head to head · open source
CryptPad vs HermesOffice
CryptPad has 7,961 GitHub stars, 854 forks, 401 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. HermesOffice has 589 stars, 78 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. CryptPad leads on adoption by 1,252% (7,961 vs 589 stars). CryptPad is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; HermesOffice is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. CryptPad has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, HermesOffice 13%. HermesOffice was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| CryptPad | HermesOffice | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.0K | ★ 589 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-25 | 2026-09-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 854 | ⑂ 78 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick CryptPad if
- You weight community size — 8.0K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HermesOffice if
- You want the HermesOffice feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and HermesOffice fits your workflow better
About CryptPad
CryptPad is an open source collaboration suite built around end to end encryption, written in JavaScript and released under the AGPL 3.0. It lives in the JavaScript and real time collaboration ecosystem, using ChainPad to synchronize changes to documents in real time. The suite covers documents, sheets, presentations, forms, kanban boards, code, rich text, and whiteboards, all reachable from a single CryptDrive, and it is positioned as an open alternative to Google Docs.
read the full CryptPad overview →
About HermesOffice
HermesOffice is a free, Apache 2.0 licensed, AI native office suite for macOS, Windows, and Linux that opens and saves the real Microsoft Office formats — Word ( .docx ), Excel ( .xlsx ) and PowerPoint ( .pptx ) — alongside PDF and Markdown, and it is aimed at individuals and teams who want AI assisted document editing without sending their files to a cloud service.
read the full HermesOffice overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is CryptPad or HermesOffice more popular?
CryptPad has 7,961 GitHub stars and HermesOffice has 589. CryptPad has the larger community by that measure.
Are CryptPad and HermesOffice free?
Both are open source. CryptPad is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and HermesOffice under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between CryptPad and HermesOffice?
CryptPad is written in JavaScript and HermesOffice 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, CryptPad or HermesOffice?
Choose CryptPad if you want the larger community (7,961 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose HermesOffice if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.