Comentario 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?
Comentario
Privacy-friendly, self-hosted web comments engine
VS
Etherpad
Real-time collaborative document editor
| Feature | Comentario | Etherpad |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 18,481 |
| First released | 2023 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Disqus | Google Docs |
Why pick each one
Choose Comentario if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Comentario or Etherpad better?
Neither is universally better. Etherpad has the larger community, while Comentario is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Comentario and Etherpad free and open-source?
Yes. Comentario is licensed under MIT and Etherpad under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Comentario and Etherpad with Docker?
Comentario: yes. Etherpad: yes.