CryptPad

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to CryptPad

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to CryptPad.

End-to-end encrypted, privacy-focused cloud office suite for real-time collaborative editing and sharing of documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms and kanban boards. Provides access controls, link-based sharing and optional self-hosted deployments.

Alternatives List

#1
Etherpad

Etherpad

Etherpad is a web-based real-time collaborative editor with chat, rich-text formatting, and a plugin framework for customization and integrations.

Etherpad screenshot

Etherpad is a web-based editor that lets multiple people write and edit the same document at the same time. It focuses on fast real-time collaboration and can be extended to fit many workflows via a large plugin ecosystem.

Key Features

  • Real-time collaborative editing with live cursor/author colors
  • Built-in chat alongside the editor for in-context discussion
  • Rich-text editing capabilities (formatting and structured content)
  • Extensible plugin framework to add features and integrations
  • HTTP API for managing pads, users, and groups; includes OpenAPI definition
  • Data export options and embeddable usage for integration into other apps
  • Multi-language interface support

Use Cases

  • Team meeting notes and collaborative drafting sessions
  • Classroom or workshop live note-taking and shared exercises
  • Embedding collaborative editors into existing web applications via API

Limitations and Considerations

  • Advanced functionality (authentication methods, additional editor features, conferencing) often requires installing and maintaining plugins
  • For production deployments, a dedicated database is recommended instead of the default development-oriented storage

Etherpad is a mature choice for organizations that need lightweight, browser-based collaboration with real-time editing. Its API and plugin system make it suitable both as a standalone editor and as a component embedded into larger platforms.

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#2
CryptPad

CryptPad

CryptPad is an end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite with real-time editors, file storage, and sharing, designed to keep document contents private from servers and admins.

CryptPad screenshot

CryptPad is a web-based collaboration suite that provides real-time editors and a drive-like workspace with end-to-end encryption. Documents are encrypted in the browser before being stored or shared, reducing server-side access to content.

Key Features

  • End-to-end encrypted editors for collaborative work in real time
  • Multiple app types, including rich text, code, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, kanban, and whiteboards
  • CryptDrive-style file organization with folders and shared documents
  • Link-based sharing to collaborate without requiring recipients to create an account
  • Designed to minimize sensitive data exposure to operators (zero-knowledge-style content storage)

Use Cases

  • Privacy-focused alternative to cloud office suites for teams, schools, and organizations
  • Secure collaboration on meeting notes, project planning boards, and shared spreadsheets
  • Sharing files and documents via links without exposing personal identifiers

Limitations and Considerations

  • While content is encrypted, clients must still trust the server to deliver honest application code (risk of active attacks)
  • Security depends on instance configuration and keeping deployments up to date

CryptPad combines familiar collaboration workflows with strong privacy properties, making it well-suited for groups that need real-time editing without giving a provider access to document contents. It can be used as a full collaboration workspace for documents, boards, and shared files.

7.2kstars
795forks
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#3
ONLYOFFICE Docs

ONLYOFFICE Docs

Self-hostable online office suite for viewing and collaboratively editing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, and forms with strong OOXML compatibility.

ONLYOFFICE Docs is a self-hostable collaborative online office suite that provides web-based viewers and editors for text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and PDFs. It is designed to be integrated into other platforms and supports real-time co-authoring with high compatibility for Office Open XML formats.

Key Features

  • Web-based editors for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF, and forms
  • Real-time collaborative editing with comments and change tracking
  • Document conversion service for common office formats
  • Plugin and macro support for extending editor capabilities
  • Integration options for third-party sync-and-share/DMS platforms via APIs
  • Multi-language interface and localization support

Use Cases

  • Add in-browser document editing to a file sync/share or DMS platform
  • Team collaboration on office documents with review workflows
  • Embed document viewers/editors into custom web applications

Limitations and Considerations

  • Community Edition licensing is AGPLv3; some advanced capabilities are reserved for commercial editions
  • Some security features (such as end-to-end encryption “Private Rooms”) depend on other ONLYOFFICE components rather than Docs alone

ONLYOFFICE Docs fits organizations that need browser-based office editing on their own infrastructure, especially when OOXML compatibility and integrations are key. It can be deployed as a standalone document server or embedded into other products to provide collaborative editing.

6.1kstars
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#4
Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE)

Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE)

Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) provides a self-hosted LibreOffice-based online editor for documents, spreadsheets and presentations for testing or small teams.

Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) screenshot

Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) is the development version of Collabora Online, a server that enables viewing and editing office documents in a web browser using the LibreOffice/Collabora Office core. It is intended for testing, home use, and small teams, and is typically updated on a frequent release cadence.

Key Features

  • Browser-based editing and viewing for common office document formats
  • Multi-user collaborative editing with real-time updates
  • Server component (coolwsd) designed to be integrated behind a reverse proxy
  • Native Linux packages available for Debian/Ubuntu (deb) and RPM-based distributions
  • Central configuration via coolwsd.xml and service management via systemd

Use Cases

  • Adding online document editing to an existing collaboration platform
  • Evaluating Collabora Online features and compatibility before production deployment
  • Home or small-team shared editing of office documents in a private environment

Limitations and Considerations

  • Not recommended for production environments compared to Collabora Online supported editions
  • Typically expects TLS certificates by default; many deployments use reverse-proxy TLS termination instead

CODE is a practical way to run and test the Collabora Online stack on your own infrastructure while retaining the core collaborative editing capabilities. For production-grade deployments, consider the supported enterprise offerings and operational guidance.

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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running