Overleaf vs Plainpad
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?
| Feature | Overleaf | Plainpad |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,007 | ★ 422 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | — | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Overleaf if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 18k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Plainpad if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Overleaf or Plainpad better?
Neither is universally better. Overleaf has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Overleaf and Plainpad free and open-source?
Yes. Overleaf is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and Plainpad under AGPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Overleaf and Plainpad with Docker?
Overleaf: check the project docs for container support. Plainpad: check the project docs for container support.