6 jobs · 16 apps
Best open source software for law firms
For a law firm, a self-hosted stack starts with docassemble for document assembly, Docuseal for e-signatures and Paperless-ngx for document management.
Legal work runs on documents. This stack covers guided document assembly, e-signatures, document management, secure file sharing, client intake forms and time billing.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
docassemble
jhpyle/docassemble
System for guided interviews and document assembly, based on Python, YAML, and Markdown.
Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Polls, Surveys & EventsJavaScriptDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. docassemble has 994 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 275 commits in the last year.
At a glance
Open source software for law firms compared
Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| docassemble | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 994 | 275 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Docuseal | its Ruby codebase | AGPL-3.0 | 18,873 | 1,013 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Documenso | its TypeScript codebase | AGPL-3.0 | 15,589 | 723 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| OpenSign | the newest codebase (created October 2023) | AGPL-3.0 | 7,188 | 99 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Paperless-ngx | the most GitHub stars | GPL-3.0 | 47,176 | 1,786 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Papra | – | AGPL-3.0 | 5,604 | 711 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Papermerge | – | Apache-2.0 | 549 | 232 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Docspell | – | AGPL-3.0 | 2,342 | 88 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Nextcloud | – | AGPL-3.0 | 37,321 | 8,046 | Oct 28, 2026 | No |
| Seafile | – | GPL-2.0 | 15,394 | 45 | Oct 16, 2026 | No |
1 of 6 · 1 pick
Document assembly
- 1
docassemble
System for guided interviews and document assembly, based on Python, YAML, and Markdown.
Polls, Surveys & EventsDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. docassemble has 994 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 275 commits in the last year.
2 of 6 · 3 picks
E-signatures
- 1
Docuseal
Create, fill, and sign digital documents (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerStands out for its Ruby codebase. Docuseal has 18,873 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,013 commits in the last year; it replaces DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat.
- 2
Documenso
Digital document signing platform (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerStands out for its TypeScript codebase. Documenso has 15,589 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 723 commits in the last year; it replaces DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat.
- 3
OpenSign
Document signing software (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerStands out for the newest codebase (created October 2023). OpenSign has 7,188 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 99 commits in the last year; it replaces DocuSign.
3 of 6 · 4 picks
Document management
- 1
Paperless-ngx
Scan, index, and archive all of your paper documents with an improved interface (fork of Paperless).
Document ManagementDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Paperless-ngx has 47,176 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,786 commits in the last year.
- 2
Papra
Minimalist document storage, management and archiving platform designed to be simple to use and accessible to everyone.
Document ManagementDockerPapra has 5,604 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 711 commits in the last year.
- 3
Papermerge
Document management system focused on scanned documents (electronic archives). Features file browsing in similar way to dropbox/google drive. OCR, full text search, text overlay/selection.
Document ManagementDockerPapermerge has 549 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 232 commits in the last year.
- 4
Docspell
Auto-tagging document organizer and archive.
Document ManagementDockerDocspell has 2,342 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 88 commits in the last year.
4 of 6 · 3 picks
Secure file sharing
- 1
NextcloudFeatured
Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.
File Sync & StorageNextcloud has 37,321 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 8,046 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.
- 2
Seafile
File hosting and sharing solution primary for teams and organizations.
File Sync & StorageSeafile has 15,394 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 45 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.
- 3
CryptPad
Collaboration suite built to enable collaboration, synchronizing changes to documents in real time.
Office SuitesDockerCryptPad has 8,030 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,003 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Docs and Google Workspace.
5 of 6 · 2 picks
Client intake
- 1
Formbricks
Experience Management Suite built on the largest open source survey stack worldwide. Gracefully gather feedback at every step of the customer journey to know what your customers need.
Polls, Surveys & EventsDockerFormbricks has 13,176 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,615 commits in the last year; it replaces Typeform and Google Forms.
- 2
OpnForm
Beautiful form builder.
Polls, Surveys & EventsDockerOpnForm has 3,873 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 338 commits in the last year; it replaces Typeform and Google Forms.
6 of 6 · 3 picks
Time and billing
- 1
Kimai
Track work time and print out a summary of your activities on demand.
HR & Time TrackingKimai has 5,103 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 260 commits in the last year.
- 2
solidtime
Modern time tracking application for freelancers and agencies.
HR & Time TrackingDockersolidtime has 9,053 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 468 commits in the last year.
- 3
Invoice Ninja
Powerful tool to invoice clients online.
Source-availableAccounting & InvoicingDockerInvoice Ninja has 10,331 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,250 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.
What is docassemble?
Docassemble is a system for guided interviews and document assembly based on Python, YAML and Markdown. It is commonly used to build interviews that produce documents from a client's answers.
Is self-hosting good for client confidentiality?
It keeps client files on servers the firm controls rather than a vendor's cloud. Confidentiality still depends on access control, encryption, backups and your professional rules; this is not legal advice.
Is docassemble free?
Yes. docassemble is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run this stack with Docker?
13 of the 16 apps here publish Docker images, including docassemble, Docuseal and Documenso, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups.
How is this list ranked?
Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.
The weekly digest
New self-hosted apps, every week
Fresh releases, rising projects and one deploy guide a week. Join home labbers and engineers who self-host.