Papermark: An Open-Source DocSend Alternative with Analytics and Custom Domains

Intro

If you've ever needed to share documents securely while tracking who's viewing them, you've probably heard of DocSend. But what if you want an open-source alternative with analytics, custom domains, and full control over your data? Enter Papermark, a self-hostable DocSend clone that’s gaining traction (6.8k GitHub stars at the time of writing).

What It Does

Papermark lets you securely share documents (PDFs, spreadsheets, etc.) with granular access controls and real-time analytics. Think of it as a privacy-focused, self-hostable version of DocSend or Dropbox Paper. Key features include:

• Built-in analytics: See who viewed your documents, how long they spent, and where they’re from.
• Custom domains: Brand your document links with your own domain.
• Self-hostable: Deploy it on your own infrastructure for full control.
• Open-source: MIT-licensed, so you can tweak it to your needs.

Why It’s Cool

1. No vendor lock-in: Unlike SaaS alternatives, you own the data and infrastructure.
2. Developer-friendly: Built with Next.js, Prisma, and Tailwind—familiar tools for many devs.
3. Active community: With 900+ forks and regular commits, it’s clearly not abandonware.
4. Extensible: The codebase is modular, making it easy to add features like watermarking or custom auth.

How to Try It

1. Self-host: Clone the repo (git clone https://github.com/mfts/papermark), set up the environment variables, and deploy. It’s designed to run on Vercel, but you can adapt it for other platforms.
2. Demo: Check out the hosted version at papermark.com to test the UX before committing.

Final Thoughts

Papermark is a solid option for devs who need document sharing with analytics but don’t want to rely on closed platforms. It’s especially useful for startups, freelancers, or teams handling sensitive data. The project’s momentum suggests it’s worth keeping an eye on—or even contributing to if you’re into Next.js or open-source tooling.

TL;DR: Like DocSend but open-source and self-hostable? Give Papermark a look.