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Paperless-ngx vs Docspell: catalog facts
Paperless-ngxDocspell
Free

Free and open source under the GPL.

Free

Free and open source.

Linux, Self-hosted, Web Android, Web, Self-hosted
  • OCR plus full-text search turns a pile of scans into something you can actually find things in
  • Learns your tagging and classifies new documents automatically
  • Self-hosted, so documents stay on your server
  • Takes in documents from scanners and email
  • Docker Compose is the realistic deployment path; there is no desktop installer
  • You need a scanner and a workflow to feed it
  • Needs a server to set up and maintain
  • Smaller community than some other document managers
Self-hosted Self-hosted
Open source Open source
License: GPL-3.0 License not stated
No account needed Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline Not stated if it works offline

Checked September 21, 2026

Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.