Hosting Paperless-ngx: NAS (Synology/QNAP) vs VPS Compared 2026

You want to set up Paperless-ngx and wonder: Synology, QNAP or a VPS after all? The answer depends on how you use the system, how many documents you process and whether you want access on the go. This comparison shows the pros and cons of both options, the factors behind OCR time and running costs, and notes on VPS size. Paperless-ngx offers an interactive install script for Docker Compose and Compose files per database backend (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

The Paperless-ngx VPS calculator estimates your RAM and storage needs.

Paperless-ngx on a NAS (Synology, QNAP)

Supported devices

Paperless-ngx runs only on Linux, so on a NAS it runs in a Docker container. Docker images also exist for arm64; for 32-bit ARM (ARMv7) the project recommends moving to arm64 (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Synology: Whether your model supports Docker and how much RAM is installed or can be added is in Synology's product specs.

QNAP:

TS-233: 64-bit ARM, quad-core Cortex-A55 at 2.0 GHz, 2 GB RAM onboard, not expandable; Container Station supports Docker and needs at least 1 GB RAM (QNAP website, as of Nov 8, 2026).
TS-264: quad-core Intel Celeron N5095, variant TS-264-8G with 8 GB RAM, expandable to 16 GB; Container Station with Docker (QNAP website, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Pros

One-time purchase, no monthly subscription
Data stays physically with you at home
Setup via the vendor's container UI (QNAP: Container Station)
Obvious choice if you already own the NAS

Cons

On weak devices OCR runs slowly; the project docs list dedicated settings (see the section on OCR time)
Remote access only via VPN or port forwarding (security risk)
Backup problem: fire, theft or water damage hit the NAS and documents at once
The NAS runs around the clock; work out your device's consumption with your electricity rate

Who it's for

NAS hosting makes sense if you already own a NAS, scan occasionally and don't need access on the go. Typical scenario: you scan a stack of letters once a month and access them only on your home network.

Paperless-ngx on a VPS

Why a VPS for productive use

A VPS plays to its strengths once you use Paperless-ngx regularly: daily or weekly scanning, access from several devices (phone, laptop, tablet), and several family members or colleagues using the archive.

A practical benefit: you reach your document archive over HTTPS and your own domain from anywhere. No VPN, no port forwarding, no DynDNS. You just open documents.your-domain.com in the browser and get to work. Handy for families, because every person gets their own account; you manage users and groups in the web UI (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Pros

Choose your compute: Paperless-ngx spreads processing across all CPU cores by default; OCR time also depends on document quality and settings (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026)
Reachable from anywhere with HTTPS and your own domain
Multiple users without network configuration
Snapshots or automatic backups depending on provider and plan (details below)
Switching to a larger plan possible, process per provider
Fixed monthly costs, no hardware of your own
No fan noise at home

Cons

Monthly costs; current prices incl. VAT in the VPS comparison
Data sits with the host (encryption possible and recommended)
Basic Linux skills helpful for the initial setup

Who it's for

VPS hosting fits productive use better: daily scanning, families with shared access, freelancers and small businesses. Also for anyone who doesn't want their documents stored only at home.

What determines OCR time

How long OCR takes depends on several factors:

CPU: Paperless-ngx uses all cores by default (PAPERLESS_TASK_WORKERS, PAPERLESS_THREADS_PER_WORKER). On weak devices like a Raspberry Pi, OCR runs very slowly per the project (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).
Language: The default is PAPERLESS_OCR_LANGUAGE=eng; for German documents set deu or deu+eng. German is in the Docker image; install more languages via PAPERLESS_OCR_LANGUAGES (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).
Image quality: Skewed scans, low contrast or handwritten notes in the margin give the OCR engine more work.
PDF type: In the default mode PAPERLESS_OCR_MODE=auto, Paperless-ngx skips OCR when a PDF already has enough text (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026). A photographed or scanned PDF goes through the full pipeline.

