head to head · open source
etherpad vs free4chat
etherpad has 18,617 GitHub stars, 3,060 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. free4chat has 1,226 stars, 167 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. etherpad leads on adoption by 1,419% (18,617 vs 1,226 stars). etherpad is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; free4chat is written in TypeScript under MIT. etherpad has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, free4chat 14%. 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 | free4chat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 167 |
| 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 free4chat if
- You want the free4chat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and free4chat 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 free4chat
free4chat www.free4.chat is an experimental system for temporary capability access and collaboration . Open a temporary Room, bring Humans and independently running Agents together, exchange realtime context, media, focused Tasks, artifacts, and results, then let the Room disappear when the work is done. No account or permanent workspace is required. ⚠️ Personal technical/product testbed. Use at your own risk. Free4Chat is intentionally still exploring its product shape. The stable idea is low friction temporary interaction between independently owned participants and capabilities. What stays stable Temporary by…
read the full free4chat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or free4chat more popular?
etherpad has 18,617 GitHub stars and free4chat has 1,226. etherpad has the larger community by that measure.
Are etherpad and free4chat free?
Both are open source. etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and free4chat under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etherpad and free4chat?
etherpad is written in TypeScript and free4chat 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 free4chat?
Choose etherpad if you want the larger community (18,617 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose free4chat if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.