Etherpad vs CryptPad: Which Should You Self-Host?

Quick Verdict

CryptPad is the better choice for teams that need a full collaborative office suite with end-to-end encryption. Etherpad is better for real-time text collaboration where simplicity and speed matter more than features — think meeting notes, brainstorming sessions, and quick collaborative drafts. CryptPad is a Google Docs replacement; Etherpad is a collaborative notepad.

Updated March 2026: Verified with latest Docker images and configurations.

Overview

Etherpad is a real-time collaborative text editor focused on one thing: multiple people editing the same document simultaneously. It’s been around since 2008 (originally by Google, then open-sourced). The interface is deliberately simple — a text editor with colored author attribution and a chat sidebar.

CryptPad is an end-to-end encrypted office suite that includes a rich text editor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, kanban board, whiteboard, and form builder. The server never sees your document contents — everything is encrypted in the browser.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Etherpad	CryptPad
Document types	Plain text / basic HTML	Rich text, spreadsheet, presentation, kanban, whiteboard, form
End-to-end encryption	No (server sees content)	Yes (zero-knowledge)
Real-time collaboration	Yes (fastest)	Yes
Rich text formatting	Basic (bold, italic, lists)	Full (headings, tables, images, embeds)
Spreadsheet	No	Yes
Presentations	No	Yes
Kanban board	No	Yes
Whiteboard	No	Yes
Plugin system	Yes (700+ plugins)	No
User accounts	Optional	Required for owned documents
Anonymous editing	Yes (default)	Yes (limited features)
Export formats	HTML, TXT, PDF, Word, ODF	HTML, Markdown
Import DOCX/ODT	Via plugin	Limited
Revision history	Yes (time slider)	Yes
Author colors	Yes (per-cursor coloring)	Yes
Chat	Built-in sidebar	No (use comments)
API	HTTP API	No public API
Docker image size	~200 MB	~500 MB
RAM usage	100-200 MB	300-500 MB
License	Apache 2.0	AGPL v3

Installation Complexity

Etherpad deploys with a single container:

services:
  etherpad:
    image: etherpad/etherpad:2.2.7
    container_name: etherpad
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "9001:9001"
    environment:
      - DB_TYPE=postgres
      - DB_HOST=etherpad-db
      - DB_USER=etherpad
      - DB_PASS=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - DB_NAME=etherpad
    depends_on:
      - etherpad-db

  etherpad-db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    container_name: etherpad-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=etherpad
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - POSTGRES_DB=etherpad
    volumes:
      - etherpad_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data

CryptPad requires more configuration for production:

services:
  cryptpad:
    image: cryptpad/cryptpad:2024.12.0
    container_name: cryptpad
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
      - "3003:3003"
    volumes:
      - cryptpad_blob:/cryptpad/blob
      - cryptpad_block:/cryptpad/block
      - cryptpad_customize:/cryptpad/customize
      - cryptpad_data:/cryptpad/data
      - cryptpad_datastore:/cryptpad/datastore

Etherpad is simpler to deploy. CryptPad requires more volumes and configuration for its multi-application architecture.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Etherpad	CryptPad
RAM idle	100-200 MB	300-500 MB
RAM active	200-400 MB	500 MB-1 GB
CPU	Low (Node.js)	Moderate (encryption overhead)
Startup time	3-5 seconds	10-15 seconds
Concurrent editors	50+ per document	20-30 per document

Etherpad handles more concurrent editors per document because there’s no encryption overhead. CryptPad’s client-side encryption adds CPU load on each user’s browser.

Community and Support

Metric	Etherpad	CryptPad
GitHub stars	17,000+	6,000+
Plugin ecosystem	700+	None
Documentation	Good	Good
Update frequency	Monthly	Quarterly
Funding	Community-driven	XWiki SAS (commercial)

Etherpad’s plugin ecosystem is a significant advantage — you can add authentication, theming, spell checking, and dozens of other features.

Use Cases

Choose Etherpad If…

• You need fast, simple, real-time text collaboration
• Meeting notes and brainstorming are the primary use case
• You want anonymous editing without user accounts
• Plugin extensibility matters (authentication, formatting, integrations)
• You need to support 50+ concurrent editors on one document
• The server being able to read documents is acceptable

Choose CryptPad If…

• End-to-end encryption is a requirement (legal, compliance, or preference)
• You need more than text editing (spreadsheets, presentations, kanban)
• You want a full Google Workspace alternative
• Data privacy is the primary concern
• You need forms and surveys with encrypted responses
• User account management is acceptable

Final Verdict

These tools target different needs. Etherpad excels at one thing — real-time collaborative text editing — and does it with minimal overhead and maximum concurrency. CryptPad provides a full encrypted office suite but is heavier and supports fewer concurrent editors. For meeting notes and quick collaboration, Etherpad is the right tool. For a privacy-first document platform, CryptPad is the right tool. They can coexist: Etherpad for quick collaborative sessions, CryptPad for persistent team documents.

Related

• How to Self-Host Etherpad
• How to Self-Host CryptPad
• Best Self-Hosted Office Suites
• Collabora vs OnlyOffice
• OnlyOffice vs CryptPad
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Google Docs