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Best / Document management

Best open-source Document management

The best self-hosted document archive in the c17.io catalog is Paperless-ngx for the well-known GPL-3.0 OCR mailbox, Papra for a smaller AGPL TypeScript archive, Docspell for AGPL scan-and-email ingestion, and Teedy as a GPL-2.0 lightweight DMS. PDF editing stays on /stacks/stirling-pdf. This is not Adobe Acrobat — /replace/acrobat.

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Ranked picks

  1. 1

    Paperless Ngx

    GPL-3.0 OCR document-management system — /compare/paperless-ngx-vs-papra.

    When to pick it: A paperless mailbox with OCR.

    46,640 stars in the catalog

  2. 2

    papra

    AGPL-3.0 document archive with search, tags, and email/folder ingestion.

    When to pick it: A smaller AGPL archive if Paperless feels heavy.

  3. 3

    Docspell

    AGPL-3.0 organizer for scans and email.

    When to pick it: Ingestion from scanners and inboxes.

    2,338 stars in the catalog

  4. 4

    Teedy

    GPL-2.0 lightweight document management (sismics/docs).

    When to pick it: A smaller DMS if Paperless is not the shape.

    2,570 stars in the catalog

How they compare

ToolLicenseSelf-hostBest for
Paperless NgxGNU General Public License v3.0MediumA paperless mailbox with OCR.
papraAGPL-3.0EasyA smaller AGPL archive if Paperless feels heavy.
DocspellGNU Affero General Public License v3.0MediumIngestion from scanners and inboxes.
TeedyGNU General Public License v2.0MediumA smaller DMS if Paperless is not the shape.

Related pages

FAQ

Paperless-ngx or Papra?
Paperless-ngx if you want the well-known OCR mailbox. Papra if you want a smaller AGPL TypeScript archive — /compare/paperless-ngx-vs-papra.
Is this Adobe Acrobat?
No. Stirling PDF is the toolbox on /replace/acrobat. This page is an archive for PDFs you keep.
Nextcloud instead?
Nextcloud is a Drive suite. These are document archives with OCR/search.
Are these free?
Paperless-ngx is GPL-3.0. Papra and Docspell are AGPL-3.0. Teedy is GPL-2.0. You pay disk and hosting. Template users never pay c17.

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