Open Source Alternatives to M-Files

A metadata-driven document management system that organizes files by connecting them to business context rather than traditional folder structures. The platform provides automatic document classification, governance, and configurable workflows to enforce compliance and retention policies across an organization. It is designed for business and IT leaders in document-driven industries such as manufacturing, engineering, accounting, and wealth management. The system integrates with Microsoft 365 environments, including Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook, to manage fragmented content and ensure information is searchable. It is deployed as a centralized platform to eliminate duplicate systems and prepare organizational data for AI use. The software supports various use cases including contract management, quality management, and risk and compliance management to improve visibility and process speed. It is used by over 6,000 organizations worldwide to maintain audit-ready information.

Whether you want to cut software costs or escape vendor lock-in, these open source alternatives to M-Files give you an option you fully own. You can self-host them, so your data stays on infrastructure you control. This page lists 1 open source alternative to M-Files. The most popular is Paperless-home. It uses the GPL-3.0 license and ships an official Docker image.