For weak devices the docs suggest SQLite instead of PostgreSQL, PAPERLESS_OCR_CLEAN=none and PAPERLESS_WEBSERVER_WORKERS=1, among others (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026). Save storage with PAPERLESS_ARCHIVE_FILE_GENERATION=never: Paperless then stores only the original without an extra archive file (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Cost factors over three years

Costs depend on existing hardware, power rate and VPS plan; VPS prices incl. VAT are in the VPS comparison.

Option	Cost factors
New NAS	device, drives, RAM if needed, power, replacement drives
Existing NAS	power, replacement drives
VPS	monthly plan (prices at /en/vps), provider's backup option if needed

Whether a VPS or a new NAS costs less over three years is the sum of your factors; with an existing NAS, compare mainly power with the VPS plan.

A NAS needs replacement drives over time; with a VPS the provider carries the hardware.

VPS providers for Paperless-ngx at a glance

Prices and availability change regularly. The Paperless-ngx VPS calculator shows servers that fit your requirements; the four providers below are listed alphabetically.

Sizing by usage

The tiers below are RackDiff guidance, not project figures. The Paperless-ngx docs give no minimum RAM; Paperless also runs on a Raspberry Pi (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Starter (1-2 users, up to 500 documents)

2 vCPU
4 GB RAM
40 GB SSD or NVMe
Snapshot feature recommended

Family/team (3-5 users, up to 5,000 documents)

4 vCPU
8 GB RAM
80 GB NVMe preferred
Automatic backups

Productive/business (5+ users, over 10,000 documents)

4-8 vCPU
8-16 GB RAM
160 GB+ NVMe
Backup strategy with regular restore drills

Contabo VPS

The Cloud VPS 4 plan has 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM and 100 GB SSD; one to three snapshots are included depending on the plan (Contabo website, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud creates backups automatically every day (up to seven); you create snapshots manually (Hetzner docs, as of Nov 8, 2026). Plans and prices are on the provider page.

IONOS VPS

The VPS S+ plan has 1 vCore, 2 GB RAM and 60 GB NVMe, VPS M+ 2 vCores and 4 GB RAM, VPS L+ 4 vCores and 8 GB RAM; server images serve as point-in-time snapshots; support is available around the clock by phone, chat or email (IONOS website, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Strato V-Server

The VPS M plan has 2 vCores, 4 GB RAM and 120 GB NVMe; backups are an add-on, not included in the plan (Strato website, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Security and encryption

Your Paperless-ngx archive holds sensitive documents: tax assessments, payslips, contracts, medical letters. Security deserves particular attention.

Set up HTTPS

Every Paperless-ngx installation reachable over the internet needs HTTPS. A reverse proxy such as Caddy or Traefik gives you automatic certificates. Caddy obtains and renews certificates automatically and redirects HTTP to HTTPS; port 80 or 443 must be reachable from outside (Caddy docs, as of Nov 8, 2026). Behind the reverse proxy, set PAPERLESS_URL to your domain (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Disk encryption (LUKS)

Whether your provider encrypts disks is in its docs. You can set up LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) yourself to encrypt the partition holding your documents. This protects against physical access to the disks in the data center. The downside: after every reboot you enter the passphrase manually (or use a key server).

Privately, encryption is a trade-off between protection and effort at reboot. If you store documents with personal data at a host as a business or freelancer, you need a data processing agreement (Art. 28 GDPR) and appropriate security measures; the GDPR names encryption as one of them, Art. 32(1)(a) (GDPR, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Further security measures

Fail2Ban: bans repeated failed SSH logins; for the Paperless web UI, the project docs point to a user-maintained wiki guide (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).
Regular updates: apt update && apt upgrade at least monthly. Before a Paperless update, make a backup and make sure no documents are being processed; then docker compose down, docker compose pull, docker compose up -d (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).
Strong passwords and 2FA: Each user enables two-factor authentication in the "My Profile" dialog with an authenticator app and receives ten recovery codes (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).
SSH keys instead of passwords: Disable password login for SSH and use key-based authentication only.
Firewall (ufw): The Compose template publishes port 8000 (Paperless-ngx repo, as of Nov 8, 2026), and Docker routes published ports past ufw (Docker docs, as of Nov 8, 2026). So set 127.0.0.1:8000:8000; then only the reverse proxy on the host reaches the port (Docker docs, as of Nov 8, 2026). In ufw, open 22 and 443, plus 80 for certificate validation and the redirect.

