Self-Hosted Google Docs Alternatives

Google Docs is not available as a self-hosted solution but there are plenty of alternatives for power users and business that want to host a solution on-premise. The best Self-Hosted alternative is ONLYOFFICE. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try CryptPad or Etherpad. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Google Docs and 18 are available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted alternatives to Google Docs are MediaWiki, Foam, Collabora Online and Framapad.

filter to find the best alternatives

Google Docs alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Team Collaboration Tools or Word Processors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online + Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Google Docs.
Google Docs iconGoogle Docs
  950
  • ...

Online word processor offering real-time collaboration, document conversion, robust formatting, revision history, redownloading, and language translation.

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Google Docs alternatives page was last updated Feb 26, 2025
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  1. ONLYOFFICE icon

    ONLYOFFICE

     563 likes
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    Open-source office suite offering document, spreadsheet, and presentation editing with co-editing modes, plugin support, integration across 30+ services, robust security, and mobile access. Available in Community, Enterprise, and Home Server editions for versatile deployment.

    71 ONLYOFFICE alternatives

    License model

    • Free Personal • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • LV flagLatvia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    • Cloudron
    ONLYOFFICE screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Compatible with Microsoft Office
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Real time collaboration
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5. Nextcloud icon  Nextcloud integration
    6.  Team Collaboration
    7.  Export to PDF
    8.  Multiple languages
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Cloud based

    ONLYOFFICE VS Google Docs

     
    Comments about ONLYOFFICE as an Alternative to Google Docs
    Most Recent Comment
    intp
    Positive •Oct 18, 2021
    1

    It's open source and free, and can integrate with many other services like NextCloud

    Shaz Shah
    Positive •Nov 6, 2024
    0

    If you do move from M$ Office then the learning curve with OnlyOffice is not that steep, as they try to emulate the style of Office. The tabbed interface between different types of usage (word processor, spreadsheet, etc) is pretty cool. While the feature parity with Microsoft not there, OnlyOffice is very capable and (in my view) pretty much on par with Google Docs, as it can also be connected with other cloud storage providers.

    Ricardo Biehl Pasquali
    Positive •Mar 6, 2018
    2

    It's a web application and it's open source.

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    3 of 4 comments
    Google Docs Icon
    ONLYOFFICE icon

    • Most users think ONLYOFFICE is a great Google Docs alternative.

    • ONLYOFFICE is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to Google Docs.

    • ONLYOFFICE is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Google Docs.

    • ONLYOFFICE is Free Personal and Open SourceGoogle Docs is Free and Proprietary
  2. CryptPad icon

    CryptPad

     158 likes
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    CryptPad is a private-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. All the content stored on CryptPad is encrypted before being sent, which means nobody can access your data unless you give them the keys.

    71 CryptPad alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Instance homepage

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Distraction-free
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  End-to-End Encryption
    2.  Real time collaboration
    3.  Collaborative writing
    4.  No registration required
    5.  No Tracking
    6.  Document Sharing
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Kanban Board
    9.  Encrypted Notes
    10.  Cloud Sync
    11.  Support for MarkDown
    12.  Works Offline

    CryptPad VS Google Docs

     
    Comments about CryptPad as an Alternative to Google Docs
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Mar 21, 2017
    5

    Zero Knowledge collaborative editor. None of the other editors have this feature which is nescesary in today's world!

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Apr 9, 2019
    0

    sheets and slides are missing

    Most Recent Comment
    Douze
    Positive •May 14, 2022
    0

    CryptPad is both secure AND easy to use. What's not to love about that ? Privacy isn't limited to tech savvy people anymore !

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    3 of 7 comments
    Google Docs Icon
    CryptPad icon

    • Most users think CryptPad is a great Google Docs alternative.

    • CryptPad is Freemium and Open SourceGoogle Docs is Free and Proprietary
    • CryptPad is Privacy focusedGoogle Docs is not according to our users
  4. Etherpad icon

    Etherpad

     95 likes
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    Etherpad is a highly customizable Open Source online editor providing collaborative editing in really real-time.

    55 Etherpad alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Sandstorm
    • Cloudron
    Etherpad screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Real time collaboration
    2.  Collaborative writing
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    6.  Decentralized
    7.  File Versioning

    Etherpad VS Google Docs

     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    ONLYOFFICE icon
    ONLYOFFICE

    Open-source office suite offering document, spreadsheet, and presentation editing with co-editing modes, plugin support, integration across 30+ services, robust security, and mobile access. Available in Community, Enterprise, and...

    https://www.onlyoffice.com
    Learn More
  6. MediaWiki icon

    MediaWiki

     175 likes
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    MediaWiki is a free software wiki package written in PHP, originally for use on Wikipedia. It is now used by several other projects of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation and by many other wikis.

    87 MediaWiki alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Cloudron
    • Sandstorm
    MediaWiki screenshot 1

    Top MediaWiki Features

    1.  WYSIWYG Support
    2.  File Versioning
    3.  Business-wiki
    4.  Multi-user editing
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Semantic Data
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Wiki
    9.  Non profit
    10.  Suggests DSL format
    11.  Web-Based
    12.  Wiki-like interface

    MediaWiki VS Google Docs

     
  7. Foam icon

    Foam

     46 likes
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    Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.

    240 Foam alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Visual Studio Code
    Foam screenshot 1

    Foam Features

    1.  Knowledge base
    2.  VSCode
    3.  Knowledge Management
    4.  Write files in markdown
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Support for MarkDown
    8.  Graph view

    Foam VS Google Docs

     
  8. Collabora Online icon

    Collabora Online

     10 likes
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    Collabora Online is a powerful LibreOffice-based online office suite with collaborative editing, which supports all major document, spreadsheet and presentation file formats and works in all modern browsers.

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    With live video collaboration. Using Talk in the right side bar.

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Online collaboration
    2.  Multiple languages
    3.  Import CSV Data
    4.  Full-Text Search
    5.  WYSIWYG Support
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Real time collaboration
    8.  Spell Checking
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Web-Based
    11.  Online editor
    12.  Cloud based

    Collabora Online VS Google Docs

     
  10. Framapad icon

    Framapad

     10 likes
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    • Create a pad.
    • Start at write your text
    • and invite your employees.
    • Each participant is distinguished by a color
    • and can chat with the group.
    • If necessary, restore an old version from history
    • and when your work is done, export it.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Real time collaboration
    2.  Online collaboration
    3.  Integrated Chat
    4.  Collaborative writing
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No Coding Required
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Cloud Sync
    9.  Embeddable
    10.  Export to PDF

    Framapad VS Google Docs

     
7 of 18 Google Docs alternatives