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Reviewed · Updated 2026-10-04

Paperless-ngx

Paperless-ngx is free, open-source, self-hosted software that scans, OCRs and tags your paper documents into a searchable archive on your own server.

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team ·
Try Paperless-ngx
Pricing
Free
Best for
Self-hosted paper archive
Category
Security, Privacy & Backup

Paperless-ngx is free, open-source document management software you run on your own server, usually with Docker. It OCRs scans in more than 100 languages, tags them automatically and makes everything full-text searchable. It suits home-lab users and small offices comfortable with self-hosting; there is no paid or hosted version.

The bottom line

Excellent for self-hosters; not for anyone who wants a hosted app with support.

7.1
Our score
7.1 / 10
Conversion Gems editorial verdict
Free (GPL-3.0, self-hosted)
Features8/10
8 - OCR in 100+ languages, ML tagging, email import, full-text search, permissions and workflows.
Value10/10
10 - free under GPL-3.0 with no paid tier.
Ease of use4/10
4 - requires self-hosting, typically docker compose, plus your own security and backups.
Ecosystem6/10
6 - REST API, email and folder import, optional Apache Tika and AI OCR; no app marketplace.
Support5/10
5 - detailed docs and community help on GitHub and Matrix; no paid support.
What it really is

A free, self-hosted web app that turns scans and PDFs into a searchable, auto-tagged archive.

Our take

Paperless-ngx is a strong pick if you already run a home server: drop scans in a folder or forward emails and they come out OCR'd, tagged and searchable. The features rival paid tools. The catch is that you own everything, from installation to security to backups, and documents sit unencrypted on disk.

Why we rate it

Paid-tool features such as OCR, auto-tagging and email import at no cost.

The catch

Self-hosting only, and files are stored unencrypted.

Best for
Households going paperless
Small offices with an IT-minded owner
Privacy-minded users who want local storage
Not good for
People who can't run Docker
Teams that need vendor support or a hosted service
Friction report
Time to value
An hour or two with Docker experience; longer to tune OCR and matching rules.
Scale breakpoint
Large archives need a stronger server, PostgreSQL and planned backups.
Walled garden
Low: originals are stored plain on disk and there is a REST API.

Frequently Asked Questions

Paperless-ngx alternatives

Other ways to store and organize documents:

Hubdoc: Hosted bill and receipt capture that feeds figures into Xero and QuickBooks Online.
Dropbox: Cloud storage and file sync across devices, with sharing and backup.
DocStar: Enterprise document capture, workflow and records management.
Box: Cloud content management and file sharing built for businesses.
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Tags

#PaperlessNgx#SelfHosted#DocumentManagement

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