Plainpad vs ConvertX
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 | Plainpad | ConvertX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | AGPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 422 | ★ 18,354 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | — | CloudConvert, Zamzar |
Why pick each one
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
Choose ConvertX if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 18.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Plainpad or ConvertX better?
Neither is universally better. ConvertX has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Plainpad and ConvertX free and open-source?
Yes. Plainpad is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only and ConvertX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Plainpad and ConvertX with Docker?
Plainpad: check the project docs for container support. ConvertX: yes.