Open-source alternatives to Google Docs
The most popular self-hosted, open-source alternatives to Google Docs (online office documents) are Etherpad (18,592 GitHub stars), Overleaf (18,252 GitHub stars) and Docs (16,928 GitHub stars). SelfHostHub lists 10 options below, taken from its Office Suites and Note-taking & Editors categories; 7 support Docker and all of them can run on your own server.
Comparison of self-hosted Google Docs alternatives
| Project | GitHub stars | Licence | Language / platform | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etherpad | 18,592 | Apache-2.0 | Nodejs, Docker | Highly customizable online editor providing collaborative editing in real-time. |
| Overleaf | 18,252 | AGPL-3.0 | Ruby | Web-based collaborative LaTeX editor. |
| Docs | 16,928 | MIT | K8S | Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales. |
| Grist | 11,970 | Apache-2.0 | Nodejs, Python, Docker | Next-generation spreadsheet with relational structure, formula-based access control, and a portable, self-contained format (alternative to Airtable). |
| CryptPad | 8,016 | AGPL-3.0 | Nodejs, Docker | Collaboration suite built to enable collaboration, synchronizing changes to documents in real time. |
| HedgeDoc | 7,485 | AGPL-3.0 | Docker, Nodejs | Realtime collaborative markdown notes on all platforms, formerly known as CodiMD and HackMD CE. |
| ONLYOFFICE | 7,032 | AGPL-3.0 | Nodejs, Docker | Office suite that enables you to manage documents, projects, team and customer relations in one place. |
| Livebook | 5,883 | Apache-2.0 | Elixir, Docker | Realtime collaborative notebook app based on Markdown that supports running Elixir code snippets, TeX and Mermaid Diagrams. Easily deployed using Docker or Elixir. |
| Neverkin | 17 | GPL-3.0 | Nodejs, Docker | Collaborative writing, worldbuilding and D&D-session-planning app. Tools for organizing your notes and stories. |
| Collabora Online Development Edition | — | MPL-2.0 | C++ | Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) is a powerful LibreOffice-based online office that supports all major document, spreadsheet and presentation file formats, which you can integrate in your own infrastructure. |
Star counts and licences come from the awesome-selfhosted dataset and may lag GitHub slightly.
Browse the full categories
All self-hosted Office Suites · All self-hosted Note-taking & Editors
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-source alternative to Google Docs?
By GitHub stars, Etherpad is the most popular self-hosted alternative to Google Docs listed here, followed by Overleaf and Docs. The best fit depends on the features and stack you need.
Is there a free self-hosted alternative to Google Docs?
Yes. All 10 projects on this page are open source and can be self-hosted at no licence cost; you pay only for your own server.
Which licences do these Google Docs alternatives use?
The most common licences among them are AGPL-3.0 (4), Apache-2.0 (3) and MIT (1).
Can I run a Google Docs alternative with Docker?
7 of the 10 alternatives list Docker as a supported platform.