Collaboration
Etherpad
Self-hosted collaborative text editor with privacy controls and no account required
Etherpad offers a privacy-conscious alternative in the collaboration space, with a stronger focus on data protection than many mainstream tools.
Who is this for?
✓ Good for you if:
- • You want a Google Docs alternative you can host yourself
- • You need real-time collaborative text editing
- • You want anonymous access without personal information (except IP)
- • You need password-protected documents
- • You prefer open-source collaboration tools
⚠ Think twice if:
- • You need rich formatting (Etherpad is primarily plain text)
- • You want cloud-based collaboration (Etherpad is self-hosted)
- • You need (Etherpad uses )
- • You're not comfortable managing server software
- • You want the largest collaboration platform user base
Overview
Etherpad is an open-source, real-time collaborative text editor that allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously. Unlike traditional document editors, Etherpad shows changes from all users in real-time with color-coded authorship, making it easy to see who wrote what. The platform is designed to be self-hosted, giving users complete control over their data and infrastructure. Etherpad supports rich text editing, comments, chat functionality, and export to various formats including HTML, Markdown, and plain text. The software is lightweight, fast, and can be easily deployed on servers. Etherpad is particularly useful for teams, classrooms, and communities that need collaborative editing without relying on proprietary cloud services. The platform is open source (Apache License 2.0) and has been actively developed by a community of contributors. Etherpad can be extended with plugins and customized to fit specific needs.
Privacy highlight
Open-source real-time collaborative text editor. Self-hostable for complete control. No built-in but can be secured with and server-level protections.
Quick facts
- Country:
- Decentralized (self-hostable)
- 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
- ,
- Etherpad does not require keys as it operates as a collaborative text editor without built-in . When self-hosted, users are responsible for securing their Etherpad instance with /. The application uses standard web security practices including and . For encrypted connections, Etherpad relies on / certificates configured at the server level. Users can implement additional layers through reverse proxies or VPNs when self-hosting.
- Offline support
- No
Telemetry & tracking Click to expand
- Minimal telemetry
- No
- Ip no
- Etherpad does not collect data by default. When self-hosted, users have complete control over any or . The software does not include code. Public instances may have different policies, so users should review instance privacy policies. Etherpad can be configured to log pad access and edits for debugging purposes, but this is disabled by default and should be disabled for privacy.
Jurisdiction & compliance Click to expand
- Etherpad is open-source software with no central jurisdiction. When self-hosted, data residency depends on where users host their instances. Public instances may be hosted in various countries. Users have complete control over data residency when self-hosting.
- Etherpad retention depends on the hosting instance. When self-hosted, users have complete control over . Public instances may have different retention policies. The software does not require any . Pad content persists until manually deleted by users or instance administrators. Users should review instance privacy policies for specific retention information.
- Legal frameworks
- List applicable frameworks once confirmed (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, LGPD).
- Revenue sources
- Donations, Enterprise, Hosting
Editorial signals Click to expand
- 80
- Trust score
- 75
- Trust breakdown (0–10)
- Encryption: 60, Audits: 70, Open source: 90, Telemetry: 95, Jurisdiction: 100, Transparency: 85, Trackers: 95
- Editorial notes
- Usability: 85, Performance: 80, Family friendly: 90
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 to HTML/Markdown, Import from other editors
- Backup restoration, Version history recovery
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