DumbPad vs Spreadsheet by Univer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted office suites options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
DumbPad
Simple notepad application
VS
Spreadsheet by Univer
Embeddable open-source spreadsheet engine
| Feature | DumbPad | Spreadsheet by Univer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 70 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 463 | ★ 22,008 |
| First released | 2025 | 2012 |
| Replaces | — | Google Sheets, Excel Online |
Why pick each one
Choose DumbPad if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 70 MB RAM
Choose Spreadsheet by Univer if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 22k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is DumbPad or Spreadsheet by Univer better?
Neither is universally better. Spreadsheet by Univer has the larger community, while DumbPad is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DumbPad and Spreadsheet by Univer free and open-source?
Yes. DumbPad is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Spreadsheet by Univer under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DumbPad and Spreadsheet by Univer with Docker?
DumbPad: check the project docs for container support. Spreadsheet by Univer: yes.