KOHighlights is licensed under MIT and Paperless-ngx under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KOHighlights and Paperless-ngx with Docker?
KOHighlights: check the project docs for container support. Paperless-ngx: yes.