Backup strategies

A document archive without backups is a risk. NAS or VPS, you need a strategy that protects you from data loss.

Snapshots at the VPS provider

Many providers offer snapshots or automatic backups under different names: Hetzner Cloud backs up daily, snapshots are manual (Hetzner docs, as of Nov 8, 2026); Contabo includes snapshots depending on the plan (Contabo website, as of Nov 8, 2026); IONOS calls server images point-in-time snapshots (IONOS website, as of Nov 8, 2026); at Strato backups are an add-on (Strato website, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Snapshots protect against misconfiguration and accidental deletion but don't replace a real off-site backup, because the snapshot sits with the same provider as your server.

Encrypted copy at a second location

For an off-site backup, back up the export folder ./export next to the Compose file, encrypted and versioned with borgbackup or restic, to a second location. If you back up the volumes instead, you need data, media and the database (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Paperless-ngx document exporter

Paperless-ngx has a built-in export command. In a cron job you need -T; -z creates a ZIP file (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026):

docker compose exec -T webserver document_exporter ../export

The export contains documents, thumbnails and a manifest.json with all metadata such as correspondents and tags. You import with document_importer into an empty installation of the same version; API tokens are not included (Paperless-ngx docs, as of Nov 8, 2026).

Recommended combination

Daily: automatic backups at the provider, if booked
Weekly: document_exporter via cron job (with -T), then ./export encrypted with borgbackup or restic to a second location
Regularly: check a restore on a trial installation

Conclusion

Choose a NAS if: you already own a NAS, scan little and don't need remote access. Expect longer OCR times on weak CPUs and plan a separate off-site backup.

Choose a VPS if: you want to work productively, access from anywhere and need backups at a second location. For families, freelancers and small businesses a VPS fits better. Compare plans from Contabo, Hetzner, IONOS and Strato in the VPS comparison.

Our recommendation: start with a small plan from the VPS comparison and try Paperless-ngx in daily use. You can switch to a larger plan any time as your archive grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move Paperless-ngx from a NAS to a VPS later?

Yes. Export with the built-in document exporter, set up Paperless-ngx on the VPS in the same version and import with the document importer into the empty installation. Create API tokens again afterwards.

How much storage do I need?

It depends on count, page count and scan resolution. Paperless-ngx can create an archive file in addition to the original; turn that off with PAPERLESS_ARCHIVE_FILE_GENERATION=never. Leave headroom for exports; the Paperless-ngx calculator estimates your needs.

Is my document archive safe on a VPS?

It depends on the setup: HTTPS, strong passwords, two-factor authentication, only necessary ports open and regular backups. The provider's information states what physical protection the data center has.

Which VPS provider fits Paperless-ngx?

It depends on your focus: support, snapshot and backup options, storage per plan and location. The details per provider are above, current prices in the VPS comparison.

Are 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM really enough?

For a single user this is RackDiff guidance; the project gives no minimum. Paperless-ngx also runs on a Raspberry Pi; for weak devices the docs list settings like PAPERLESS_WEBSERVER_WORKERS=1 or PAPERLESS_OCR_CLEAN=none. With several users or large batches, 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM pay off.

Do I need Linux skills for a VPS?

Basic skills help: connect via SSH, install Docker, edit a text file. Paperless-ngx offers an interactive install script for Docker Compose, and our Paperless-ngx setup guide walks through the setup step by step. What support your provider offers is on its site.