Self-hosted alternatives to Google Docs
Want collaborative online documents and spreadsheets without handing your data to Google Docs? These 6 open-source apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $20/month.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etherpad | Actively maintained | 18.6k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| Grist | Actively maintained | 12k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| CryptPad | Actively maintained | 8k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| ONLYOFFICE | Actively maintained | 7.1k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| Collabora Online Development Edition | Health unknown | – | MPL-2.0 | – | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| Digislides | Health unknown | – | AGPL-3.0 | – | 4 GB | $20/mo |
The options in detail
1. Etherpad
Highly customizable online editor providing collaborative editing in real-time.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release v3.3.13 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
2. Grist
Next-generation spreadsheet with relational structure, formula-based access control, and a portable, self-contained format (alternative to Airtable).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release v1.7.22 (2026-10-29). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. CryptPad
Collaboration suite built to enable collaboration, synchronizing changes to documents in real time.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-28. Latest release 2026.10.0 (2026-10-21). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. ONLYOFFICE
Office suite that enables you to manage documents, projects, team and customer relations in one place.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-26. Latest release v10.0.0 (2026-10-12). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. Collabora Online Development Edition
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.
Health unknown Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
6. Digislides
Create multimedia presentations in a quick and easy way (documentation in French).
Health unknown Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Google Docs?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Actively maintained and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
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Other alternatives guides
Google Docs is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.