CryptPad vs Etherpad: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Google Docs. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| CryptPad | Etherpad | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| GitHub stars | 5k | 15k |
| Tech stack | Node.js, JavaScript | Node.js, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Google Docs | Google Docs |
Etherpad has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
CryptPad
End-to-end encrypted office suite, an alternative to Google Docs.
Pros
- The server never sees the content in the clear
Things to consider
- Somewhat lower performance than Google Docs on huge documents
Etherpad
Real-time collaborative editor, a lightweight alternative to Google Docs.
Pros
- Extremely lightweight and quick to deploy
Things to consider
- No spreadsheets or presentations, text only
Key features
CryptPad
- Collaborative documents, sheets and presentations
- End-to-end encryption
- Built-in forms and kanban
Etherpad
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Revision history
- Community plugins