CryptPad is an open source, end-to-end encrypted office suite you can self-host — a Google Docs and Microsoft 365 alternative for writing documents, spreadsheets, and slides together in real time, where the server never sees your content.

What is CryptPad?

CryptPad is an open source, end-to-end encrypted office suite that runs in the browser. It stores rich text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, kanban boards, and whiteboards, and encrypts everything on your device before it reaches the server — so the operator, including the CryptPad team, can never read your content.

What is CryptPad best for?

Teams and individuals who want real-time document collaboration without handing their content to Google or Microsoft. It fits privacy-conscious organizations, journalists, activists, and anyone who wants a shared drive where the server is technically incapable of reading the files it stores.

What can CryptPad do?

Edit rich text docs, spreadsheets, presentations, code, and Markdown together in real time with multiple cursors
Organize work with kanban boards, forms with conditional logic, whiteboards, and diagrams
Store and share files in CryptDrive, an encrypted web-based file manager
Keep everything end-to-end encrypted with zero-knowledge, client-side keys
Share documents by link with view or edit rights — no account required to collaborate
Self-host with the official Docker images (AMD64 and ARM64) or use a public instance

Is CryptPad free?

Yes. CryptPad is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, so self-hosting costs only your own server. The flagship public instance, CryptPad.fr, gives 1GB of storage free with full features, with paid personal plans from €5 to €100/month. Managed enterprise instances start at €3,000/year.

What does CryptPad replace?

CryptPad is a privacy-first alternative to Google Docs and Microsoft 365 for collaborative documents, and its kanban and drive features overlap with Notion and Dropbox Paper. The difference is architectural: it delivers the same shared editing while the server stays cryptographically blind to your data. If you want a lighter open source editor rather than a full suite, Docmost, AFFiNE, and Docs are worth comparing.

Where does CryptPad fall short?

Browser-only, no sync client. There are no native desktop or mobile apps and no filesystem sync — your files live in CryptDrive in the browser, unlike the local sync you get from Google Drive or Dropbox.
Web E2EE has a trust catch. Your browser loads the application code from the server on each visit, so a compromised or malicious host could serve tampered JavaScript. The encryption protects data at rest and in transit, but you still have to trust the instance operator’s integrity.
Encryption limits server-side features. Because content is opaque to the server, there’s no server-side full-text search across your drive, and full spreadsheet and presentation editing relies on the heavier optional OnlyOffice integration.

FAQ

Is CryptPad open source? Yes. CryptPad is licensed under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open source license, and the full source is on GitHub. Commercial licensing is also available.

Can I self-host CryptPad for free? Yes. Self-hosting is free — the project ships an official Dockerfile and docker-compose setup, and you only pay for the server it runs on.

Is CryptPad a good Google Docs alternative? For privacy, yes — it offers real-time document, spreadsheet, and slide editing with end-to-end encryption Google can’t match. It trades some polish and integrations for that guarantee.

What do I need to run CryptPad? A server with Docker (or Node.js), and for spreadsheets and presentations the optional OnlyOffice document server. Official container images are published for AMD64 and ARM64.