Stirling-PDF
94kLocal hosted web application that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files, such as merging, splitting, file conversions and OCR.
Document ManagementApache-2.0
Self-hosted Document Management
SelfHostHub lists 19 open-source Document Management projects you can host on your own server. The most-starred on GitHub are Stirling-PDF (94,455 stars), Paperless-ngx (46,853 stars) and Docuseal (18,754 stars). 17 of them document a Docker install, and 9 offer a live demo you can try first.
Scan, index, and archive all of your paper documents with an improved interface (fork of Paperless).
Document ManagementGPL-3.0
Docuseal
19kCreate, fill, and sign digital documents (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
BentoPDF
16kPowerful, privacy-first, client-side PDF toolkit that allows you to manipulate, edit, merge, and process PDF files directly in your browser.
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Documenso
15kDigital document signing platform (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Gotenberg
13kDeveloper-friendly API to interact with powerful tools like Chromium and LibreOffice for converting numerous document formats (HTML, Markdown, Word, Excel, etc.) into PDF files, and more.
Document ManagementMIT
OpenSign
7.1kDocument signing software (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Papra
5.6kMinimalist document storage, management and archiving platform designed to be simple to use and accessible to everyone.
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
SnapOtter
2.8kSuite of 200+ web tools for converting and editing images, videos, audio and PDFs, including a layer-based image editor, OCR, transcription, background removal and batch processing pipelines (alternative to SmallPDF, iLovePDF, CloudConvert).
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Docspell
2.3kAuto-tagging document organizer and archive.
Document ManagementGPL-3.0
Sign and manipulate PDFs with collaboration, organization, compression and metadata editing.
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Mayan EDMS
681Electronic document management system for your documents with preview generation, OCR, and automatic categorization among other features.
Document ManagementGPL-2.0
Papermerge
549Document 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.
Document ManagementApache-2.0
EveryDocs
422Simple Document Management System for private use with basic functionality to organize your documents digitally.
Document ManagementGPL-3.0
I, Librarian
355Organize PDF papers and office documents. It provides a lot of extra features for students and research groups both in industry and academia.
Document ManagementGPL-3.0
SimpleDMS
170Easy-to-use, metadata-driven, document management system (DMS) for small businesses that sorts documents almost by itself.
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Document scanning and management application, compatible with Rocketbook and Scribzee formats.
Document ManagementMIT
PDF manager, viewer and editor offering a seamless user experience on multiple devices. It's designed to be minimal, fast, and easy to set up using Docker.
Document ManagementAGPL-3.0
Document Management System with workflows, access rights, fulltext search, and more.
Document ManagementGPL-2.0
How to choose self-hosted Document Management software
- Check project health. Stars show popularity, not maintenance. Open the source repository and look at recent commits and releases.
- Match the licence to your use. 15 use a GPL-family licence (copyleft, including AGPL) and 4 use a permissive licence such as MIT, Apache-2.0 or BSD. AGPL matters if you modify the software and offer it to others over a network.
- Pick a stack you can run. The most common platforms here are Docker (17), Nodejs (3), PHP (3) and K8S (3). Docker is usually the easiest path for a home server or VPS.
- Try before you migrate. Use a live demo where one exists (9 here), or a throwaway container first, and confirm it can import your existing data before switching.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular self-hosted Document Management software?
By GitHub stars, the top projects in this category are Stirling-PDF (94,455 stars), Paperless-ngx (46,853 stars) and Docuseal (18,754 stars).
How many open-source Document Management tools are listed?
19 projects are currently listed in the Document Management category on SelfHostHub.
Which licences do self-hosted Document Management projects use?
The most common licences in this category are AGPL-3.0 (9), GPL-3.0 (4) and Apache-2.0 (2).
Can I run these Document Management tools with Docker?
17 of the 19 projects list Docker as a supported platform. Check each project's documentation for the exact install steps.