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FreshRSS vs Paperless-ngx

A side-by-side editorial comparison of FreshRSS and Paperless-ngx — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hostedsecurity

FreshRSS vs Paperless-ngx: at a glance

FeatureFreshRSSPaperless-ngx
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesrss reader, self-hosted, security, dockerdocument-management, self-hosted, workflows, security
Last editorial update7d ago8h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is FreshRSS?

FreshRSS ships two security releases in a day for PHP CVEs and moves Docker to Debian 13.

FreshRSS has issued four 1.30.x security releases since the 1.30.0 change that blocked local network access by default. 1.30.3 and 1.30.4, both on Oct 21, patched severe PHP vulnerabilities in the official Docker images: Debian first, now on Debian 13 Trixie, then Alpine. The project points users who want faster patches to its rolling edge channel.

Read the full FreshRSS trajectory →

What is Paperless-ngx?

Paperless-ngx shipped seven releases in October, two of them for security

Paperless-ngx ran from 3.3.0 to 3.4.1 in October. 3.3.0 added stored barcode contents and more control over LLM requests, 3.3.2 fixed a reported security issue, and 3.3.4 updated dependencies for the eMudhra CA incident plus Pillow and aiohttp vulnerabilities. 3.4.0 brought custom fields in workflow title templates, relative-date custom field queries, skipping local 2FA for trusted OIDC logins, poppler thumbnails and markdown in AI chat. The other releases were fixes, many around document versions and search.

Read the full Paperless-ngx trajectory →

FreshRSS vs Paperless-ngx: editorial side-by-side

F
FreshRSS
COLLAB
5.0

FreshRSS ships two security releases in a day for PHP CVEs and moves Docker to Debian 13.

◆ Current state

FreshRSS has issued four 1.30.x security releases since the 1.30.0 change that blocked local network access by default. 1.30.3 and 1.30.4, both on Oct 21, patched severe PHP vulnerabilities in the official Docker images: Debian first, now on Debian 13 Trixie, then Alpine. The project points users who want faster patches to its rolling edge channel.

◆ Where it's heading

The 1.30 line has become a security maintenance branch, and new features wait for the next major. The team is treating its Docker images as part of the product it must patch, not just the PHP code.

◆ Prediction

More 1.30.x point releases are likely as upstream PHP and base-image fixes land; new features probably arrive with 1.31.

P5.0

Paperless-ngx shipped seven releases in October, two of them for security

◆ Current state

Paperless-ngx ran from 3.3.0 to 3.4.1 in October. 3.3.0 added stored barcode contents and more control over LLM requests, 3.3.2 fixed a reported security issue, and 3.3.4 updated dependencies for the eMudhra CA incident plus Pillow and aiohttp vulnerabilities. 3.4.0 brought custom fields in workflow title templates, relative-date custom field queries, skipping local 2FA for trusted OIDC logins, poppler thumbnails and markdown in AI chat. The other releases were fixes, many around document versions and search.

◆ Where it's heading

The AI features introduced in 3.x are being refined rather than expanded, while workflows and search get steady quality-of-life work.

◆ Prediction

Another 3.4.x patch for UI regressions is likely, following the 3.3.x pattern of several fix releases after each minor.

Alternatives to FreshRSS and Paperless-ngx

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either FreshRSS or Paperless-ngx.

See all FreshRSS alternatives → · See all Paperless-ngx alternatives →

Recent activity from FreshRSS and Paperless-ngx

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 2d agoPaperless-ngxPaperless-ngx 3.4.1 fixes UI regressions from 3.4.0
  2. 3d agoPaperless-ngxPaperless-ngx 3.4.0 adds relative-date queries and OIDC 2FA skip
  3. 10d agoPaperless-ngxPaperless-ngx 3.3.4 updates dependencies for security fixes
  4. 12d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.4: Alpine image patched for PHP CVEs
  5. 12d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.3: PHP CVE fixes, Debian 13 Docker image
  6. 14d agoFreshRSS1.30.2 closes proxy DNS leak and blocks data: URIs
  7. 14d agoPaperless-ngxPaperless-ngx 3.3.3 fixes search layout and subpath redirects
  8. 17d agoPaperless-ngxPaperless-ngx 3.3.2 fixes a permissions security issue
  9. 21d agoPaperless-ngxPaperless-ngx 3.3.1 fixes document version permissions
  10. 28d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.1
  11. 1mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.0 ⚡
  12. 5mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.29.1

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between FreshRSS and Paperless-ngx?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted, security — within Collab. FreshRSS and Paperless-ngx are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is FreshRSS better than Paperless-ngx?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. FreshRSS and Paperless-ngx are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to FreshRSS?

Top FreshRSS alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FreshRSS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/freshrss for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Paperless-ngx?

Top Paperless-ngx alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Paperless-ngx alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/paperless-ngx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.