--- title: "paperless-gpt vs deep-searcher" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/icereed-paperless-gpt-vs-zilliztech-deep-searcher" tools: ["icereed-paperless-gpt", "zilliztech-deep-searcher"] --- # paperless-gpt vs deep-searcher *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick paperless-gpt if paperless-gpt uses LLMs and OCR for document processing within the paperless-ngx framework, available in Go with MIT license; pick deep-searcher if deepSearcher is an open-source tool for reasoning and searching on private data, using vector databases and LLM integrations in Python under Apache-2.0 license. [paperless-gpt](https://github.com/icereed/paperless-gpt) reports 2.7k GitHub stars, 208 forks, and 157 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. [deep-searcher](https://zilliztech.github.io/deep-searcher/) has 8.1k stars, 775 forks, and 53 open issues, last pushed Nov 19, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [paperless-gpt's repository](https://github.com/icereed/paperless-gpt) and [deep-searcher's repository](https://github.com/zilliztech/deep-searcher). | | [paperless-gpt](/tools/icereed-paperless-gpt.md) | [deep-searcher](/tools/zilliztech-deep-searcher.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Document Digitalization powered by AI | Open Source Deep Research Alternative to Reason and Search on Private Data. | | Stars | 2,702 | 8,060 | | Forks | 208 | 775 | | Open issues | 157 | 53 | | Language | Go | Python | | Adopt for | paperless-gpt uses LLMs and OCR for document processing within the paperless-ngx framework, available in Go with MIT license. | DeepSearcher is an open-source tool for reasoning and searching on private data, using vector databases and LLM integrations in Python under Apache-2.0 license. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Computer Vision, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks, Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [paperless-gpt](/tools/icereed-paperless-gpt.md) | [deep-searcher](/tools/zilliztech-deep-searcher.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 1d | 272d | | Open issues (now) | 157 | 53 | | Stars delta | +88 (30d) | +59 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -20 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/icereed-paperless-gpt/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/zilliztech-deep-searcher/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: paperless-gpt - **Adopt for:** paperless-gpt uses LLMs and OCR for document processing within the paperless-ngx framework, available in Go with MIT license. ## Decision facts: deep-searcher - **Adopt for:** DeepSearcher is an open-source tool for reasoning and searching on private data, using vector databases and LLM integrations in Python under Apache-2.0 license. ## Choose when ### Choose paperless-gpt if… - paperless-gpt is primarily Go; deep-searcher is Python. - License: paperless-gpt is MIT, deep-searcher is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to paperless-gpt: ai, document-processing, ocr. - Also covers Computer Vision. - Need integration with existing paperless-ngx setup ### Choose deep-searcher if… - deep-searcher is primarily Python; paperless-gpt is Go. - License: deep-searcher is Apache-2.0, paperless-gpt is MIT. - Tags unique to deep-searcher: agent, agentic-rag, deep-research, vector-database. - Also covers AI Agents, Vector Databases. - When you require custom search and reasoning capabilities on your private datasets with integration of multiple LLMs like Claude or Qwen3. ## When NOT to use paperless-gpt - Looking for a tool that operates independently of paperless-ngx infrastructure - Prefer solutions not requiring configuration for different LLM providers - Require real-time high-volume processing where additional latency from AI integration is undesirable ## When NOT to use deep-searcher - Avoid if your project demands proprietary solutions, as DeepSearcher is open-source and may not be suitable for closed systems. - Not ideal when a single vector database suffices; DeepSearcher supports multiple databases which might be overkill and complicate setup unnecessarily. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between paperless-gpt and deep-searcher? paperless-gpt: Document Digitalization powered by AI. deep-searcher: Open Source Deep Research Alternative to Reason and Search on Private Data.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose paperless-gpt over deep-searcher? Choose paperless-gpt over deep-searcher when paperless-gpt is primarily Go; deep-searcher is Python; License: paperless-gpt is MIT, deep-searcher is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to paperless-gpt: ai, document-processing, ocr; Also covers Computer Vision; Need integration with existing paperless-ngx setup. ### When should I choose deep-searcher over paperless-gpt? Choose deep-searcher over paperless-gpt when deep-searcher is primarily Python; paperless-gpt is Go; License: deep-searcher is Apache-2.0, paperless-gpt is MIT; Tags unique to deep-searcher: agent, agentic-rag, deep-research, vector-database; Also covers AI Agents, Vector Databases; When you require custom search and reasoning capabilities on your private datasets with integration of multiple LLMs like Claude or Qwen3. ### When should I avoid paperless-gpt? Looking for a tool that operates independently of paperless-ngx infrastructure Prefer solutions not requiring configuration for different LLM providers Require real-time high-volume processing where additional latency from AI integration is undesirable ### When should I avoid deep-searcher? Avoid if your project demands proprietary solutions, as DeepSearcher is open-source and may not be suitable for closed systems. Not ideal when a single vector database suffices; DeepSearcher supports multiple databases which might be overkill and complicate setup unnecessarily. ### Is paperless-gpt or deep-searcher more popular on GitHub? deep-searcher has more GitHub stars (8,060 vs 2,702). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are paperless-gpt and deep-searcher open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (paperless-gpt: MIT, deep-searcher: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to paperless-gpt or deep-searcher? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [paperless-gpt alternatives](/tools/icereed-paperless-gpt/alternatives) and [deep-searcher alternatives](/tools/zilliztech-deep-searcher/alternatives) ([paperless-gpt markdown twin](/tools/icereed-paperless-gpt/alternatives.md), [deep-searcher markdown twin](/tools/zilliztech-deep-searcher/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/icereed-paperless-gpt-vs-zilliztech-deep-searcher.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, paperless-gpt or deep-searcher? paperless-gpt: Very active. deep-searcher: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for paperless-gpt and deep-searcher? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [paperless-gpt trust report](/tools/icereed-paperless-gpt/trust); [deep-searcher trust report](/tools/zilliztech-deep-searcher/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=icereed-paperless-gpt`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=icereed-paperless-gpt) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_