head to head · open source
etherpad vs agentes-chat
etherpad has 18,628 GitHub stars, 3,059 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. agentes-chat has 1,354 stars, 236 forks, 150 open issues and last shipped today. etherpad leads on adoption by 1,276% (18,628 vs 1,354 stars). etherpad is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; agentes-chat is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. etherpad has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, agentes-chat 17%. agentes-chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (collaboration), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| etherpad | agentes-chat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 1.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-13 | 2026-11-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 236 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick etherpad if
- You weight community size — 19K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick agentes-chat if
- You want the agentes-chat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and agentes-chat fits your workflow better
About etherpad
Etherpad — the editor for documents that matter Real time collaborative editing where authorship is the default, your server is the only server, and you decide what AI (if any) ever touches your text. About Etherpad is a real time collaborative editor for documents that matter. Every keystroke is attributed to its author. Every revision is preserved. The timeslider lets you scrub through a document's entire history, character by character. Author colours make collaboration visible at a glance — not buried in a menu. Etherpad runs on your server, under your governance. No telemetry. No upsells. AI is a plugin you…
read the full etherpad overview →
About agentes-chat
agentes.chat The open source, self hosted Slack alternative where your team and AI agents work together. Website · Cloud · Self hosting · Features · Discussions Agents join your channels and DMs with a role, an owner and a budget, work where everyone can see, and ask before anything sensitive. They think with Claude, ChatGPT and Codex, Gemini, Grok or any OpenRouter model, use MCP tools, and get a computer and a browser of their own. Self hosting is free and always will be (AGPL 3.0, no license key, no paid tier), or use agentes.chat Cloud, the paid, hosted option: both run this same codebase. Why agentes.chat…
read the full agentes-chat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or agentes-chat more popular?
etherpad has 18,628 GitHub stars and agentes-chat has 1,354. etherpad has the larger community by that measure.
Are etherpad and agentes-chat free?
Both are open source. etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and agentes-chat under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etherpad and agentes-chat?
etherpad is written in TypeScript and agentes-chat in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, etherpad or agentes-chat?
Choose etherpad if you want the larger community (18,628 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose agentes-chat if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.