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. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026.
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 nightly
Top picks
- Rank 1:
docassemble
jhpyle/docassemble
System for guided interviews and document assembly, based on Python, YAML, and Markdown.
Polls, Surveys & EventsJavaScriptDockerdocassemble has 989 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 253 commits in the last year.
1 of 6 · 1 pick
Document assembly
- 1
docassemble
System for guided interviews and document assembly, based on Python, YAML, and Markdown.
Polls, Surveys & EventsDockerdocassemble has 989 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 253 commits in the last year.
2 of 6 · 3 picks
E-signatures
- 1
Docuseal
Create, fill, and sign digital documents (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerDocuseal has 18,658 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 925 commits in the last year; it replaces DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat.
- 2
Documenso
Digital document signing platform (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerDocumenso has 15,336 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 695 commits in the last year; it replaces DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat.
- 3
OpenSign
Document signing software (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerOpenSign has 7,058 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 77 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-nativePaperless-ngx has 46,308 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,625 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 5,539 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 685 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 542 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 193 commits in the last year.
- 4
Docspell
Auto-tagging document organizer and archive.
Document ManagementDockerDocspell has 2,333 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 77 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 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 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 15,307 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 39 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 7,989 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 477 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 13,065 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,403 commits in the last year; it replaces Typeform and Google Forms.
- 2
OpnForm
Beautiful form builder.
Polls, Surveys & EventsDockerOpnForm has 3,783 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 292 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 5,057 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 223 commits in the last year.
- 2
solidtime
Modern time tracking application for freelancers and agencies.
HR & Time TrackingDockersolidtime has 8,965 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 402 commits in the last year.
- 3
Invoice Ninja
Powerful tool to invoice clients online.
Source-availableAccounting & InvoicingDockerInvoice Ninja has 10,223 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,002 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.
What is the 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. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026.
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.
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