Etherpad

Active

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 2008
Developer: Etherpad Foundation / Open-source community
Pricing: Free (open-source)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: Web

Indexes

Writing/Word Processing

Overview

Etherpad is a web-based real-time collaborative text editor that enables multiple users to edit documents simultaneously, with each keystroke attributed to its author and full revision history preserved via a timeslider.²⁷ It runs on the user's own server, supports extensive plugin extensibility, and integrates into other web applications via API and iframe embedding, targeting teams needing authorship-tracked, self-hosted collaboration without third-party servers.²³

Key Features

Real-time collaboration - Multiple users edit documents simultaneously with authorship attribution for every keystroke.
Revision history - Timeslider allows scrubbing through the document's entire history character by character.
Author attribution - Every edit is marked with the author's color and name by default.
Plugin system - 290+ plugins for comments, images, tables, drawing, auth, and AI integration.
API access - Programmatic control for creating/deleting pads, managing access, and content.
Iframe embedding - Embed pads into any website for seamless integration.
Statistics tracking - Monitors users, edits, connections, and resource usage via /stats endpoint.
Import/export - Supports plaintext, HTML, and additional formats like ODT with plugins.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Community	Free	Self-hosted open-source software with all core features.
Etherpad Lite	Free	Lightweight version for easier deployment on Node.js.

Platforms & Requirements

Etherpad runs as a web application on servers with Node.js ≥20 and git; access via any modern web browser on desktop or mobile devices.² No native desktop or mobile apps; requires self-hosting with no specific OS restrictions beyond server dependencies.⁸

Integrations & Ecosystem

Node.js runtime
OAuth/LDAP/OpenID authentication plugins
Plugin-based AI integration
HTTP API for pad management
Iframe embedding
Import/export: plaintext, HTML, ODT
Stats API
Plugin ecosystem (290+)

Alternatives

App	Difference
Google Docs	Cloud-hosted with broader formatting but requires Google account and lacks self-hosting.
CryptPad	End-to-end encrypted collaboration but smaller plugin ecosystem.
HackMD	Markdown-focused with GitHub integration but less emphasis on authorship tracking.
OnlyOffice	Full office suite with document editing but heavier resource use.

Reputation

Etherpad is recognized for its robust real-time collaboration, strong privacy via self-hosting, and extensive plugin support, making it a reliable choice for technical teams since 2008.²⁶⁹ Criticisms include a steep setup curve for non-developers due to server requirements and a dated default interface.⁶⁸ It maintains an active open-source community with regular updates.⁷

Sources (9)