Best Free & Open Source Alternatives to Google Docs

Etherpad is one of the original open-source real-time collaborative text editors, predating Google Docs and pioneering the concept of simultaneous multi-user document editing. It allows multiple people to edit a document at the same time in their browser, with each user assigned a different color to identify their contributions.

Etherpad is lightweight, fast, and highly extensible through a rich plugin ecosystem. Plugins add features like code highlighting, chat, document export (PDF, Word, HTML), revision history, and integration with external services. It is widely used by universities, governments, newsrooms, and organizations that need a simple, self-hosted collaboration tool.

Licensed under Apache-2.0, Etherpad is one of the most widely deployed open-source collaborative editors in the world with over 18,000 GitHub stars. It can be deployed via Docker and requires minimal resources, making it an excellent choice for organizations looking for a simple Google Docs alternative.

LibreOffice is a powerful, free and open source office suite - the successor project to OpenOffice - used by millions of people around the world. It is compatible with Microsoft Office and is backed by The Document Foundation, a non-profit organization.

The suite includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing). LibreOffice supports a wide range of document formats including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, as well as the open Open Document Format (ODF) standard.

LibreOffice is Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), available for everyone to use, share and modify. It is developed by a worldwide community of hundreds of developers and tested by a large user community. The project releases new versions every six months.

Collabora Online is an open-source, browser-based office suite built on LibreOffice that enables real-time collaborative editing of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It is designed to be integrated into self-hosted platforms such as Nextcloud, ownCloud, and other file sync and share solutions.

Collabora provides exceptional document compatibility, supporting virtually all Microsoft Office file formats and preserving complex formatting from existing documents. Users can collaborate simultaneously with live cursors and presence indicators, and all edits are saved back to the host platform. It supports spell checking, track changes, macros, and advanced formatting features expected in professional office software.

As the commercial offering from Collabora Productivity, the open-source CODE (Collabora Online Development Edition) is available under a browser-based license and can be deployed via Docker. It is the leading open-source alternative for organizations needing a privacy-respecting, self-hosted replacement for Google Docs.

CryptPad is a unique open-source collaboration suite that combines real-time editing with end-to-end encryption. Unlike most cloud office tools, CryptPad ensures that the server never has access to the content of your documents — all encryption and decryption happens in the browser. This zero-knowledge architecture makes it one of the most privacy-respecting alternatives to Google Docs.

CryptPad includes tools for collaborative documents (rich text), spreadsheets, presentations, code editing, forms, whiteboards, and Kanban boards — all available in one unified platform. Documents can be organized in drives and shared securely with teams using cryptographic access controls.

Licensed under AGPL-3.0, CryptPad can be self-hosted and is also available as a managed service at cryptpad.fr. It is actively maintained by a team committed to privacy-first collaboration software and is widely used by journalists, activists, and privacy-conscious organizations.

HedgeDoc (formerly CodiMD) is an open-source, self-hosted realtime collaborative markdown editor. Multiple users can edit the same document simultaneously with real-time sync, making it ideal for meeting notes, documentation, and knowledge sharing.

HedgeDoc supports the full CommonMark markdown spec plus many extensions: math equations (MathJax/KaTeX), diagrams (Mermaid, PlantUML, Graphviz), syntax-highlighted code blocks, interactive checklists, and embedded media. Documents can be published as presentations (using reveal.js), exported to PDF, or shared via public link.

For teams that collaborate on text documents, HedgeDoc provides a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Docs or Notion. It integrates with various authentication providers (LDAP, OAuth, email) and can be deployed with Docker. Each document gets a shareable URL and notes are stored with full version history.

ONLYOFFICE is a free and open-source office suite that provides a web-based platform for creating, editing, and collaborating on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real time. It offers a familiar interface similar to Microsoft Office and supports a wide range of file formats including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.

The suite includes collaborative editing with track changes, comments, version history, and granular access permissions. ONLYOFFICE can be integrated directly into platforms like Nextcloud, Seafile, and ownCloud, making it a powerful self-hosted alternative to Google Workspace tools. It supports formulas, charts, pivot tables, and mail merge for advanced productivity workflows.

Licensed under AGPL-3.0, ONLYOFFICE DocumentServer is fully self-hostable via Docker and is trusted by organizations worldwide. It also offers a desktop application and mobile apps, rounding out a complete productivity suite for teams that want to leave Google Docs and Sheets behind.