OCRmyPDF vs Paperless-ngx
Short answer
OCRmyPDF: Command-line tool and Docker image that adds a searchable OCR text layer to scanned PDFs, with a watched-folder service. Paperless-ngx: Document management system that OCRs scans into a searchable archive, auto-tags them and adds optional LLM suggestions and chat. Both are in our Document processing category.
Choose OCRmyPDF if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
OCRmyPDF and Paperless-ngx publish no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
OCRmyPDF vs Paperless-ngx side by side
| OCRmyPDF | Paperless-ngx | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document processing | Document processing |
| What it is | Command-line tool and Docker image that adds a searchable OCR text layer to scanned PDFs, with a watched-folder service. | Document management system that OCRs scans into a searchable archive, auto-tags them and adds optional LLM suggestions and chat. |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| License type | Copyleft (GPL) | Copyleft (GPL) |
| License conditions | Free for internal and commercial use. MPL-2.0 is file-level copyleft: if you distribute modified OCRmyPDF files, you must release those files' source under MPL-2.0. The demo web service is AGPL-3.0, and Ghostscript, which OCRmyPDF can use, is AGPL-licensed. | Free for internal and commercial use. If you distribute a modified version you must release it under GPL-3.0; running it for your own team is not distribution. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 35.2k | 47.5k |
| Last commit | Oct 25, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 |
| Latest release | v17.13.0 | v3.4.1 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | No. Tesseract runs on CPU; the optional EasyOCR plugin is the one that recommends a GPU. | No. OCR and the built-in classifier run on CPU; LLM features call the provider you configure. |
| Est. server cost | Not estimated | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Docker (watched-folder service) | Docker Compose (official install script) |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not applicable | Free (OIDC free) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Not documented | Not documented |
| Details | Full OCRmyPDF guide → | Full Paperless-ngx guide → |
Key differences
- License: OCRmyPDF: MPL-2.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Paperless-ngx: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)).
- Deploy: OCRmyPDF: Docker (watched-folder service) · single container. Paperless-ngx: Docker Compose (official install script) · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: OCRmyPDF: 35.2k. Paperless-ngx: 47.5k.
- Last commit: OCRmyPDF: Oct 25, 2026. Paperless-ngx: Oct 31, 2026.
- Latest release: OCRmyPDF: v17.13.0 (Sep 28, 2026). Paperless-ngx: v3.4.1 (Oct 31, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Document processing; Official hardware: not published; GPU: optional / see notes; Est. server cost: not estimated (no official RAM figure); Status: Active.
OCRmyPDF vs Paperless-ngx: FAQ
OCRmyPDF or Paperless-ngx: which should a small business choose?
Choose OCRmyPDF if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). OCRmyPDF and Paperless-ngx publish no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, OCRmyPDF or Paperless-ngx?
OCRmyPDF: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Paperless-ngx: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do OCRmyPDF and Paperless-ngx need?
OCRmyPDF: not published. Paperless-ngx: not published.
What is the license difference between OCRmyPDF and Paperless-ngx?
OCRmyPDF: MPL-2.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free for internal and commercial use. MPL-2.0 is file-level copyleft: if you distribute modified OCRmyPDF files, you must release those files' source under MPL-2.0. The demo web service is AGPL-3.0, and Ghostscript, which OCRmyPDF can use, is AGPL-licensed. Paperless-ngx: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free for internal and commercial use. If you distribute a modified version you must release it under GPL-3.0; running it for your own team is not distribution. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is OCRmyPDF or Paperless-ngx more actively maintained?
OCRmyPDF: Active, last commit Oct 25, 2026. Paperless-ngx: Active, last commit Oct 31, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Nov 1, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, OCRmyPDF or Paperless-ngx?
OCRmyPDF installs via Docker (watched-folder service) (single container); Paperless-ngx via Docker Compose (official install script) (multi-container stack). OCRmyPDF lists 4 known gotchas and Paperless-ngx lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- OCRmyPDF self-hosting guide · Paperless-ngx self-hosting guide
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- All Paperless-ngx alternatives, ranked
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- Paperless-AI vs Paperless-ngx
- paperless-gpt vs Paperless-ngx
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- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- OCRmyPDF GitHub repository: github.com/ocrmypdf/OCRmyPDF
- OCRmyPDF documentation: ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
- OCRmyPDF license: github.com/ocrmypdf/OCRmyPDF/blob/main/LICENSE
- OCRmyPDF hardware requirements: ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/performance.html
- OCRmyPDF deploy instructions: ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/batch.html
- Paperless-ngx GitHub repository: github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx
- Paperless-ngx documentation, Paperless-ngx deploy instructions: github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx/blob/main/docs/setup.md
- Paperless-ngx license: github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx/blob/dev/LICENSE
- Paperless-ngx hardware requirements: github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx/blob/main/docs/faq.md
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-25): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.