Paperwork vs Paperless-ngx
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Paperless-ngx
Document management for scanning, indexing and archiving
| Feature | Paperwork | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,400 | ★ 45,960 |
| First released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Evernote | Evernote, DEVONthink |
What are Paperwork and Paperless-ngx?
Paperwork
OpenPaper.work (Paperwork's successor project family) helps individuals scan, OCR, and organize personal documents into a searchable archive on their own machine. It emphasizes a simple desktop-and-server workflow for going paperless.
- Scanner integration
- Automatic OCR
- Tag-based organization
- Local-first storage
Paperless-ngx
Paperless-ngx is a community-supported document management system that transforms physical documents into a searchable digital archive. It performs OCR, automatic tagging, and full-text indexing of all your paperwork.
- Automatic OCR processing
- Smart tagging and matching
- Full-text search
- Document archiving
Paperwork vs Paperless-ngx: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Paperwork is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Paperless-ngx. Paperwork is the more established project (first released 2014), while Paperless-ngx arrived in 2022. Paperless-ngx has the considerably larger community, at 45,960 GitHub stars versus 2,400. Paperless-ngx lists first-class Docker deployment; Paperwork does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Paperwork if…
- Privacy friendly
- Good for personal archives
Watch out for
- Desktop oriented
- No multi-user mode
Choose Paperless-ngx if…
- Excellent for paperless offices
- Very active community
Watch out for
- Resource intensive
- Initial tuning required
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperwork or Paperless-ngx better?
Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Paperwork and Paperless-ngx free and open-source?
Yes. Paperwork is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Paperless-ngx under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Paperwork and Paperless-ngx with Docker?
Paperwork: check the project docs for container support. Paperless-ngx: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Paperwork or Paperless-ngx?
Paperwork has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Paperless-ngx. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.