Berty vs Etherpad

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureBertyEtherpad
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 9,268★ 18,481
First released20182011
ReplacesWhatsApp, SignalGoogle Docs

Why pick each one

Choose Berty if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Mature project with 9.3k GitHub stars
  • Written in TypeScript
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Berty details

Choose Etherpad if…

  • Very mature and stable
  • Highly extensible
Etherpad details

Frequently asked questions

Is Berty or Etherpad better?

Etherpad is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Berty if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Berty and Etherpad free and open-source?

Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Etherpad under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Berty and Etherpad with Docker?

Berty: check the project docs for container support. Etherpad: yes.

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