Paperless-ngxvsWhirl
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Paperless-ngx | Whirl | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 86/100 | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 46 in Document Management | #23 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 47 275 | 510 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 284 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 26 | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.3.4 · 22 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Paperless-ngx scores 86/100 against 52/100 for Whirl, so it is the safer default.
Paperless-ngx ships more often: 26 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Whirl.
If you want the quickest setup, Paperless-ngx is easier to run; Whirl needs more configuration.
Paperless-ngx is growing faster right now (+1 284 stars in 30 days).
Paperless-ngx details →Whirl details →
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