head to head · open source
Immich vs Paperless-ngx
Immich has 114,457 GitHub stars, 6,980 forks, 740 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Paperless-ngx has 45,255 stars, 3,121 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Immich leads on adoption by 153% (114,457 vs 45,255 stars). Immich is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Paperless-ngx is written in Python under GPL-3.0. Immich has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Paperless-ngx 7%. Paperless-ngx was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Immich | Paperless-ngx | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 114K | ★ 45K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.0K | ⑂ 3.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Immich if
- You weight community size — 114K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Paperless-ngx if
- You want the Paperless-ngx feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Paperless-ngx fits your workflow better
About Immich
Immich is a high performance self hosted photo and video management solution — an AGPL 3.0 TypeScript project — for people and households who want their photo library on a server they own rather than in Google Photos.
read the full Immich overview →
About Paperless-ngx
Paperless ngx is a community supported, GPL 3.0 licensed document management system written in Python that turns physical paperwork into a searchable, indexed online archive, and it is built for individuals, homelab operators and small teams who want to scan, index and archive their documents on infrastructure they control.
read the full Paperless-ngx overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Immich or Paperless-ngx more popular?
Immich has 114,457 GitHub stars and Paperless-ngx has 45,255. Immich has the larger community by that measure.
Are Immich and Paperless-ngx free?
Both are open source. Immich is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Paperless-ngx under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Immich and Paperless-ngx?
Immich is written in TypeScript and Paperless-ngx in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Immich or Paperless-ngx?
Choose Immich if you want the larger community (114,457 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Paperless-ngx if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.