CryptPad
FreeEnd-to-end encrypted office suite — docs, spreadsheets, kanban, code pads. No account needed for guest use. Hosted in France, GDPR-native. The privacy-first Google Docs alternative.
How to install CryptPad as a PWA
Why we recommend CryptPad
CryptPad is the only mainstream office suite where the server cannot read your documents. End-to-end encryption isn't a privacy-policy promise — it's enforced cryptographically: keys are derived in your browser, the server stores ciphertext, and even the CryptPad team running cryptpad.fr cannot decrypt your content. That makes it a serious option for journalists, lawyers, French public-sector teams (it's hosted in France, GDPR-native, used by some ministerial workgroups), and anyone whose threat model includes the document host. Compared to Google Docs or Office 365, you trade some polish (formatting features are good but not 1:1 with Word) for a guarantee no big-tech vendor can match. The toolset covers what most teams need daily: rich-text Pad, Sheet (CSV-compatible), Kanban, Code (with syntax highlighting), Slide, Whiteboard, and Forms. Real-time collaboration works without an account — you share an URL with the encryption key in the fragment, recipients edit instantly. For sensitive enterprise use, self-host the server (Docker setup is well-documented) and you keep everything inside your own infrastructure.
Best use cases
Best for: encrypted meeting notes between lawyers and clients, GDPR-strict EU teams replacing Google Workspace, classroom collaboration where students don't have accounts, fast secure brainstorming sessions (drop a Whiteboard URL into Signal, done), and local government/healthcare projects requiring EU data residency. The no-account workflow is uniquely good for one-off shared documents — no signup friction at all.
Honest limitations
Not for: heavy spreadsheet users who need real Excel formula compatibility (Sheet covers basics, not power-user pivot tables). Not for: teams needing comment threads with @mentions and approvals — the workflow features lag behind Google Docs. Performance on documents over ~50 pages can stutter on older devices because all encryption/decryption happens in-browser. Free-tier storage on cryptpad.fr is capped (1GB); heavy use means self-hosting or paying for a managed instance.
Frequently asked questions about CryptPad
Is CryptPad really end-to-end encrypted?
Yes — CryptPad enforces end-to-end encryption cryptographically, not as a policy. Keys are derived in your browser, the server stores only ciphertext, and even the CryptPad team running cryptpad.fr cannot decrypt your content. The encryption key lives in the URL fragment (after the #), which is never sent to the server. This makes it suitable for legal, medical, and journalistic threat models where the document host must be untrusted.
Is CryptPad free?
CryptPad is free on the public cryptpad.fr instance with a 1GB storage cap and most features unlocked. Paid plans on cryptpad.fr provide more storage (5GB to unlimited) and team features. The source code is AGPL-licensed and self-hostable: a typical Docker setup runs on a 2GB VPS for under $10/month, with no per-user fees, which is why many EU government workgroups prefer self-hosting over the cloud version.
How does CryptPad compare to Google Docs?
CryptPad covers the core office workflow (rich-text, spreadsheet, slides, kanban, whiteboard, forms) with real-time collaboration, but trades polish for privacy. You give up: deep Excel formula compatibility, comment threads with @mentions, advanced workflow features, and AI assistance. You gain: cryptographic privacy, EU/France hosting, no-account guest editing, no big-tech lock-in. For most documents and meeting notes, CryptPad is a viable replacement; for finance teams running pivot tables, Google Docs or Excel remains stronger.
Can I use CryptPad offline?
CryptPad works as a Progressive Web App and supports offline read access once a document has been loaded. Edits made offline are queued and synced when the network returns. Full offline editing is best supported on the Pad (rich-text) and Code apps; Sheet and Slide have partial offline support. For long offline sessions, prefer self-hosting on your local network or using the desktop-installable PWA wrapper.
Who uses CryptPad in production?
CryptPad is deployed in several EU ministerial workgroups (notably in France via XWiki / NLnet grants), legal teams handling client-privileged communications, universities running classroom collaboration without student accounts, journalists collaborating on sensitive investigations, and developer teams seeking a self-hosted alternative to Google Docs for internal documentation. Adoption is highest in France, Germany, and the broader EU public-sector market.
Where CryptPad is heading (12-24 months)
- →Stronger spreadsheet engine (CryptPad team is iterating on formula compatibility with Excel and Google Sheets).
- →Native mobile apps may close the install-friction gap that currently favors Google Docs on iOS/Android.
- →Integration with Nextcloud and other EU sovereign-cloud platforms is expanding in 2026.
Related questions
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini usually suggest these next.
- How do I self-host CryptPad on a VPS?
- Is CryptPad approved for ANSSI / RGPD-strict French public-sector use?
- What is the maximum document size in CryptPad?
- Does CryptPad support SSO / SAML for enterprise teams?
- How does CryptPad compare to ONLYOFFICE for spreadsheet-heavy workloads?
More in Productivity
Open-source office suite with pixel-perfect DOCX/XLSX/PPTX compatibility. Self-hostable or cloud. The best free replacement for Google Docs when you need perfect Microsoft format support.
Open-source spreadsheet-database hybrid — like Airtable but self-hostable and free. Build relational tables with formulas, linked records, and custom views without monthly fees.
Local-first Notion alternative that stores notes as plain Markdown files directly on your disk. No cloud sync required. Your notes are yours forever — open in any editor.
AI-powered workspace for tasks, mind maps, and real-time collaboration. Installs as a PWA with full offline support. Combines the best of Notion, Trello, and a task manager.
Open-source project management for agile teams. Scrum, Kanban, and issues — free forever, self-hostable. The Jira/Trello alternative that respects your data.
Turn your plain text notes into a public website instantly. Write in markdown, share as a linked web — a minimalist Notion Pages alternative with zero setup.