Bitpoll vs EteSync
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted calendar & contacts options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Bitpoll
Conduct polls about dates, times or general questions
VS
EteSync
End-to-end encrypted sync for contacts and calendars
| Feature | Bitpoll | EteSync |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 313 | ★ 1,765 |
| First released | 2026 | 2017 |
| Replaces | — | Google Calendar, iCloud |
Why pick each one
Choose Bitpoll if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose EteSync if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitpoll or EteSync better?
Neither is universally better. EteSync has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Bitpoll and EteSync free and open-source?
Yes. Bitpoll is licensed under GPL-3.0 and EteSync under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bitpoll and EteSync with Docker?
Bitpoll: yes. EteSync: yes.