Seatsurfing vs ETAR
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted calendar & contacts options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Seatsurfing
Webbased app to book seats, desks and rooms for offices
VS
ETAR
Open-source calendar server companion for events
| Feature | Seatsurfing | ETAR |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 304 | ★ 2,565 |
| First released | 2026 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Google Calendar |
Why pick each one
Choose Seatsurfing if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Seatsurfing or ETAR better?
Neither is universally better. ETAR has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Seatsurfing and ETAR free and open-source?
Yes. Seatsurfing is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ETAR under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Seatsurfing and ETAR with Docker?
Seatsurfing: yes. ETAR: yes.