head to head · open source
etherpad vs octo-server
etherpad has 18,617 GitHub stars, 3,060 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. octo-server has 1,105 stars, 175 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped yesterday. etherpad leads on adoption by 1,585% (18,617 vs 1,105 stars). etherpad is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; octo-server is written in Go under Apache-2.0. etherpad has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, octo-server 16%. 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 | octo-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 175 |
| 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 octo-server if
- You want the octo-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and octo-server 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 octo-server
OCTO — the open workplace built for humans × AI agents. Let Lobsters (OpenClaw powered digital doubles) do the thinking and doing . You focus on taste . 🏠 OCTO Home · 🚀 Quickstart · 📦 Ecosystem · 🤝 Contributing 🌐 Read in : English · 简体中文 OCTO Server The Go backend at the centre of OCTO — REST + WebSocket APIs, Lobster agent orchestration, and the control plane for WuKongIM. octo server is the heart of the OCTO platform. It exposes REST + WebSocket APIs consumed by octo web and octo admin , orchestrates business logic and Lobster (AI agent) scheduling, and drives the WuKongIM IM core for real time messaging…
read the full octo-server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or octo-server more popular?
etherpad has 18,617 GitHub stars and octo-server has 1,105. etherpad has the larger community by that measure.
Are etherpad and octo-server free?
Both are open source. etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and octo-server under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etherpad and octo-server?
etherpad is written in TypeScript and octo-server in Go. 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 octo-server?
Choose etherpad if you want the larger community (18,617 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose octo-server if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.