CryptPad vs Citadel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
CryptPad
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite
VS
Citadel
All-in-one groupware, mail and collaboration server
| Feature | CryptPad | Citadel |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,832 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2015 | 1987 |
| Replaces | Google Drive, Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Choose CryptPad if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Real-time collaboration
- No account needed to start
Frequently asked questions
Is CryptPad or Citadel better?
Neither is universally better. CryptPad has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CryptPad and Citadel free and open-source?
Yes. CryptPad is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Citadel under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CryptPad and Citadel with Docker?
CryptPad: yes. Citadel: check the project docs for container support.