CryptPad
FreemiumEnd-to-end encrypted collaboration suite
About CryptPad
CryptPad is a zero-knowledge, end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite built with JavaScript and Node.js. Everything is encrypted client-side before it touches the server — the server operator can't read your documents. Around 10K GitHub stars. It includes rich text docs, spreadsheets, kanban boards, whiteboards, forms, and markdown pads. The encryption is real and has been independently audited, which puts it in a different category from tools that only encrypt data at rest. Storage is quota-based with a Teams feature for shared workspaces. The tradeoff is performance: client-side crypto means slower load times, especially on older hardware. Mobile experience is genuinely rough — the UI wasn't designed for touch and complex documents lag on phones. Subscribers fund the project; the free tier limits you to 1GB storage. It's one of the few genuinely private collaboration tools you can self-host, which is why journalists and researchers actually use it rather than just recommend it in theory.
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Free
- 1GB storage
- All apps
- No account required
- Basic collaboration
Premium
- 5GB storage
- Priority support
- Custom subdomain
- Extended history
Team
- 20GB storage
- Custom branding
- Admin panel
- Team management
Pros
- Zero-knowledge encryption
- No account required
- GDPR compliant
- Multiple app types
Cons
- Slower than unencrypted alternatives
- Limited storage on free tier
- Fewer integrations
Best For
- Privacy-sensitive document collaboration
- Teams needing verifiable E2E encryption
- Journalists, researchers, and activists
- Compliance scenarios requiring zero-knowledge storage
Not Ideal For
- Mobile-first teams
- Performance-critical workflows on older hardware
Potential Deal Breakers
- Noticeably slower than non-encrypted alternatives
- Mobile experience is poor
- 1GB free tier storage limit
Data & Privacy
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite. All documents encrypted client-side before reaching the server. Server admin cannot read content. Self-hostable. Zero-knowledge architecture. French company. Strong privacy by design.
Who Is This For?
Hands-on tested 2026-05
Signup Experience
Free tier on cryptpad.fr requires no account for basic use. Registered accounts unlock storage and persistence. Self-hosting via Docker is well-documented for teams wanting full control.
For Home Users
Best choice for privacy-conscious users needing collaborative docs. E2EE means even the server cannot read your content. Feature set covers most office productivity needs without Google or Microsoft.
For Business Users
Strong fit for organizations with strict data confidentiality requirements. Zero-knowledge architecture is a genuine differentiator. Self-hosted option gives IT full control. Lacks some polish of commercial suites.
Our Verdict
If you actually need zero-knowledge encryption, CryptPad delivers — the audit holds up. The performance hit is real but acceptable on modern hardware. Don't use it expecting the speed of Google Docs; that's not what it's optimizing for.