Comparisons / A Mayan EDMS Alternative Without Your Own Server
A Mayan EDMS Alternative Without Your Own Server
Looking for a Mayan EDMS alternative? Self-hosted open-source DMS or a ready-made cloud DMS with GoBD support: a fair comparison.
Mayan EDMS is a powerful open-source DMS (GPL-2.0): OCR, full-text search, workflows, metadata, versioning and fine-grained permissions. If you want a flexible system you host and customise yourself, it has a lot to offer.
The flip side: installing, configuring and running it takes technical skill, and updates, backups and availability are your responsibility. Papermerge is a Mayan EDMS alternative for small businesses that want a ready-made, simple cloud DMS built around GoBD.
When Mayan EDMS is the right choice
- You have IT skills in-house and want to run the system yourself.
- You need workflows, OCR and full-text search.
- You want to customise it deeply or integrate it through its API.
When Papermerge fits better
- You don’t want to install, secure and update a server.
- Your team should get it without training: choose the category, Papermerge files it.
- You want compliance features out of the box: locked archived versions, retention periods per category, deletion only after approval, auditor access.
Comparison
As of November 2026.
| Mayan EDMS | Papermerge | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | free (open source), paid support | €39/month for up to 3 users, +€9 per additional user |
| Hosting | self-hosted | cloud, hosted in Frankfurt |
| Setup | installation and configuration | setup wizard |
| OCR, full-text search | yes | no |
| Workflows | yes | no |
| Versioning, event log | yes | yes |
| Retention and deletion periods | per document type | per category |
| Deletion only after approval (four-eyes) | not built in | yes |
| Email import | yes (mailbox sources) | yes, an address per cabinet |
| Support | community or paid | directly from the developer |
Mayan EDMS is a registered trademark of its owner. Papermerge is not affiliated with it. Information based on public sources (November 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Mayan EDMS cost?
Mayan EDMS is open source (GPL-2.0) and free. Costs come from servers, operation and your time; paid commercial support is available.
Can I switch from Mayan EDMS to Papermerge?
Yes. Export your documents from Mayan EDMS and upload them to Papermerge. For large archives, contact us first.