ArchiveBox
Create HTML & screenshot archives of sites from your bookmarks, browsing history, RSS feeds, or other sources (alternative to Wayback Machine).
ArchiveBox vs Paperless-ngx
Two self-hosted Archiving and Digital Preservation (DP) apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| ArchiveBox | Paperless-ngx | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Create HTML & screenshot archives of sites from your bookmarks, browsing history, RSS feeds, or other sources (alternative to Wayback Machine). | Scan, index, and archive all of your paper documents with an improved interface (fork of Paperless). |
| GitHub stars | 28,958 | 47,709 |
| Forks | – | 3.3k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 11 |
| Commits (12 months) | 4.7k | 1.7k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | v0.9.77 (2026-10-27) | v3.4.2 (2026-11-03) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | Python, Docker | Python, Docker |
| Docker Hub image | archivebox/archivebox | – |
| Docker pulls | 14052.4k | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Archiving and Digital Preservation (DP) | Document Management, Archiving and Digital Preservation (DP) |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Paperless-ngx is more popular on GitHub: 47.7k stars vs 29k for ArchiveBox.
- ArchiveBox had more commits in the last 12 months (4,662 vs 1,747).
- Paperless-ngx published a release more recently (v3.4.2 on 2026-11-03; ArchiveBox's latest is v0.9.77 on 2026-10-27).
- ArchiveBox is licensed under MIT, Paperless-ngx under GPL-3.0. ArchiveBox's license is permissive; Paperless-ngx's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- Both are written in Python.
- Deployment options listed upstream: ArchiveBox: Docker; Paperless-ngx: Docker.
- Only ArchiveBox has a Docker Hub image that we detected (archivebox/archivebox).
Summary: ArchiveBox leads on commit activity and Docker Hub availability; Paperless-ngx leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Get the Docker images
ArchiveBox
docker pull archivebox/archiveboxImage on Docker Hub. Ports, volumes and environment variables differ per app; follow the official docs.
Frequently asked questions
Is ArchiveBox or Paperless-ngx more popular?
Paperless-ngx has more GitHub stars (47,709 vs 28,958 for ArchiveBox, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, ArchiveBox or Paperless-ngx?
ArchiveBox had more commits over the last 12 months (4,662 vs 1,747). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-03 for ArchiveBox and 2026-11-04 for Paperless-ngx. Our health labels: ArchiveBox is “Active”, Paperless-ngx is “Active”.
What licenses do ArchiveBox and Paperless-ngx use?
ArchiveBox: MIT. Paperless-ngx: GPL-3.0. ArchiveBox's license is permissive; Paperless-ngx's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run ArchiveBox and Paperless-ngx with Docker?
ArchiveBox has a Docker Hub image (archivebox/archivebox). We did not find one for Paperless-ngx, though the upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option.
Read more
Paperless-ngx
Scan, index, and archive all of your paper documents with an improved interface (fork of Paperless).
Browse all self-hosted Archiving and Digital Preservation (DP) apps.