Etherpad vs Ferdium
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Etherpad
Real-time collaborative document editor
VS
Ferdium
All-in-one messenger that combines chat services
| Feature | Etherpad | Ferdium |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,481 | ★ 4,478 |
| First released | 2011 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Docs | Rambox, Station |
Why pick each one
Choose Ferdium if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Etherpad or Ferdium better?
Neither is universally better. Etherpad has the larger community, while Ferdium is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Etherpad and Ferdium free and open-source?
Yes. Etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ferdium under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Etherpad and Ferdium with Docker?
Etherpad: yes. Ferdium: yes.