Biboumi 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?
FeatureBiboumiEtherpad
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseZlibApache-2.0
LanguageC++TypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM64 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 100★ 18,481
First released20142011
ReplacesGoogle Docs

Why pick each one

Choose Biboumi if…

  • Released under the Zlib license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in C++
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Biboumi details

Choose Etherpad if…

  • Very mature and stable
  • Highly extensible
Etherpad details

Frequently asked questions

Is Biboumi or Etherpad better?

Neither is universally better. Etherpad has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Biboumi and Etherpad free and open-source?

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

Can I run Biboumi and Etherpad with Docker?

Biboumi: yes. Etherpad: yes.

Related comparisons