Paperless-ngx vs Petrolette
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
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Paperless-ngx
Document management for scanning, indexing and archiving
VS
Petrolette
The news reader that doesn't know you
| Feature | Paperless-ngx | Petrolette |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Language | Python | |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,077 | — |
| First released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Evernote, DEVONthink | Netvibes |
Why pick each one
Choose Petrolette if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperless-ngx or Petrolette better?
Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community, while Petrolette is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Paperless-ngx and Petrolette free and open-source?
Yes. Paperless-ngx is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Petrolette under AGPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Paperless-ngx and Petrolette with Docker?
Paperless-ngx: yes. Petrolette: check the project docs for container support.