Collaboration
CryptPad
Zero-knowledge collaborative office suite with real-time editing and no account required
CryptPad is a online collaboration tool with privacy in mind. It helps you keep more control over your data.
Who is this for?
✓ Good for you if:
- • You want Google Docs alternative with zero-knowledge
- • You need real-time collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, presentations
- • You want anonymous access without account creation
- • You need password-protected documents and self-destructing documents
- • You prefer open-source collaborative tools
⚠ Think twice if:
- • You need the largest collaboration platform user base
- • You want offline editing capabilities
- • You need advanced collaboration features (CryptPad is simpler)
- • You want completely anonymous usage (server can see )
- • You need mobile apps (web-based primarily)
Overview
CryptPad is like Google Docs, but with much better privacy. It lets you create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that you can edit together with other people in real-time, just like Google Docs. But here's the important difference: everything you write is encrypted on your computer before it ever gets sent to CryptPad's servers. This means CryptPad can't read what you're writing, even if they wanted to. You can use CryptPad without creating an account - just create a document and share the link. You can also password-protect documents or make them self-destruct after a certain time. CryptPad is free to use, open source (meaning anyone can check the code to make sure it's secure), and you can even run your own copy on your own server if you want complete control. It's perfect for teams or individuals who want to collaborate on documents but don't want Google or Microsoft to see what they're working on.
Privacy highlight
Zero-knowledge collaborative office suite with real-time editing. All content encrypted on client side before transmission. and self-hostable.
Quick facts
- Country:
- 🇫🇷 France
- Pricing:
- Free
- Platform:
- Web
- Technical:
- Intermediate
- :
- Yes
- :
- Minimal telemetry
- :
- Yes
- Open-source status:
- Fully open source
- :
- Yes
- :
- Yes
Key features
- Online collaboration tool with privacy in mind.
Security & encryption Click to expand
- Yes
- Encryption protocols
- AES-256, ,
- CryptPad uses a zero-knowledge architecture where keys are derived from user passwords on the client side. Each document is encrypted with a unique key that is derived from the document password. The master key is never transmitted to servers - all and decryption happens in the browser. CryptPad uses the TweetNaCl cryptographic library for , providing authenticated . Document keys are stored encrypted in the document , accessible only with the correct password. The service supports password-protected documents and anonymous access without account creation.
- Offline support
- No
Telemetry & tracking Click to expand
- Minimal telemetry
- No
- Ip no
- CryptPad collects minimal data for service operation and improvement. The service collects basic usage statistics including app version, platform, and feature usage. CryptPad does not collect document contents, user passwords, or personal information. data is anonymized and aggregated. Users can disable through settings. The service uses to improve performance and fix bugs. CryptPad routes through its own infrastructure.
Jurisdiction & compliance Click to expand
- CryptPad is based in France. Cloud-hosted instances store data on servers in France and Europe. The service operates under French privacy laws and GDPR requirements. Self-hosted instances allow users to choose their data residency location.
- CryptPad retains encrypted document data on its servers for cloud sync functionality. The service retains account information (email, subscription status) for account management. CryptPad does not retain unencrypted document data - all data is encrypted on the client before transmission. The service retains logs for security and debugging purposes for a limited period. Users can delete their accounts and all associated data at any time. Deleted accounts and data are permanently removed from CryptPad servers. Self-hosted instances have complete control over .
- Legal frameworks
- Revenue sources
- Donations, Enterprise, Hosting
Editorial signals Click to expand
- 89
- Trust score
- 85
- Trust breakdown (0–10)
- Encryption: 95, Audits: 80, Open source: 90, Telemetry: 85, Jurisdiction: 85, Transparency: 80, Trackers: 95
- Editorial notes
- Usability: 80, Performance: 75, Family friendly: 85
User experience Click to expand
- Signup requirements
- Onboarding difficulty (1-5)
- 2
- Accessibility features
- Web-based interface with keyboard navigation and screen reader support
Backup & portability Click to expand
- Yes
- Migration tools
- Export documents, Import from other services
- Account recovery via email, Document recovery codes
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Same categoryEtherpad
Score 80Etherpad is a online collaboration tool with privacy in mind. It helps you keep more control over your data.