Paperless-ngx

Self-Hosted

Open-source document management system for digitizing and organizing physical documents

Overview

Paperless-ngx is an open-source document management solution designed to digitize, organize, and search physical documents effortlessly. It uses OCR to extract text from scans, enabling full-text search, and lets users tag, categorize, and add metadata to documents. Key deployment options include Docker (simplified setup) and manual installation. Features like auto-indexing, document versioning, cloud storage integration (e.g., Nextcloud), email ingestion, and a responsive web UI make it ideal for personal or small business use. It reduces paper clutter while keeping data private and under your control.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  paperless_ngx:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: paperless-ngx
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

OCR-powered text extraction and full-text search
Custom tags, categories, and metadata for organization
Docker container deployment for simplified setup
Email ingestion and cloud storage integration (Nextcloud, AWS S3)

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Paperless-ngx hard to install?

Paperless-ngx offers Docker-based deployment which simplifies setup significantly—most users can get it running with a few Docker commands or Docker Compose. Manual installation requires more technical steps (like setting up Tesseract OCR and dependencies) but is well-documented.

? Is Paperless-ngx a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC?

Yes, for self-hosted, privacy-focused document management needs. Unlike Acrobat DC (proprietary and subscription-based), Paperless-ngx is free and keeps data under your control. It excels at organizing scanned documents with OCR and search, though it lacks advanced editing features like Acrobat.

? Is Paperless-ngx completely free?

Yes! Paperless-ngx is open-source software licensed under the MIT License. It is completely free to use, modify, and self-host without any hidden costs or subscription fees.

Top Alternatives

Adobe Acrobat DC Search Google

Microsoft SharePoint Search Google

Evernote Compare

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Document Management

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Privacy-focused (self-hosted data control)
⊕ No subscription fees
⊕ Powerful search and organization tools

Cons

⊖ Requires server or Docker environment
⊖ Initial setup may need technical knowledge (OCR configuration)
⊖ Limited advanced editing features compared to enterprise tools