Etherpad
A simple shared text page that several people can edit at once.
Instead of Google Docs
Screenshot from etherpad.org, taken 2026-10-30, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.
Etherpad is the plain text page where everybody types at once and each author gets a colour, so a meeting's notes end up looking like a box of crayons. It is licensed Apache 2.0, sends no telemetry and has data export built in, and anyone can run a copy.
Etherpad scores a 5 on lock-in, a 4 on footprint, self-direction and power and a 3 on longevity and delivery.
It does text and not much else, and a small volunteer team runs it and is looking for more maintainers.
- Everyone types in the same page at once
- Small and open source
- Plain text, and not much else
What stands out
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For comparison, we also reviewed Microsoft 365 (15/30) as a benchmark.
