ONLYOFFICE vs CryptPad: Which Self-Hosted Office Suite?
Quick Verdict
ONLYOFFICE wins for teams that work with Microsoft Office formats. The .docx/.xlsx/.pptx rendering is the best in the self-hosted space — documents look right, formatting survives round-trips, and the editing experience is close to the real thing.
CryptPad wins for teams that prioritize privacy. It’s the only self-hosted office suite with true end-to-end encryption. The server never sees your documents in plaintext. Period.
Pick based on what matters more: format compatibility or zero-knowledge encryption.
Overview
ONLYOFFICE Document Server is a web-based office suite focused on Microsoft Office format compatibility. It runs as a document editing service that integrates with file platforms like Nextcloud and Seafile. It’s heavy (4 GB RAM minimum) but powerful.
CryptPad is a privacy-first collaborative platform with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, Kanban boards, whiteboards, and forms. Everything is encrypted in the browser before it reaches the server. It’s lightweight (512 MB) and self-contained.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ONLYOFFICE | CryptPad |
|---|---|---|
| Document editing | Excellent (.docx native) | Good (own format, .docx import/export) |
| Spreadsheet | Full-featured (.xlsx native) | Basic (functional but limited formulas) |
| Presentation | Full-featured (.pptx native) | Good (own format) |
| End-to-end encryption | No (at-rest only) | Yes (zero-knowledge) |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Kanban boards | No | Built-in |
| Whiteboard | No | Built-in |
| Forms/surveys | No | Built-in |
| Code editor | No | Built-in (syntax highlighting) |
| File storage/drive | No (needs Nextcloud/Seafile) | Built-in encrypted drive |
| Nextcloud integration | Yes (official connector) | Limited (experimental) |
| Mobile editing | Via mobile browser | Via mobile browser |
| WOPI protocol | Yes | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-contained | No (needs PostgreSQL + RabbitMQ) | Yes (no external dependencies) |
Resource Usage
This is where they diverge sharply.
| Resource | ONLYOFFICE | CryptPad |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | 512 MB |
| Recommended RAM | 8 GB | 2 GB |
| CPU (minimum) | 2 cores | 1 core |
| External services | PostgreSQL + RabbitMQ | None |
| Disk (application) | 2 GB | 200 MB |
| Idle memory | ~2 GB (with deps) | ~150 MB |
CryptPad runs on hardware where ONLYOFFICE wouldn’t even start. If you’re on a Raspberry Pi or a $5 VPS, CryptPad is the only option.
Installation Complexity
ONLYOFFICE requires a three-service Docker Compose stack: the document server, PostgreSQL, and RabbitMQ. You also need to configure JWT secrets that match between ONLYOFFICE and your integration platform. If you’re connecting to Nextcloud, expect 30–60 minutes for the full setup including integration testing.
CryptPad is a single container with no external dependencies. The main complexity is the dual-domain requirement — you need two separate subdomains for security (main domain + sandbox domain), each with SSL. Once DNS and reverse proxy are set up, CryptPad itself takes under 10 minutes to deploy.
Security Model
ONLYOFFICE encrypts data at rest (if your PostgreSQL and file system use encryption). Documents are processed server-side for format conversion and rendering. The server has full access to document contents. This is the standard model — similar to Google Docs, just on your hardware.
CryptPad encrypts documents in the browser before they’re transmitted. The server stores only ciphertext. Even as the admin, you cannot read users’ documents. This zero-knowledge model means:
- No server-side search across document contents
- No server-side format conversion
- No integration with file managers that need to read the content
- Maximum privacy
Who Should Use What
Choose ONLYOFFICE If…
- Your team exchanges .docx/.xlsx/.pptx files with external parties
- You need Nextcloud or Seafile integration for file management
- You have 4+ GB RAM available
- Format fidelity matters — documents must look identical when opened in Microsoft Office
- You need server-side document conversion (PDF export, format conversion APIs)
Choose CryptPad If…
- Privacy and encryption are your top requirements
- You run on limited hardware (under 4 GB RAM)
- You want a self-contained platform (documents + Kanban + whiteboard + forms)
- Your team works primarily in the browser, not exchanging Office files externally
- You don’t need Nextcloud integration
Final Verdict
For most teams that need collaborative document editing: ONLYOFFICE. The Office format support is unmatched in the self-hosted world, and the Nextcloud integration creates a full Google Workspace replacement.
For privacy-conscious teams, journalists, activists, or any organization where the server admin should not be able to read documents: CryptPad. Nothing else offers real end-to-end encryption for office documents.
They’re not really competing — they solve different problems. If you can afford the RAM, you could even run both: ONLYOFFICE for external-facing document work, CryptPad for internal sensitive communications.
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