Paperless-ngx
Free (self-hosted)Open-source document management system that transforms physical documents into searchable archives.
Why founders use Paperless-ngx
The Good
The Bad
The Verdict
Paperless-ngx is a community-supported open-source document management system designed for users who want complete control over their document archive. Unlike proprietary solutions like DocuWare or Adobe, Paperless-ngx stores your data locally on your infrastructure with no vendor lock-in, making it ideal for indie hackers and small teams concerned about data sovereignty.\n\nThe platform uses OCR technology (Tesseract) to extract searchable text from scanned documents, automatically tags and categorizes files using machine learning, and supports 100+ languages. It's perfect for digitizing receipts, contracts, invoices, and personal records. Self-hosting means zero recurring costs—you only pay for your own infrastructure.