head to head · open source
etherpad vs openvidu
etherpad has 18,617 GitHub stars, 3,060 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. openvidu has 2,141 stars, 482 forks, 103 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. etherpad leads on adoption by 770% (18,617 vs 2,141 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 23%. openvidu 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 | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 482 |
| 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 — 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 openvidu
[![][OpenViduLogo]]( openvidu === Visit openvidu.io What is OpenVidu? OpenVidu is a platform for building real time video conferencing applications. It's built on top of LiveKit and mediasoup, and is developed by a team with over a decade of experience building WebRTC systems. Self hosted : deploy it on your own infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle, DigitalOcean, on premises) or use it as a managed service. API compatible with LiveKit : use any LiveKit client/server SDK unchanged. OpenVidu Meet : a fully featured video conferencing app that ships on top of this platform, ready to use or embed. Advanced media…
read the full openvidu overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is etherpad or openvidu more popular?
etherpad has 18,617 GitHub stars and openvidu has 2,141. 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 (18,617 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.