Paperless-ngx vs Sigil
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — 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
Sigil
Multi-platform EPUB ebook editor
| Feature | Paperless-ngx | Sigil |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,077 | ★ 6,913 |
| First released | 2022 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Evernote, DEVONthink | Adobe InDesign EPUB export |
Why pick each one
Choose Sigil if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 6.9k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperless-ngx or Sigil better?
Neither is universally better. Paperless-ngx has the larger community, while Sigil is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Paperless-ngx and Sigil free and open-source?
Yes. Paperless-ngx is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sigil under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Paperless-ngx and Sigil with Docker?
Paperless-ngx: yes. Sigil: check the project docs for container support.