head to head · open source
Paperless-ngx vs Ceph
Paperless-ngx has 45,255 GitHub stars, 3,121 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Ceph has 17,050 stars, 6,504 forks, 1,353 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Paperless-ngx leads on adoption by 165% (45,255 vs 17,050 stars). Paperless-ngx is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Ceph is written in C++ under a custom or non-standard licence. Paperless-ngx has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Ceph 38%. 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
| Paperless-ngx | Ceph | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 17K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 6.5K |
| 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 Ceph if
- You want the Ceph feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Ceph 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 Ceph
Ceph is a scalable open source distributed storage system written in C++ and described as a platform for object, block, and file storage. It lives in infrastructure and operations storage solutions, where it provides a shared storage layer across distributed nodes rather than a single local disk.
More in Infrastructure & Operations
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Frequently asked questions
Is Paperless-ngx or Ceph more popular?
Paperless-ngx has 45,255 GitHub stars and Ceph has 17,050. Paperless-ngx has the larger community by that measure.
Are Paperless-ngx and Ceph free?
Both are open source. Paperless-ngx is licensed under GPL-3.0, and Ceph has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Paperless-ngx and Ceph?
Paperless-ngx is written in Python and Ceph in C++. 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 Ceph?
Choose Paperless-ngx if you want the larger community (45,255 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Ceph if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.