head to head · open source
Paperless-ngx vs Alarik
Paperless-ngx has 45,255 GitHub stars, 3,121 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Alarik has 538 stars, 6 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. Paperless-ngx leads on adoption by 8,312% (45,255 vs 538 stars). Paperless-ngx is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Alarik is written in Swift under Apache-2.0. Paperless-ngx has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Alarik 1%. 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Paperless-ngx | Alarik | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 538 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 6 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Paperless-ngx if
- You weight community size — 45K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Alarik if
- You want the Alarik feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and Alarik fits your workflow better
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 →
About Alarik
Alarik is a high performance, self hosted S3 compatible object storage system written in Swift and licensed under Apache 2.0, built for developers and platform teams that want an open alternative to MinIO and RustFS.
read the full Alarik overview →
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Storage Solutions projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Storage Solutions field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperless-ngx or Alarik more popular?
Paperless-ngx has 45,255 GitHub stars and Alarik has 538. Paperless-ngx has the larger community by that measure.
Are Paperless-ngx and Alarik free?
Both are open source. Paperless-ngx is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Alarik under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Paperless-ngx and Alarik?
Paperless-ngx is written in Python and Alarik in Swift. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Paperless-ngx or Alarik?
Choose Paperless-ngx if you want the larger community (45,255 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Alarik if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.