Top pick · highest health
Paperless-ngx
Scan, index, and archive all of your paper documents with an improved interface (fork of Paperless).
DockerPython
Document Management
Open source alternatives to Paperless Cloud
We track 6 open-source Paperless Cloud alternatives, of which 3 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 6 ship a Docker image. Paperless-ngx leads on health at 99/100 with 633 commits in the last 90 days; across all 6 projects you are choosing between AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0, GPL-2.0 and 1 other licences.
updated Oct 2026 6 alternatives best health 99 ★ 57k combined 820 commits / 90d 6 with Docker
Top picks to replace Paperless Cloud
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Healthiest
Health 99/100: 633 commits in 90 days, latest release v3.4.0, Docker image available.
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Permissive licence
Apache-2.0, so you can fork or embed it without publishing changes; health 79/100.
Showing 6 of 6 tools
All 6 Paperless Cloud alternatives, ranked by health
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Papra
Minimalist document storage, management and archiving platform designed to be simple to use and accessible to everyone.
Docker -
Papermerge
Document management system focused on scanned documents (electronic archives). Features file browsing in similar way to dropbox/google drive. OCR, full text search, text overlay/selection.
DockerK8S -
Docspell
Auto-tagging document organizer and archive.
DockerScalaJava -
Mayan EDMS
Electronic document management system for your documents with preview generation, OCR, and automatic categorization among other features.
DockerK8S -
EveryDocs
Simple Document Management System for private use with basic functionality to organize your documents digitally.
DockerRuby
Paperless Cloud alternatives compared
Paperless-ngx edges Papra 99 to 95, and most of the difference is stars: 47k stars against 5.6k stars.
The most recent release is Paperless-ngx v3.4.0, published yesterday. Mayan EDMS publishes no tagged releases, which costs up to 25 of the 100 points. Mayan EDMS and EveryDocs score under 40, so check recent activity before adopting them. By stack, Java (1), Python (1) and Ruby (1) are the most common. Papermerge is permissively licensed; Paperless-ngx, Papra, Docspell and 2 more are copyleft.
| Tool | Health | Stars | Licence | Last commit | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paperless-ngx Steady at 99 since 11 Sep | 99 | 47k | GPL-3.0 | today | Yes |
| Papra Steady at 95 since 11 Sep | 95 | 5.6k | AGPL-3.0 | yesterday | Yes |
| Papermerge Up 32 points since 11 Sep, no release for 14 months | 79 | 550 | Apache-2.0 | yesterday | Yes |
| Docspell Down 1 point since 11 Sep, no release for 19 months | 67 | 2.3k | GPL-3.0 | 3 days ago | Yes |
| Mayan EDMS Up 4 points since 11 Sep, no tagged release | 35 | 682 | GPL-2.0 | 1 month ago | Yes |
| EveryDocs | 33 | 428 | GPL-3.0 | 3 months ago | Yes |
Paperless Cloud alternatives: common questions
What is the most maintained open source alternative to Paperless Cloud?
Paperless-ngx scores highest at 99/100, with 633 commits in the last 90 days, 47k stars on GitHub and its latest release (v3.4.0) published yesterday. It is also the most active by raw commit count.
Which Paperless Cloud alternatives use a permissive licence?
1 of 6 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): Papermerge (Apache-2.0). 5 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.
Which Paperless Cloud alternatives run in Docker?
6 of 6 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Paperless-ngx, Papra, Papermerge, Docspell, Mayan EDMS, EveryDocs. Docker support contributes 10 of the 100 available health points, because it is the clearest signal that self-hosting is a supported path rather than an afterthought.
Is Paperless-ngx or Papra the better Paperless Cloud alternative?
On measured health Paperless-ngx leads, 99 to 95. Paperless-ngx has 633 commits in 90 days, 47k stars and v3.4.0 from yesterday; Papra has 112 commits in 90 days, 5.6k stars and @papra/[email protected] from 8 days ago. Paperless-ngx is ahead or level on every term Repoly measures.
Are the Paperless Cloud alternatives still maintained?
3 of the 6 measured options score 70 or above. Every measured option had commits in the last 90 days. Mayan EDMS and EveryDocs score under 40.
What languages are the Paperless Cloud alternatives written in?
Java: Docspell. Python: Paperless-ngx. Ruby: EveryDocs. The stack matters if you plan to extend or patch the tool yourself.
