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Docassemble
What it is
Docassemble is a free, open-source system for creating guided interviews and assembling documents. Interviews can generate downloadable or emailed PDF, RTF, or DOCX files, submit applications, interact with APIs, or provide information. Authors combine YAML, Markdown, and Python logic, and the system can choose questions according to what information is still needed. Templates can use DOCX or PDF files, with a Word add-in for DOCX workflows. Listed capabilities include touchscreen signatures, live chat, screen sharing, remote screen control, AI, SMS, email, fax, OCR, multilingual interviews, and multiuser applications. Developers can extend interviews with Python and connect third-party applications through the API. The maker recommends Docker for deployment and also describes Docker Compose, Helm, and installation without Docker. There are no software usage fees; an internet-hosted server typically costs $10–$40 per month or more, depending on needs. Interview answers are encrypted in the SQL database unless multi_user is True; uploaded and assembled documents are not encrypted.
For and against
For
- Free, open-source software with no usage fees.
- Generates PDF, RTF, and DOCX documents.
- Supports conditional interview logic.
- Offers an API for third-party integrations.
- Includes multilingual interviews and OCR.
Against
- Internet-hosted servers typically cost $10–$40 per month or more.
- Uploaded and assembled documents are not encrypted.
- HTTPS is recommended for deployment.
- Developer accounts can run arbitrary code on the server.
The verdict
Docassemble provides a flexible interview and document-assembly foundation, with no software usage fee and several deployment paths. Plan for hosting and review the security configuration, particularly the handling of uploaded and assembled documents.
Who it suits
Docassemble suits developers and organizations building guided interviews, document workflows, or applications. It was created for legal practice but is described as usable in varied fields.
Plans and prices
docassemble software
Internet hosting commonly costs $10-$40 per month or more · user supplies infrastructure
Read 14 Oct 2026 · docassemble.org
docassemble (self-hosted software)
No software fees · Hosting typically $10–$40 per month or more depending on performance, availability, and support needs
Read 4 Oct 2026 · docassemble.org
On the record
- AI
- The feature set includes machine-learning processing of user input and conversations with large language models.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- API
- The HTTP API requires API-key authentication, has an OpenAPI specification, and supports restrictions by IP address or HTTP referrer.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Audience
- Docassemble was created to automate legal practice but is described as a general-purpose platform for applications in varied fields.docassemble.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Authoring
- Interviews use YAML, Markdown, and Python logic, and the system can determine which questions to ask based on needed information.docassemble.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Automatic interview logic
- The engine determines which questions are needed and their order from the interview logic, while allowing developers to prescribe ordering when necessary.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Background and scale
- Background tasks can run while users are absent, and deployments can be distributed across multiple machines for higher traffic.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Capabilities
- Listed features include touchscreen signatures, live chat, screen sharing, remote screen control, AI, SMS, email, fax, OCR, multilingual interviews, and multiuser applications.docassemble.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Community scale
- The public GitHub repository showed 992 stars and 317 forks when opened.github.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Creator and use
- LawNext identifies Jonathan Pyle as Docassemble's developer and says the system was created for legal automation and has powered services including Upsolve and Documate.lawnext.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Docker is the recommended installation method, with Docker Compose, Kubernetes Helm and manual Linux installation also documented.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The documentation is a broad reference guide with tutorials, side-by-side examples, runnable demonstrations and a full API section rather than a linear beginner manual.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Developers can extend interviews with Python and integrate third-party applications using the API.docassemble.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Hosting costs
- The maker says the software has no usage fees, while an internet-hosted server typically costs $10–$40 per month or more depending on needs.docassemble.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Official installation guidance documents AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, S3-compatible storage, Google, Facebook and Azure sign-in, Google Maps and VoiceRSS connections.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Interview outcomes
- Interviews can generate downloadable or emailed PDF, RTF, or DOCX documents, submit applications, interact with APIs, or provide information.docassemble.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- License
- Docassemble code is distributed under the MIT License, while bundled dependencies retain their own licenses; interview authors may choose licenses for their interview code.docassemble.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: dependency compatibility
- An open GitHub issue opened April 8, 2026 reports that Docassemble 1.9.7 failed to start after installing the OpenAI package because of a pydantic-core mismatch.github.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: missing requested capability
- A longstanding open feature request asks for PGP-encrypted email, indicating that capability is not provided by the existing feature set.github.com · read 14 Oct 2026
