# ESPHome vs Paperless-ngx

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ESPHome | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 86/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 104 in Home Automation | #3 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 11 979 | 47 284 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +257 | +1 293 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 46 ✓ | 26 |
| Latest release | 2026.10.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.3.4 · 22 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | C | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Paperless-ngx scores 86/100 against 78/100 for ESPHome, so it is the safer default.

ESPHome ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 26 for Paperless-ngx.

Paperless-ngx is growing faster right now (+1 293 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ESPHome](https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome.md)
- [Paperless-ngx](https://selfhost.directory/project/paperless-ngx) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/paperless-ngx.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/esphome-vs-paperless-ngx