License & Deployment Mix: 18 tools – 9 OSS, 0 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)

What Is Document Management?

A Document Management System (DMS) organizes, stores, tracks, and retrieves digital documents. Unlike simple file storage (folders on a disk or cloud drive), a DMS adds structure through metadata, tagging, version control, OCR, full-text search, workflows, and access control.

Key capabilities that distinguish a DMS from file storage:

• Metadata and tagging – structured fields (date, type, correspondent, tags) beyond just filenames
• OCR – optical character recognition to make scanned documents searchable
• Full-text search – search within document content, not just filenames
• Version control – track document revisions with history
• Workflows – approval chains, review cycles, document routing
• Access control – granular permissions per document or folder
• Audit trail – who accessed or modified what, and when
• Retention policies – automatic archival and deletion schedules

The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.

Comparison

SSO / OIDC Comparison

OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol; the notes below assume an Authentik-class identity provider.

* = requires enterprise edition or specific configuration

Best SSO support: Nextcloud (native OIDC, SAML, LDAP), M-Files (native OIDC + SAML), DocuWare (native OIDC), Paperless-ngx (OIDC), Docspell (native OIDC), Mayan EDMS (OIDC + LDAP)

No SSO: Teedy (reverse-proxy only)

API Comparison

Document Management Capabilities

* = requires enterprise edition, plugin, or community app

E-Signed PDF Handling

Many organizations use electronic signatures (DocuSign, Adobe Sign, PandaDoc, etc.) for contracts, invoices, SOWs, NDAs, and compliance documents. A DMS must preserve digital signatures during ingestion – OCR or format conversion that modifies the PDF structure will invalidate the cryptographic hash the signature covers.

* = Enterprise/Professional edition only; -- = not applicable / untested

Key takeaway: Paperless-ngx is the only tool that actively breaks digital signatures during normal operation. All other tools either store originals without modification or have explicit signature-aware processing. For organizations with significant e-signature usage, this is a critical factor in DMS selection.

Workflow and Compliance

* = Enterprise edition only

Deployment and Licensing

* = Nuxeo was Apache 2.0/LGPLv2.1 before Hyland acquisition in 2021; now proprietary

ARM / Container Support

* = limited or enterprise only

Tools

17 tools.

Alfresco (Hyland)

Alfresco Content Services (ACS) is one of the most widely deployed open-source Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platforms.

License: LGPL-3.0-or-later (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: OIDC

Website · Source

Docspell

Docspell is a personal and small-team document organizer that uses machine learning to assist with metadata assignment.

License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC

Website · Source

DocuWare

DocuWare is a document management and workflow automation platform focused on business process digitization.

License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: OIDC

Website

Hermes

Hermes is an open-source document management system created by HashiCorp Labs (Office of the CTO) to help scale writing and document review processes within organizations. It is not an official HashiCorp product.

License: MPL-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none

Website · Source

Laserfiche

Laserfiche is an enterprise content management and business process automation platform, particularly popular in US government agencies, education, legal, and financial services sectors.

License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none

Website

LogicalDOC

LogicalDOC is a Java-based enterprise document management system (DMS) developed by LogicalDOC Srl, an Italian company.

License: LGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none

Website · Source

M-Files

M-Files is a metadata-driven document management and enterprise content management (ECM) platform that organizes content by what it is rather than folder location, available on-premises, cloud, or hybrid.

License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: OIDC

Website

Mayan EDMS

Mayan EDMS is a full-featured open-source document management system built on Django, providing OCR, full-text search, metadata, tagging, workflows, versioning, and granular access control.

License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: OIDC

Website · Source

Nextcloud

Nextcloud is a PHP-based file sync and share platform that has evolved into a comprehensive collaboration hub (Nextcloud Hub).

License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: OIDC

Website · Source

Nuxeo (Hyland)

Nuxeo is a content services platform (CSP) designed as a headless ECM – an API-first, developer- oriented platform for building custom content applications rather than an out-of-the-box document management UI.

License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: OIDC

Website · Source

OpenDocMan

OpenDocMan is a web-based document management system designed to comply with ISO 17025 and OIE standards for document management. It focuses on file access control, revision tracking, and automated document review/approval workflows.

License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none

Website · Source

OpenKM

OpenKM is a Java-based document management system developed by OpenKM S.L., a Spanish company based in Alicante.

License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none

Website · Source

OpenText

OpenText is one of the largest enterprise content management vendors globally. The platform encompasses multiple product lines including OpenText Content Server (formerly Livelink), OpenText Documentum, and OpenText Extended ECM…

License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: OIDC

Website

Paperless-ngx

Paperless-ngx is the most popular open-source document management system for individuals and small-to-medium organizations, with over 24,000 GitHub stars and an active contributor community.

License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: none

Website · Source

Papra

Papra is a minimalistic, open-source document management and archiving platform built on TypeScript.

License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: none

Website · Source

SeedDMS

SeedDMS is the oldest actively maintained open-source document management system, with a lineage stretching back over 20 years through its predecessors MyDMS and LetoDMS.

License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none

Website · Source

Teedy

Teedy (formerly Sismics Docs) is a lightweight, Java-based document management system designed for simplicity. It positions itself as providing “all the features you can expect from big expensive solutions” in a small footprint.

License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: none

Website · Source