head to head · open source
etherpad vs hedgedoc
etherpad has 18,616 GitHub stars, 3,060 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. hedgedoc has 7,502 stars, 613 forks, 275 open issues and last shipped yesterday. etherpad leads on adoption by 148% (18,616 vs 7,502 stars). etherpad is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; hedgedoc is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. etherpad has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, hedgedoc 8%. hedgedoc 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| etherpad | hedgedoc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 7.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 613 |
| 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 hedgedoc if
- You want the hedgedoc 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 hedgedoc 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 hedgedoc
[![ HedgeDoc on matrix.org][matrix.org image]][matrix.org url] [![version][github version badge]][github release page] [![POEditor][poeditor image]][poeditor url] [![Mastodon][social mastodon image]][social mastodon] ![REUSE Compliance Check][reuse workflow badge] [![codecov][codecov badge]][codecov url] HedgeDoc lets you create real time collaborative markdown notes. Getting Started ℹ️ Read all about HedgeDoc and the history of the project on our website 🧪 Try out HedgeDoc with the [demo instance][hedgedoc demo]. Check out the [features page][hedgedoc demo features]! 💽 Install HedgeDoc yourself using the…
read the full hedgedoc overview →
More in Business Software
Related comparisons
More Collaboration & Communication projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Collaboration & Communication field.
Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or hedgedoc more popular?
etherpad has 18,616 GitHub stars and hedgedoc has 7,502. etherpad has the larger community by that measure.
Are etherpad and hedgedoc free?
Both are open source. etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hedgedoc under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etherpad and hedgedoc?
etherpad is written in TypeScript and hedgedoc 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 hedgedoc?
Choose etherpad if you want the larger community (18,616 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose hedgedoc if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.