Etherpad vs Vrite

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureEtherpadVrite
CategoryChat & CommunicationOffice Suites
LicenseApache-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, source
GitHub stars★ 18,481★ 1,992
First released20112023
ReplacesGoogle DocsNotion, Google Docs

Why pick each one

Choose Etherpad if…

  • Very mature and stable
  • Highly extensible
Etherpad details

Choose Vrite if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (2k GitHub stars)
  • Written in TypeScript
Vrite details

Frequently asked questions

Is Etherpad or Vrite better?

Neither is universally better. Etherpad has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Etherpad and Vrite free and open-source?

Yes. Etherpad is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Vrite under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Etherpad and Vrite with Docker?

Etherpad: yes. Vrite: yes.

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