Paperless-ngx: The paperless office with open source

Paperless-ngx is a free open-source document management system: It takes scanned paper documents and PDFs, makes them searchable via text recognition and automatically sorts them by sender, document type and keywords. It runs on your own servers or with a hosting provider in Germany. It is particularly well suited for small businesses, law firms, associations and public administrations, that want to digitize their filing without moving to an expensive large-scale system.

What Paperless-ngx can do

• Capture: Documents enter the system via scanner, upload, email inbox, or monitored folder.
• Text recognition (OCR): Even scanned paper documents become searchable.
• Automatic classification: Sender (“correspondent”), document type, and keywords are assigned according to rules or learned patterns.
• Find: Full-text search across all documents, filters, saved views.
• Workflows: Rules that automatically set fields, assign permissions, or trigger notifications when items are received.
• Permissions: Documents can be assigned to people and groups.
• AI (optional): Since version 3.0, Paperless-ngx suggests titles, senders, types, and tags using a language model and answers questions about documents — also with a local model. More in Paperless-ngx + AI.

Who Paperless-ngx is suitable for

• Small businesses and trades companies:Invoices, delivery notes, contracts, notices.
• Law firms and consultancies:Correspondence and documents organized by client.
• Associations and social organizations:Notices, funding documents, contracts.
• Public administrations: Digitize incoming mail.

Limits

• No full enterprise DMS: Complex approval workflows, filing plans, or integrations with specialist systems are provided by dedicated solutions.
• Audit-proofing not automatic: Anyone using Paperless-ngx for tax-relevant documents must take additional measures – see Digital filing in accordance with GoBD using open source.
• Operation: Updates, backups and security measures must be organized.
• Community project: There is no vendor with a support contract; support comes from service providers.

Data Protection

Because Paperless-ngx is self-hosted, documents remain in your infrastructure. For GDPR-compliant operation, you still need: hosting in Germany or on your own premises, data processing agreements with the hosting provider, access rights, encrypted connections, data backup, and a deletion concept. In general, this means: Document management with high data protection standards.

Introduction in five steps

1. Consider the filing structure:Which senders, document types and keywords do you really need? Less is more.
2. Define intake channels: scanner, email inbox, folder.
3. Pilot: capture new incoming mail for one department digitally for a few weeks.
4. Refine rules:check and refine automatic assignment.
5. Existing records:digitize as needed – not everything at once.

How invoice filing by email works is shown by Automatically capture invoices by email.

bettersorted relies on open, transparent components for its customers – operated on servers in Germany and bundled in the automaisa Hub. We provide vendor-neutral advice, are a BAFA-registered consultant and an authorized INQA coach. The consulting and guided implementation can be funded through the INQA-Coaching with 80% funding; the suitable path is shown by the Funding Check. For a non-binding initial consultation: Contact.

Example: craft business without piles of paper

An illustrative scenario: A plumbing company with 15 employees scans incoming mail in the office, invoices arrive via a dedicated mailbox. Paperless-ngx automatically sorts by supplier and type; tags such as “to be paid” or “Müller construction site” help in day-to-day work. The owner finds a maintenance contract from three years ago in seconds instead of searching through folders.

Typical mistakes when implementing

• Too many tags: The system becomes confusing, and automatic classification becomes less accurate.
• No backup: A hard drive failure must not cost the entire archive.
• Existing stock first: Better to start with a new mail and gain experience.
• Forget tax requirements: see GoBD filing with open source.

Costs and funding

For a paperless office with Paperless-ngx, there are no license costs for open-source tools. Costs arise for Setup (planning, installation, integration, testing), Operation (server or hosting in Germany, updates, monitoring, data backup) and Support (training, rules, contact persons). We do not quote fixed prices because scope and starting point vary greatly.

Eligible for funding is the consulting and guided implementation: the INQA-Coachingcovers 80% of coaching costs nationwide (up to €11,520, vouchers until 30/06/2028); a preliminary analysis is subsidized by the BAFA consulting grant at 80% in the new federal states, Lüneburg and Trier, otherwise 50% – for applications submitted by 31/12/2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Paperless-ngx?

A free open-source document management system that makes scanned documents and PDFs searchable via text recognition and automatically organizes them by sender, type, and keywords.

Is Paperless-ngx free of charge?

Yes, the software is open source (GPLv3). Costs arise for server or hosting, setup, and operation.

Is Paperless-ngx compliant with GoBD?

Software alone is never “GoBD-compliant” — it depends on the overall process. With additional measures such as immutable storage, permissions, logs, and process documentation, Paperless-ngx can be integrated into a proper process. Clarify this with your tax advisor.

Can Paperless-ngx import invoices from emails?

Yes. Using email rules, Paperless-ngx retrieves attachments from mailboxes and automatically classifies them.

As of October 2026. Models, versions and licenses change quickly – check the current license with the provider before making a decision.