The Curious AI Guy

Library / Self-hosted

Paperless-ngx

Scan, tag and search all your paperwork.

Replaces
LicenseGPL-3.0
GitHub stars46.6k
Last code update12 October 2026
SetupIntermediate about 30 minOur estimate
Paid version costs about$16/moABBYY FineReader PDF Standard, monthly billing
Per year~$192

New to this? What open source means and how to read this page.

What it is

A document management system that turns scans into searchable, tagged archives with OCR.

Good for

Going paperless at home or in a small business, with invoices and letters searchable in seconds.

The catch

You run the server and the backups. Setting up good tags and rules takes some effort at the start.

Paperless-ngx versus

Paperless-ngx
PriceFreeThe software is free. The computer or server to run it is yours to provide.ca. $16/moABBYY FineReader PDF Standard, monthly billing
LicenseGPL-3.0Commercial license
Source codePublic, you can read and check itNot public
SetupIntermediate, about 30 minSign up and pay
Where it runsOn a computer or server you controlThe vendor's app or service, under their terms

The paid product's own plans and terms change. Check its site before you decide.

Install it with an AI assistant

Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant that can work on your computer (Claude Code or Claude Desktop, for example). It is written from the project's official repository and tells the assistant to show you every command first. Setup time is our estimate: about 30 min.

I want to install and try Paperless-ngx on my own computer.

Official repository: https://github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx
Official site: https://docs.paperless-ngx.com
License: GPL-3.0

Before you do anything:
1. Read the README and install notes in the official repository above, and nothing else. Do not follow third-party tutorials or mirrors.
2. Tell me in plain words what will be installed, what it needs (operating system, memory, graphics card, disk space, accounts) and what it will cost me, if anything.
3. Check my computer against those needs and tell me honestly if it will not work well.

Run it with Docker. First check whether Docker is installed and running, and if it is not, guide me through installing Docker Desktop. Use the official Docker or compose instructions from the README, keep the data in a volume so it survives updates, and tell me the address to open in my browser. Tell me how much memory and disk it will use, and how to remove it cleanly.

Rules:
- Show me each command before you run it, and say what it does.
- Ask before anything that deletes files, changes system settings, opens a network port or needs an administrator password.
- Never put my passwords or keys on a command line, or in a file I did not choose.
- When it is installed, help me check it with one small test, and tell me how to start and stop it.
- If something goes wrong, explain it in plain words and do not guess your way around it.

Good to know before you start: You run the server and the backups. Setting up good tags and rules takes some effort at the start.

We have not run this prompt ourselves yet. Read what the assistant plans to do before you say yes.

Facts checked on 12 October 2026. We have not yet run a hands-on test of this tool. When we do, it gets a "Tested" mark here. Approximate US list prices for an individual plan, from third-party price trackers checked on 12 Oct 2026. Monthly billing where it exists. Regions, taxes and promotions change them. Confirm at the vendor before you decide.

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