EtherCalc vs MarkText Workspace
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
MarkText Workspace
Self-hosted markdown document workspace
| Feature | EtherCalc | MarkText Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | CPAL-1.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,041 | ★ 12,572 |
| First released | 2013 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Google Sheets | Dropbox Paper, Notion |
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 MarkText Workspace if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 12.6k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is EtherCalc or MarkText Workspace better?
Neither is universally better. MarkText Workspace has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are EtherCalc and MarkText Workspace free and open-source?
Yes. EtherCalc is licensed under CPAL-1.0 and MarkText Workspace under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EtherCalc and MarkText Workspace with Docker?
EtherCalc: yes. MarkText Workspace: yes.