THE ESSENTIALS IN 4 POINTS
- Document management handles papers, not just files. It names them, sorts them and finds them by what they say.
- A household doesn’t need business software. Lease, insurance, tax notices, payslips, invoices and warranties: a few dozen papers a year.
- Three free options to start. A drive, Paperless-ngx on your own server, or Clivio up to 50 documents.
- The difference is who does the work. With a drive, you sort. With Paperless-ngx, you run the server. With Clivio, each paper is read and filed as it arrives.
Document management at home: what is it?
In a company, a document management system brings documents in, indexes them, sorts them, controls who can access them and keeps them. At home, the need is simpler, but it’s the same: finding the right paper the day someone asks for it, without digging through three drawers and two inboxes.
A household doesn’t handle thousands of documents. Our count of a year of papers comes to 22 documents without the monthly papers, and 58 with rent receipts, payslips and electricity bills. It’s on our page about organizing household paperwork.
What document management software should do for you
Six things matter. For each one, here’s the question to ask before you choose.
| What it should do | Why | The question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Bring papers in | A paper left in a drawer or an inbox isn’t filed. | Can you scan with your phone, forward an email, import a folder? |
| Name and sort them | “scan_0012.pdf” won’t mean anything to you in three years. | Who gives the name and the folder: you, a rule, or the software? |
| Find them again | You look for a paper by what it says, not by its file name. | Does search read the text of scans, through OCR or another kind of reading? |
| Track dates | A missed cancellation or due date costs more than a lost paper. | Are due dates picked out and followed up with reminders? |
| Share without showing everything | A guarantor or a rental agency doesn’t need to see everything. | Does the link expire? Can you hide part of the document? |
| Let you leave | Your papers belong to you, not to the service. | Can you get everything back in one go? |
Three options for document management at home
| Option | What it costs | Who sorts | Skills needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A folder on a drive | Free to start, up to 15 GB with Google | You: name, folder and dates | Use a drive |
| Paperless-ngx | Free, open-source software, plus the machine that runs it | Rules that you set up | Install and maintain a server, most often with Docker |
| Clivio | No charge up to 50 documents, then Pro at €14.90 a month | Clivio, as each paper arrives; you correct it if needed | Nothing to install: a browser is enough |
A folder on a drive is the most common starting point. According to Google One Help, “each Google Account includes up to 15 GB of storage, which is shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos”. The drive keeps your files as you put them there: the name, the folder and the dates are up to you. Before you put your papers there, see what to check for cloud storage.
Paperless-ngx is open-source document management software, under the GPL-3.0 license, that you install yourself. Its official repository presents Docker Compose as the easiest way to deploy it, and says the safest way to run it is on a local server in your own home, with backups in place. It’s a real document management system, with text recognition, tags and filing rules, for those who know how to run a machine.
And a digital safe (coffre-fort numérique), like Digiposte? It keeps your documents while committing to their integrity, and receives some from your employer or from organizations. It’s a different use, which our page on French digital safes explains.
What Clivio does for household papers
Clivio starts from the paper rather than the file. Every document that arrives is read, then filed.
- Papers arrive in one place. A photo with the phone scanner, no app to install, an email forwarded to your inbox address, drag and drop, or an import from Google Drive and Dropbox. A direct connection to Gmail and Outlook is in the works.
- Each paper is read. It gets a clear title, a type and a two- or three-sentence summary. Its date, amount and due date are picked out, and its text is transcribed for search. What comes from outside waits for your OK in “To sort”.
- Filing happens on its own. A smart folder gathers the papers that match a rule, like “Insurance” or “Due in 30 days”. Three on Free, unlimited on Pro.
- You find a paper in one sentence, like “tax notice 2025” or “home insurance”, or by asking the document a question. The answer quotes the passage it comes from.
- Dates are tracked. The due date of a contract or an invoice shows on your calendar, and you get email reminders for the ones you extract as tasks.
- You share without showing everything, through a link valid from 1 hour to 7 days, with amounts, IBAN, identifiers or addresses hidden if needed.
- You stay in control. A ZIP archive gives you back all your files and data, and you can delete your account from the app.
The Free plan keeps 50 documents in total, in 500 MB, with 50 AI actions a month: enough to file the essentials of a household. Beyond that, Pro keeps 1,000 documents for €14.90 a month or €149 a year. Clivio runs in your browser, on a computer or a phone.
On hosting, Clivio relies on Google Cloud, and part of the processing, including AI analysis, takes place in the United States. Keep that in mind before you add health papers. The Trust page details where each piece of data goes.
Try it with the papers you looked for this month. Free up to 50 documents.
Create your free accountWhen another option suits you better
- A drive is enough if you name and file each document without thinking about it, and you’re not looking for anything more.
- Paperless-ngx suits you better if your papers must never leave your network, and setting up a server doesn’t scare you.
- A digital safe is the right tool for the documents others put there for you, like your payslips, and for commitments on their integrity.
Where to start
- Sort first. Papers aren’t all kept for the same length of time. Our document retention tool gives, paper by paper, the date until which to keep it under French rules.
- Start with the papers you use. Lease, insurance, the latest tax notices, current contracts and invoices under warranty: those are the ones people ask you for. For a folder structure that holds up, see how to organize digital documents.
- Bring in the rest as it comes. A paper received by email gets forwarded, a paper received by post gets photographed. Our guide to scanning documents with your phone helps you get a clean PDF.
- Let the dates come to you. Once due dates are picked out, check them on the calendar and keep the ones that matter as tasks.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free document management software for personal use?
Yes. Paperless-ngx is free, open-source software, but it needs a machine to run on and time to maintain. Clivio is free up to 50 documents, with nothing to install. A folder on a free drive also does the job if you sort things yourself.
Do I need to install software?
Not with Clivio, which runs in your browser, on a computer or a phone, scanner included. Paperless-ngx, on the other hand, is installed on your own server.
What’s the difference between document management software and a digital safe?
Document management software helps you file your documents and find them again. A digital safe (coffre-fort numérique) commits to their integrity, their availability and a record of operations, and can receive documents from your employer or from organizations. Clivio is document management software: it claims neither certification nor evidential value.
What happens after 50 documents?
Your documents stay viewable and you can still search them. To add more, delete a few or move to Pro, which keeps 1,000, for €14.90 a month or €149 a year.
Where are my papers processed?
On Google Cloud. They are encrypted in transit and at rest, and part of the processing, including AI analysis, takes place in the United States, under standard contractual clauses. The Trust page gives the details.
Can I get my papers back if I stop?
Yes. From the settings, you download a ZIP archive of all your files and data. You can also delete your account from the app, and the deletion becomes final after 30 days.
Sources: Google One Help, “How your Google storage works” · Paperless-ngx, official repository · Clivio pricing. Pages checked on October 25, 2026.
Updated October 25, 2026 by the Clivio team. Spotted a mistake? contact@clivio.app