Etherpad

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Etherpad’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Etherpad’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.

1. 1

   Best for shared drafts where who wrote what matters

   The desktop and phone apps are unfinished, and a small volunteer team maintains it.

2. 2

   It is free

   Etherpad has no paid plan at all. Etherpad is free software under the Apache 2.0 license, with no paid edition and no upsells. You install it on your own server or use a public instance that someone else runs.

3. 3

   It runs on 4 platforms

   Web, Windows, macOS and Linux.

4. 4

   Real-time editing with author colors

   Several people type in the same pad at once. Every keystroke is attributed to its author and shown in that author's color.

5. 5

   Timeslider history

   Every revision is preserved. The timeslider plays a document's history back character by character, and saved revisions can be restored.

6. 6

   Plugins

   Hundreds of community plugins add comments, images, tables, drawing, video chat, math, code highlighting and OAuth, LDAP or OpenID authentication.

7. 7

   A 2.6 GPA, above 25 of 51

   That is against the other docs and wiki tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

8. 8

   Keep it

   Etherpad is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

• Etherpad

  $0

  The full editor, installed on your own server, with the plugin system, the HTTP API and built-in data export.

Read from etherpad.org on Oct 6, 2026.

Real-time editing with author colors

Several people type in the same pad at once. Every keystroke is attributed to its author and shown in that author's color.

Timeslider history

Every revision is preserved. The timeslider plays a document's history back character by character, and saved revisions can be restored.

Plugins

Hundreds of community plugins add comments, images, tables, drawing, video chat, math, code highlighting and OAuth, LDAP or OpenID authentication.

AI only as an optional plugin

No AI is built in. An administrator can install an AI plugin and point it at a model of their choosing, including a local one, or leave it out entirely.

HTTP API and embedding

An HTTP API with an OpenAPI description manages pads, groups, authors and sessions, and embed parameters control how a pad looks inside another page.

Runs on your own server

Installs on Linux, macOS or Windows with Node.js 24 or later, or from a Docker image, and stores pads in MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, SQLite and other databases.

Etherpad is made by The Etherpad Foundation, and has been around since 2009.

Etherpad's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 25 of the 51 other docs and wiki tools we grade, and level with 8.

It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 39 of 51) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).

Etherpad has no paid plan.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

HedgeDoc, CryptPad, HackMD and Google Docs

The 4 tools Etherpad is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

• 

  2.6GPA

  HedgeDoc

  Free

  Open-source, self-hosted collaborative Markdown editor.

  • Only Etherpad lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
  • Etherpad also covers documents.
  • HedgeDoc also covers notes, Markdown, diagrams and presentations.

  Etherpad and HedgeDoc compared in full
• 

  3.0GPA

  CryptPad

  Free plan · from €5/mo

  End-to-end encrypted, open-source collaborative office suite.

  • Only Etherpad lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
  • CryptPad is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
  • CryptPad also covers kanban boards and spreadsheets.

  Etherpad and CryptPad compared in full
• 

  2.4GPA

  HackMD

  Free plan · from $4/mo

  Real-time collaborative Markdown editor and knowledge base.

  • Only Etherpad lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
  • Only HackMD lists a browser extension.
  • Etherpad is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.

  Etherpad and HackMD compared in full
• 

  3.4GPA

  Google Docs

  Free plan · from $7/mo

  Browser-based word processor, free with a Google Account.

  • Only Etherpad lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
  • Only Google Docs lists iOS and Android apps.
  • Only Google Docs lists a browser extension.

  Etherpad and Google Docs compared in full

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 3,189

  tools graded

• 94

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries