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OpenKM Community vs SeedDMS

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?
OP OpenKM Community Archived Enterprise document management and content platform VS SE SeedDMS Easy-to-use web-based document management system
FeatureOpenKM CommunitySeedDMS
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
StatusArchivedActively maintained
CategoryDocument ManagementDocument Management
LicenseGPL-2.0GPL-2.0
LanguageJavaPHP
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 849★ 200
First released20062010
ReplacesDocuWare, SharePointSharePoint, M-Files

What are OpenKM Community and SeedDMS?

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

SeedDMS

SeedDMS is an open-source web-based document management system that is easy to install and use. It supports versioning, access control, notifications, and full-text search for small and medium teams.

  • Document versioning
  • Fine-grained permissions
  • Full-text search
  • Email notifications

OpenKM Community vs SeedDMS: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: OpenKM Community's repository is archived and no longer developed, while SeedDMS is actively maintained. OpenKM Community is written in Java, while SeedDMS is built with PHP. SeedDMS is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for OpenKM Community. OpenKM Community is the more established project (first released 2006), while SeedDMS arrived in 2010. OpenKM Community has the considerably larger community, at 849 GitHub stars versus 200.

Why pick each one

Choose OpenKM Community if…

  • Comprehensive enterprise features
  • Mature platform

Watch out for

  • Heavy resource use
  • Complex administration
OpenKM Community details

Choose SeedDMS if…

  • Quick to deploy
  • Approachable interface

Watch out for

  • Hosted mainly on SourceForge
  • Dated UI
SeedDMS details

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenKM Community or SeedDMS better?

Neither is universally better. OpenKM Community has the larger community, while SeedDMS is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are OpenKM Community and SeedDMS free and open-source?

Yes. OpenKM Community is licensed under GPL-2.0 and SeedDMS under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenKM Community and SeedDMS with Docker?

OpenKM Community: yes. SeedDMS: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, OpenKM Community or SeedDMS?

SeedDMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for OpenKM Community. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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