# OpenWA vs Paperless-ngx

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

| | OpenWA | Paperless-ngx |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 86/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 19 in API Management | #3 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 16 333 | 47 183 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +327 | +1 227 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 26 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.26.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.3.4 · 22 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Paperless-ngx scores 86/100 against 77/100 for OpenWA, so it is the safer default.

Paperless-ngx ships more often: 26 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for OpenWA.

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

Paperless-ngx is growing faster right now (+1 227 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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