What is the main difference between Paperless-ngx and Papra?

Paperless-ngx and Papra are both document management systems but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Paperless-ngx or Papra?

The choice between Paperless-ngx and Papra depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Paperless-ngx to Papra?

Migration between Paperless-ngx and Papra is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

Postiz – The All-in-One agentic social media scheduling tool

Learn more

Paperless-ngx vs Papra

Learn how Paperless-ngx and Papra differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these document management systems is best for you.

Paperless-ngx

A powerful open-source solution for managing, organizing, and searching your digital documents with ease and efficiency.

Visit Paperless-ngx Read more

47,100stars+1,044(+2.3%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
11 hours ago
Repository age
5 years
Version
v3.3.4
License
GPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
paperless-ngx

Papra

A document management platform that helps you archive, organize, and search files with email ingestion, tagging capabilities, and powerful search functionality.

Visit Papra Read more

5,598stars+81(+1.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
2 days ago
Repository age
2 years
Version
0.2.6
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
papra-hq/papra

Detailed Comparison

Paperless-ngx appears to have several advantages over Papra, particularly in popularity, growth and maturity. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Paperless-ngx wins

Community & Popularity

Paperless-ngx significantly outpaces Papra in community adoption with 47,100 stars compared to 5,598 stars on GitHub. This 8.4x difference suggests Paperless-ngx has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Paperless-ngx has 3,280 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Paperless-ngx wins

Growth Momentum

Paperless-ngx is growing faster, adding 1,044 stars in the last 30 days (+2.3%) against adding 81 stars for Papra (+1.5%). Paperless-ngx is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Paperless-ngx last updated 11 hours ago and Papra 2 days ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Typescript. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Paperless-ngx uses Bash, Python, SCSS while Papra leverages JSX.

Paperless-ngx wins

Project Maturity

Paperless-ngx has been in development longer, starting 5 years ago, compared to Papra which began 2 years ago. This 2.9-year head start suggests Paperless-ngx may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable

Licensing

The projects use different licenses: Paperless-ngx is licensed under GPL-3.0 while Papra uses AGPL-3.0. Consider the licensing requirements when choosing for your project.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Document Management Systems. However, they also have distinct specializations: Papra extends into Secure Document Sharing.

Comparable

Hosting & Deployment

Both Paperless-ngx and Papra offer self-hosting capabilities, giving you full control over your data and infrastructure.

Other tool comparisons to consider