EtherCalc vs HeyForm
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
HeyForm
Open-source conversational form builder
| Feature | EtherCalc | HeyForm |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | CPAL-1.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,041 | ★ 8,922 |
| First released | 2013 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Google Sheets | Typeform |
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)
Choose HeyForm if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.9k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is EtherCalc or HeyForm better?
Neither is universally better. HeyForm 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 HeyForm free and open-source?
Yes. EtherCalc is licensed under CPAL-1.0 and HeyForm under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EtherCalc and HeyForm with Docker?
EtherCalc: yes. HeyForm: yes.