papermerge

What it does

A document management system for scans: OCR extracts the text, indexes it, and gives you full-text search over contracts, receipts and correspondence, wrapped in a dual-pane browser with folders, tags and drag-and-drop that behaves like a desktop file manager. PDF, TIFF, JPEG and PNG. Self-hosted, which makes backups and access control your responsibility — and this is precisely the kind of archive that should never sit on the open internet unauthenticated. Apache-2.0.

Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.

Screenshots & visuals

Before you start

• Setup difficultySome setup needed
• Command lineRequired
• API keyNot required
• Sends data onlineNo

Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.

papermerge FAQ

Is papermerge free?

Yes. It runs on your own machine, so there is no usage-based cost either.

Do I need to install anything or write code to use papermerge?

It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.

Does papermerge work on a phone?

No. It needs a computer.

Can I use papermerge commercially?

The licence is Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.

How it compares

The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.

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