EtherCalc vs Grist
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?
EtherCalc
Real-time collaborative spreadsheet editor
VS
Grist
Spreadsheet meets database for structured data
| Feature | EtherCalc | Grist |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | CPAL-1.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,041 | ★ 11,431 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Sheets | Airtable, Google Sheets |
Why pick each one
Choose EtherCalc if…
- Released under the CPAL-1.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is EtherCalc or Grist better?
Neither is universally better. Grist has the larger community, while EtherCalc is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are EtherCalc and Grist free and open-source?
Yes. EtherCalc is licensed under CPAL-1.0 and Grist under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EtherCalc and Grist with Docker?
EtherCalc: yes. Grist: yes.