LogicalDOC Community vs OpenDocMan
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | LogicalDOC Community | OpenDocMan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 64 · Good | 77 · Good |
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 141 | ★ 283 |
| First released | 2006 | 2004 |
| Replaces | DocuWare, M-Files | DocuWare, M-Files |
What are LogicalDOC Community and OpenDocMan?
LogicalDOC Community
LogicalDOC Community Edition is an open-source document management system for businesses to store, organize, and retrieve documents. It includes versioning, full-text search, and a Java-based architecture.
- Document versioning
- Full-text search
- Import and bulk upload
- LDAP integration
OpenDocMan
OpenDocMan is an open-source, web-based document management system written in PHP. It features fine-grained access control, automated check-in and check-out, and file metadata management.
- Fine-grained file access control
- Check-in and check-out
- File metadata and categories
- LDAP support
LogicalDOC Community vs OpenDocMan: key differences
LogicalDOC Community is written in Java, while OpenDocMan is built with PHP. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for LogicalDOC Community versus GPL-2.0 for OpenDocMan. OpenDocMan is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for LogicalDOC Community. OpenDocMan is the more established project (first released 2004), while LogicalDOC Community arrived in 2006. OpenDocMan has the considerably larger community, at 283 GitHub stars versus 141.
Why pick each one
Choose LogicalDOC Community if…
- Solid business features
- Mature codebase
Watch out for
- Many features reserved for paid editions
- Heavy Java footprint
Choose OpenDocMan if…
- Runs on a standard LAMP stack
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Limited modern features
Frequently asked questions
Is LogicalDOC Community or OpenDocMan better?
OpenDocMan is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider LogicalDOC Community if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are LogicalDOC Community and OpenDocMan free and open-source?
Yes. LogicalDOC Community is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and OpenDocMan under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LogicalDOC Community and OpenDocMan with Docker?
LogicalDOC Community: yes. OpenDocMan: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LogicalDOC Community or OpenDocMan?
OpenDocMan has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for LogicalDOC Community. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.