head to head · open source
etherpad vs drawnix
etherpad has 18,616 GitHub stars, 3,060 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. drawnix has 15,012 stars, 1,304 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. etherpad leads on adoption by 24% (18,616 vs 15,012 stars). etherpad is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; drawnix is written in TypeScript under MIT. etherpad has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, drawnix 9%. etherpad 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 | drawnix | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 15K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 drawnix if
- You want the drawnix feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and drawnix 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 drawnix
开源白板工具（SaaS），一体化白板，包含思维导图、流程图、自由画等 All in one 白板，思维导图、流程图、自由画等 English README 特性 💯 免费 + 开源 ⚒️ 思维导图、流程图 🖌 画笔 😀 插入图片 🚀 基于插件机制 🖼️ 📃 导出为 PNG, JSON( .drawnix ) 💾 自动保存（浏览器缓存） ⚡ 编辑特性：撤销、重做、复制、粘贴等 🌌 无限画布：缩放、滚动 🎨 主题模式 📱 移动设备适配 📈 支持 mermaid 语法转流程图 ✨ 支持 markdown 文本转思维导图（新支持 🔥🔥🔥） 关于名称 Drawnix ，源于绘画( Draw )与凤凰( Phoenix )的灵感交织。 凤凰象征着生生不息的创造力，而 Draw 代表着人类最原始的表达方式。在这里，每一次创作都是一次艺术的涅槃，每一笔绘画都是灵感的重生。 创意如同凤凰，浴火方能重生，而 Drawnix 要做技术与创意之火的守护者。 Draw Beyond, Rise Above. 与 Plait 画图框架 Drawnix 的定位是一个开箱即用、开源、免费的工具产品，它的底层是 Plait 框架， Plait 是我司开源的一款画图框架，代表着公司在知识库产品(PingCode Wiki)上的重要技术沉淀。 Drawnix
read the full drawnix overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or drawnix more popular?
etherpad has 18,616 GitHub stars and drawnix has 15,012. etherpad has the larger community by that measure.
Are etherpad and drawnix free?
Both are open source. etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and drawnix under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etherpad and drawnix?
etherpad is written in TypeScript and drawnix 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 drawnix?
Choose etherpad if you want the larger community (18,616 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose drawnix if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.