head to head · open source
etherpad vs openvidu
etherpad has 18,554 GitHub stars, 3,049 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. openvidu has 2,129 stars, 477 forks, 103 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. etherpad leads on adoption by 771% (18,554 vs 2,129 stars). etherpad is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; openvidu is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. etherpad has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, openvidu 22%. etherpad 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
| etherpad | openvidu | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 477 |
| 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 openvidu if
- You want the openvidu 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 openvidu fits your workflow better
About etherpad
Etherpad is a real time collaborative document editor, written in TypeScript and released under Apache 2.0, for teams and institutions that need every keystroke attributed to its author, every revision preserved, and all text hosted on infrastructure they control.
read the full etherpad overview →
About openvidu
OpenVidu is an open source platform for building real time video and audio applications. It lives in the TypeScript, WebRTC, and collaboration software ecosystem, and it is built on LiveKit and mediasoup. The project gives teams a self hosted base for video conferencing, rooms, chat, and media workflows under an Apache 2.0 license.
read the full openvidu overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or openvidu more popular?
etherpad has 18,554 GitHub stars and openvidu has 2,129. etherpad has the larger community by that measure.
Are etherpad and openvidu free?
Both are open source. etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and openvidu under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etherpad and openvidu?
etherpad is written in TypeScript and openvidu 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 openvidu?
Choose etherpad if you want the larger community (18,554 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose openvidu if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.