Paperless-ngx vs QOwnNotes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Paperless-ngx
Document management for scanning, indexing and archiving
VS
QOwnNotes
Plain-text note taking with Markdown and Nextcloud sync
| Feature | Paperless-ngx | QOwnNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,077 | ★ 5,836 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Evernote, DEVONthink | Evernote, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperless-ngx or QOwnNotes better?
Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community, while QOwnNotes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Paperless-ngx and QOwnNotes free and open-source?
Yes. Paperless-ngx is licensed under GPL-3.0 and QOwnNotes under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Paperless-ngx and QOwnNotes with Docker?
Paperless-ngx: yes. QOwnNotes: check the project docs for container support.