head to head · open source
etcd vs Grist
etcd has 52,441 GitHub stars, 10,552 forks, 351 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Grist has 12,042 stars, 679 forks, 727 open issues and last shipped yesterday. etcd leads on adoption by 335% (52,441 vs 12,042 stars). etcd is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Grist is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. etcd has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, Grist 6%. Grist was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), 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
| etcd | Grist | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 12K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 11K | ⑂ 679 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick etcd if
- You weight community size — 52K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Grist if
- You want the Grist 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 Grist fits your workflow better
About etcd
etcd Note : The main branch may be in an unstable or even broken state during development. For stable versions, see [releases][github release]. etcd is a distributed reliable key value store for the most critical data of a distributed system, with a focus on being: Simple : well defined, user facing API (gRPC) Secure : automatic TLS with optional client cert authentication Fast : benchmarked 10,000 writes/sec Reliable : properly distributed using Raft etcd is written in Go and uses the [Raft][] consensus algorithm to manage a highly available replicated log. etcd is used in production by many companies, and the…
About Grist
Grist Grist is a modern relational spreadsheet. It combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the robustness of a database. grist core (this repo – also known as Grist Community edition) has what you need to run a powerful server for hosting spreadsheets. grist desktop is a Linux/macOS/Windows desktop app for viewing and editing spreadsheets stored locally. grist static is a fully in browser build of Grist for displaying spreadsheets on a website without back end support. Grist is developed by Grist Labs, an NYC based company 🇺🇸🗽. The French government 🇫🇷 organizations ANCT Données et Territoires and…
read the full Grist overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etcd or Grist more popular?
etcd has 52,441 GitHub stars and Grist has 12,042. etcd has the larger community by that measure.
Are etcd and Grist free?
Both are open source. etcd is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Grist under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etcd and Grist?
etcd is written in Go and Grist 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, etcd or Grist?
Choose etcd if you want the larger community (52,441 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Grist if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.