Etherpad
Open-source, self-hosted editor for writing documents together in real time.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 4
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Etherpad
Etherpad is a lightweight web editor where several people type in the same document at once, with each author's text highlighted in their own colour and a time slider to replay how the document evolved. It has been around since 2008 and is a long-time favourite for meeting notes, workshops, newsrooms and public-sector teams that want shared writing without handing data to a big platform. You run it yourself: it is a Node.js application released under the Apache 2.0 license, and hundreds of plugins add comments, images, tables, headings, video chat, math and export formats. Many public instances also exist. It is free. The basic editor is deliberately simple, so it is not a substitute for a full word processor with page layout, and getting a polished setup with authentication and the right plugins takes some admin work. Mobile editing works in the browser but isn't as comfortable as on a desktop.
Best for: Teams that want a self-hosted, real-time shared notepad they fully control.
Pros and cons
What works
- Free, open source and simple to self-host
- Author colours and a time slider make contributions clear
- Large plugin library for extra features
Why people leave
- Basic formatting compared with a word processor
- Plugins and authentication need admin setup
- Interface looks plain out of the box
Top Etherpad alternatives
See all 4- 1
Google Docs74.6Hosted, more polished co-editing if self-hosting isn't required.
- 2
CryptPad66.5Adds end-to-end encryption and spreadsheets, slides and forms.
- 3
Collabora Online62.6Full self-hosted office editing when you need real documents.
- 4
ONLYOFFICE57.2Self-hosted editors with full word-processor formatting.
Why people left Etherpad
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Etherpad: common questions
Is Etherpad free?
Yes. Etherpad is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.
Is Etherpad open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at ether/etherpad-lite. You can also run it on your own server.
What platforms does Etherpad run on?
Etherpad is available for Web and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Etherpad?
The highest-ranked Etherpad alternatives right now are Google Docs, CryptPad and Collabora Online. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.