Top pick · highest health
Paperless-ngx
Scan, index, and archive all of your paper documents with an improved interface (fork of Paperless).
DockerPython
Archiving and Digital Preservation (DP)
Open source alternatives to Wayback Machine
We track 5 open-source Wayback Machine alternatives, of which 4 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 4 ship a Docker image. Paperless-ngx leads on health at 99/100 with 633 commits in the last 90 days; across all 5 projects you are choosing between AGPL-3.0, GPL-3.0, MIT.
updated Oct 2026 5 alternatives best health 99 ★ 84k combined 3,795 commits / 90d 4 with Docker
Top picks to replace Wayback Machine
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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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Most active
3,106 commits in the last 90 days, more than any other option here.
Showing 5 of 5 tools
All 5 Wayback Machine alternatives, ranked by health
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ArchiveBox
Create HTML & screenshot archives of sites from your bookmarks, browsing history, RSS feeds, or other sources (alternative to Wayback Machine).
DockerPython -
Open Archiver
Email archiving solution with full-text search and eDiscovery search features.
Docker -
Omeka S
Next-generation web publishing platform for institutions interested in connecting digital cultural heritage collections with other resources online.
Nodejs -
bitmagnet
BitTorrent indexer, DHT crawler, content classifier and torrent search engine with web UI, GraphQL API and Servarr stack integration.
DockerGo
Wayback Machine alternatives compared
Paperless-ngx edges ArchiveBox 99 to 98. ArchiveBox is the busier codebase, though, with 3,106 commits in 90 days to 633. Paperless-ngx also has the largest following, at 47k stars.
The most recent release is Paperless-ngx v3.4.0, published yesterday. None of the measured options scores under 40. By stack, Python (2), Go (1) and Nodejs (1) are the most common. ArchiveBox and bitmagnet are permissively licensed; Paperless-ngx, Open Archiver and Omeka S are copyleft.
| Tool | Health | Stars | Licence | Last commit | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paperless-ngx Steady at 99 since 11 Sep | 99 | 47k | GPL-3.0 | today | Yes |
| ArchiveBox Steady at 98 since 11 Sep | 98 | 29k | MIT | yesterday | Yes |
| Open Archiver Up 1 point since 11 Sep | 84 | 2.4k | AGPL-3.0 | 6 days ago | Yes |
| Omeka S Steady at 81 since 11 Sep, no release for 4 months | 81 | 528 | GPL-3.0 | 7 days ago | No |
| bitmagnet Down 2 points since 11 Sep, no release for 19 months | 40 | 4.4k | MIT | 3 months ago | Yes |
Wayback Machine alternatives: common questions
What is the most maintained open source alternative to Wayback Machine?
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. ArchiveBox has the most raw commit activity at 3106 commits in 90 days.
Which Wayback Machine alternatives use a permissive licence?
2 of 5 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): ArchiveBox (MIT), bitmagnet (MIT). 3 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.
Which Wayback Machine alternatives run in Docker?
4 of 5 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Paperless-ngx, ArchiveBox, Open Archiver, bitmagnet. 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 ArchiveBox the better Wayback Machine alternative?
On measured health Paperless-ngx leads, 99 to 98. Paperless-ngx has 633 commits in 90 days, 47k stars and v3.4.0 from yesterday; ArchiveBox has 3,106 commits in 90 days, 29k stars and v0.9.77 from 3 days ago. Pick ArchiveBox if licensing matters: it is MIT, while Paperless-ngx is GPL-3.0.
Are the Wayback Machine alternatives still maintained?
4 of the 5 measured options score 70 or above. bitmagnet had no commits in the last 90 days. None scores under 40.
What languages are the Wayback Machine alternatives written in?
Python: Paperless-ngx and ArchiveBox. Go: bitmagnet. Nodejs: Omeka S. The stack matters if you plan to extend or patch the tool yourself.
