shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use EPrints?

Open-source institutional repository software - eprints.org

Depends. Buy if you're a university, library, or research institution with in-house server admins who need a free, proven open-access repository. Everyone else — businesses, small teams, individuals — will find it academic overkill with real security upkeep.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~18 public sources; many review snippets are truncated or dated, so quotes and ratings are partial.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Open-source core

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
EPrints ServicesQuote-based

Best for

  • University libraries and institutional repositories
  • Open-access compliance and funder mandates
  • Research institutions with in-house sysadmins
  • Thesis and preprint archives

Not for

  • Small businesses — this is academic library software, not document management
  • Teams without server admins comfortable patching and hosting software
  • Anyone wanting polished SaaS UX, SLAs, or a vendor to call
  • Individual researchers sharing papers — use hosted repositories instead

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

v3.4.2 had remotely exploitable file-read and injection flaws; patch fast or buy managed hosting

medium

Apache hardening (HSTS, etc.) is documented but left entirely to you

medium

Software is free, but server costs, admin time, and Services fees add up

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, open-source institutional repository software
  • Proven and stable; running university repositories for decades
  • Users report easy installation and customization
  • COAR Notify peer-review messaging support added in 2025
  • Optional paid managed hosting, upgrades, and support

Cons

  • Multiple serious 2021 CVEs required emergency patching
  • Free core means hosting, upgrades, and patching are your responsibility
  • Free-tier support is community mailing lists, not vendor SLAs

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 10 sources - Three 2021 CVEs in v3.4.2 (arbitrary file read, XSS, LaTeX command injection), patched; hardening guidance available.

official x3review x3security x3news x1
  • CVE-2021-26703 — arbitrary file read, EPrints 3.4.2 allowed remote attackers to read arbitrary files.
  • CVE-2021-26475 — cross-site scripting, Cross-site scripting vulnerability in EPrints 3.4.2.
  • CVE-2021-26476 — OS command injection, LaTeX-related OS command injection in EPrints.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free open-source core; paid hosting optional
  • Ease of use: 3/5. G2: 'very easy to install', but upkeep needs admins
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Mature repository features; COAR Notify added 2025
  • Support quality: 3/5. Paid managed support exists; free tier is mailing lists
  • Security posture: 2/5. Three 2021 CVEs including remote file read
  • Free Price Open-source core; paid hosting via EPrints Services
  • Yes Free tier Self-hosting is free; managed hosting costs extra
  • 3 Known CVEs (2021) All in v3.4.2: file read, XSS, command injection
  • ~2000 In use since EPrints 2 overview published 2002

Pricing

Open-source core

Free

  • Full repository software
  • Self-hosted
  • Community support

EPrints Services

Quote-based

  • Fully managed hosting
  • Upgrades and support

Security

Three 2021 CVEs in v3.4.2 (arbitrary file read, XSS, LaTeX command injection), patched; hardening guidance available.

  • CVE-2021-26703 — arbitrary file readEPrints 3.4.2 allowed remote attackers to read arbitrary files.⁴
  • CVE-2021-26475 — cross-site scriptingCross-site scripting vulnerability in EPrints 3.4.2.⁵
  • CVE-2021-26476 — OS command injectionLaTeX-related OS command injection in EPrints.⁶

What users say

Sparse and mostly dated reviews praise EPrints as excellent and easy to install, with little recent consumer-style feedback.

“Very easy to install, custo…”
G2 review
“Eprints is an excellent…”
Review via ProQuest

Alternatives

Compare EPrints with each alternative.

  • DSpace

    Biggest open-source repository rival; larger community, easier hiring

    EPrints vs DSpace

  • EBSCO

    Commercial library platform compared head-to-head with EPrints

  • Aleph

    Ex Libris library system appearing in EPrints comparisons

    EPrints vs Aleph

Companies that use it

  • University of Southampton
  • University of Glasgow
  • Lancaster University
  • Queensland University of Technology
  • Caltech⁹
Full analysis

Based on ~18 public sources; many review snippets are truncated or dated, so quotes and ratings are partial.

Free, proven open-source repository software for universities — overkill and heavy to run for everyone else.

Methodology

Based on ~18 public sources; many review snippets are truncated or dated, so quotes and ratings are partial.

Sources

  1. EPrints official siteeprints.org
    official
  2. EPrints Hosting, Support & Consultancyeprints.org
    official
  3. How much will it cost? — EPrints wikiwiki.eprints.org
    official
  4. CVE-2021-26703 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  5. EPrints 3.4.2 XSS — Pentest-Toolspentest-tools.com
    security
  6. CVE-2021-26476 — VulDBvuldb.com
    security
  7. EPrints Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  8. Eprints Institutional Repository Software: A Review — ProQuestproquest.com
    review
  9. Eprints.org Software: a Review — CaltechAUTHORSauthors.library.caltech.edu
    review
  10. COAR Notify now available to EPrints userscoar-repositories.org
    news

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