Collabora Online vs CryptPad
Both are alternatives to Microsoft 365. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as CryptPad vs Collabora Online — same comparison, one verdict.
Collabora Online and CryptPad are closely matched on ownership (95 vs 92) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
Collabora Online
Self-hosted, browser-based collaborative editing built on the LibreOffice engine.
Collabora Online is a self-hostable, browser-based office suite from Collabora that brings real-time co-authoring to the LibreOffice engine, so multiple people can edit the same Writer, Calc, or Impress document at once through a web browser. The free Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) is a rolling release aimed at home use, testing, and small teams, while the supported Collabora Online product targets organizations that need stability and vendor support. It is the natural way to add Google-Docs-style collaboration on your own server, and it is what powers Nextcloud Office (the richdocuments app) inside a Nextcloud instance. It is MPL-2.0 licensed.
CryptPad
End-to-end-encrypted collaborative documents where the server never sees your content.
CryptPad is a privacy-first collaboration suite built around end-to-end encryption: documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more are encrypted in your browser, so a self-hosted or public server stores only ciphertext and cannot read your content. It supports real-time co-editing, shared folders, and a range of app types, and it is AGPL-3.0 licensed and self-hostable via Docker or a Debian install. Developed by XWiki SAS with public-interest funding, it also runs a free public instance at cryptpad.fr. It is the strongest choice when confidentiality is the priority; the trade-off is that it is a distinct web workspace rather than a drop-in Microsoft-format editor.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Collabora Online | CryptPad | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 95 | 92 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free self-hosted CODE edition; paid supported edition and hosting available | Free / self-host; free public instance at cryptpad.fr |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 4 GB, and roughly 1 GB per 20 concurrent documents | 2 GB for a small instance |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $20–35/mo on a VPS alongside Nextcloud | $12–20/mo on a small VPS |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 2 hours, most of it on the reverse proxy | 2 hours, and the two-domain requirement is the hard part |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | Moderate. The proxy configuration is the fragile part. | Moderate. Version pruning is a job you have to schedule. |
Collabora Online edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Weighing both against staying on Microsoft 365? Is Microsoft 365 free? What it actually costs →
Collabora Online
Strengths
- +Fully open-source under MPL-2.0, an OSI-approved license
- +Real-time, in-browser co-authoring of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on a server you control
- +Built on the mature LibreOffice engine, so format handling matches LibreOffice closely
- +Powers Nextcloud Office, giving an easy path for people already running Nextcloud
- +Supports ODF and Microsoft formats, keeping documents portable
Trade-offs
- −Requires running a server; setup and maintenance are more involved than a desktop install
- −The free CODE edition is a rolling release the vendor does not recommend for production; production use points to the paid supported edition
- −Best used alongside a file backend such as Nextcloud, rather than as a standalone suite
- −Browser-based editing depends on the server being available, so it is less 'offline-first' than a desktop app
CryptPad
Strengths
- +AGPL-3.0 licensed and self-hostable via Docker or Debian, so you can own the whole stack
- +End-to-end encryption means the server stores only encrypted data and cannot read your documents
- +Real-time collaborative documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and shared drives in the browser
- +A free public instance (cryptpad.fr) lets you try it with no setup
- +Actively maintained by XWiki SAS with sustained public-interest funding
Trade-offs
- −It is a browser-based encrypted workspace, not a full desktop suite or a drop-in Microsoft-format editor
- −Compatibility with complex Microsoft documents is more limited than ONLYOFFICE or LibreOffice
- −The encryption model means account recovery and some integrations work differently from conventional suites
- −Self-hosting requires running a server, and encrypted real-time editing is heavier than plain document storage
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Collabora Online
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and fully open-source under MPL-2.0, an OSI-approved license.
Choose CryptPad
if aGPL-3.0 licensed and self-hostable via Docker or Debian, so you can own the whole stack.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — requires running a server; setup and maintenance are more involved than a desktop install, and it is a browser-based encrypted workspace, not a full desktop suite or a drop-in Microsoft-format editor. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
Collabora Online vs CryptPad — common questions
Is Collabora Online a better fit than CryptPad for office & productivity suites?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Collabora Online scores 95 to CryptPad's 92 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. CryptPad earns its place on a different axis — aGPL-3.0 licensed and self-hostable via Docker or Debian, so you can own the whole stack. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Collabora Online keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. CryptPad is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Collabora Online or CryptPad?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Collabora Online and CryptPad both alternatives to Microsoft 365?
Yes — both appear in our Microsoft 365 comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Microsoft 365 and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-07-06. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.