LogicalDOC Community vs OpenKM Community
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 | OpenKM Community |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 64 · Good | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 141 | ★ 849 |
| First released | 2006 | 2006 |
| Replaces | DocuWare, M-Files | DocuWare, SharePoint |
What are LogicalDOC Community and OpenKM Community?
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
OpenKM Community
OpenKM is an enterprise content management system with a community edition for storing and managing documents and records. It offers workflows, metadata, OCR, and granular security controls.
- Workflow automation
- Metadata and records management
- OCR and full-text search
- Fine-grained security
LogicalDOC Community vs OpenKM Community: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: OpenKM Community's repository is archived and no longer developed, while LogicalDOC Community is actively maintained. Both projects are written in Java. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for LogicalDOC Community versus GPL-2.0 for OpenKM Community. OpenKM Community has the considerably larger community, at 849 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 OpenKM Community if…
- Comprehensive enterprise features
- Mature platform
Watch out for
- Heavy resource use
- Complex administration
Frequently asked questions
Is LogicalDOC Community or OpenKM Community better?
Neither is universally better. OpenKM Community has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are LogicalDOC Community and OpenKM Community free and open-source?
Yes. LogicalDOC Community is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and OpenKM Community under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LogicalDOC Community and OpenKM Community with Docker?
LogicalDOC Community: yes. OpenKM Community: yes.