Mayan EDMS 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?
Mayan EDMS
Free electronic document management with workflows
VS
Signature PDF
Sign and manipulate PDFs with collaboration, organization, compression
| Feature | Mayan EDMS | Signature PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,100 | ★ 818 |
| First released | 2011 | 2025 |
| Replaces | DocuWare, M-Files | — |
Why pick each one
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Mayan EDMS or Signature PDF better?
Neither is universally better. Mayan EDMS has the larger community, while Signature PDF is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mayan EDMS and Signature PDF free and open-source?
Yes. Mayan EDMS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Signature PDF under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mayan EDMS and Signature PDF with Docker?
Mayan EDMS: yes. Signature PDF: yes.