CryptPad vs Pydio Cells
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
CryptPad
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite
VS
Pydio Cells
Document sharing and collaboration for organizations
| Feature | CryptPad | Pydio Cells |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,832 | ★ 2,241 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Google Drive, Microsoft 365 | Dropbox, Box, Google Drive |
Why pick each one
Choose CryptPad if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Real-time collaboration
- No account needed to start
Choose Pydio Cells if…
- Strong enterprise features
- Modern Go codebase
- Good access governance
Frequently asked questions
Is CryptPad or Pydio Cells 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 Pydio Cells free and open-source?
Yes. CryptPad is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Pydio Cells under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CryptPad and Pydio Cells with Docker?
CryptPad: yes. Pydio Cells: yes.