# ifm vs Paperless-ngx

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

| | ifm | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 49/100 | 86/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #19 of 34 in File Management | #3 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 370 | 47 237 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +1 281 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 26 ✓ |
| Latest release | v4.1.2 · 20 Aug 2026 | v3.3.4 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Paperless-ngx scores 86/100 against 49/100 for ifm, so it is the safer default.

Paperless-ngx ships more often: 26 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for ifm.

If you want the quickest setup, ifm is easier to run; Paperless-ngx needs more configuration.

Paperless-ngx is growing faster right now (+1 281 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ifm](https://selfhost.directory/project/ifm) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/ifm.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/ifm-vs-paperless-ngx