CryptPad vs Etherpad

Two self-hosted Office Suites apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.

Side by side

CryptPadEtherpad
DescriptionCollaboration suite built to enable collaboration, synchronizing changes to documents in real time.Highly customizable online editor providing collaborative editing in real-time.
GitHub stars8,06218,624
Forks––
Open issues––
Commits (12 months)8031.1k
Last activity2026-11-092026-11-09
Latest release2026.10.0 (2026-10-21)v3.3.16 (2026-11-07)
Maintenance healthActiveActive
LicenseAGPL-3.0Apache-2.0
Language / platformNodejs, DockerNodejs, Docker
Docker Hub imagecryptpad/cryptpad–
Docker pulls876.2k–
Est. server size~4 GB, 2 vCPU~4 GB, 2 vCPU
Est. hosting from$20/mo$20/mo
CategoriesOffice SuitesOffice Suites
LinksWebsite · SourceWebsite · Source

What the numbers say

Summary: CryptPad leads on Docker Hub availability; Etherpad leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.

This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-15. It does not rate features or quality.

Get the Docker images

CryptPad

docker pull cryptpad/cryptpad

Image on Docker Hub. Ports, volumes and environment variables differ per app; follow the official docs.

Frequently asked questions

Is CryptPad or Etherpad more popular?

Etherpad has more GitHub stars (18,624 vs 8,062 for CryptPad, as of 2026-11-15). Stars measure interest, not quality.

Which is more actively maintained, CryptPad or Etherpad?

Etherpad had more commits over the last 12 months (1,072 vs 803). Both had repository activity on 2026-11-09. Releases in the past year: CryptPad 8, Etherpad 10+. Our health labels: CryptPad is “Active”, Etherpad is “Active”.

What licenses do CryptPad and Etherpad use?

CryptPad: AGPL-3.0. Etherpad: Apache-2.0. Etherpad's license is permissive; CryptPad's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).

Can I run CryptPad and Etherpad with Docker?

CryptPad has a Docker Hub image (cryptpad/cryptpad). We did not find one for Etherpad, though the upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option.

Read more

CryptPad

Collaboration suite built to enable collaboration, synchronizing changes to documents in real time.

Active ★ 8.1k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

Etherpad

Highly customizable online editor providing collaborative editing in real-time.

Active ★ 18.6k Apache-2.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

Browse all self-hosted Office Suites apps.

Related comparisons

CryptPad vs GristCryptPad vs ONLYOFFICEEtherpad vs GristEtherpad vs ONLYOFFICE