CryptPad Review, Pricing & Features

CryptPad is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted office suite for docs, sheets, and forms. See features, self-hosting options, and CryptPad pricing plans.

Category
Productivity
Pricing
Free/Open Source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2015
Headquarters
Paris, France
Free PlanWeb AppOpen SourceFreemiumSelf-Hosted

Overview

CryptPad is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted office suite offering rich text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, kanban boards, a whiteboard, forms, and file storage. It grew out of a research project by Caleb James De Lisle at XWiki SAS, a Paris-based open-source software company, and is now maintained by a dedicated CryptPad team within XWiki led by David Benque.

The defining feature of CryptPad is its zero-knowledge architecture: all encryption and decryption happens in the user's browser, so the server operator, including the CryptPad.fr flagship instance, cannot read document content, file names, or credentials.

Key Features

CryptPad supports real-time collaborative editing through ChainPad, a CRDT-based algorithm designed specifically to synchronize encrypted documents without exposing plaintext to the server.

The suite covers the core needs of an office productivity tool, documents, spreadsheets, slides, code/markdown, kanban project boards, whiteboards, and forms, all under the same encrypted, self-hostable architecture.

Pricing

CryptPad is free and open source, and can be self-hosted at no cost. The flagship CryptPad.fr instance offers free accounts plus optional individual paid plans from about €5 to €100 per month for additional storage.

Organizations wanting a managed or dedicated deployment can purchase Enterprise plans starting around €1,500 per year, scaling from a 50-user/100GB Mini tier at about €3,000/year up to a 1,000-user/1TB Large tier at about €25,000/year, with a 50% discount for education and nonprofits.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • True end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption not offered by most mainstream office suites
  • Free and open source, with no-cost self-hosting available
  • Covers most common office suite needs (docs, sheets, slides, kanban, forms) in one product
  • Backed by an established open-source company (XWiki SAS) rather than an anonymous project

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing server maintenance
  • Feature depth and polish can lag behind mainstream suites like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
  • Enterprise pricing tiers can be costly for larger organizations compared to open self-hosting
  • Small maintaining team relative to the scope of a full office suite

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CryptPad free to use?

Yes. CryptPad is free and open source, and free accounts with baseline storage are available on the flagship CryptPad.fr instance; it can also be self-hosted at no cost.

What does 'end-to-end encrypted' mean for CryptPad documents?

All encryption and decryption happens in the user's browser before data is sent to the server, so the server operator cannot read document content, file names, or passwords.

Who develops and maintains CryptPad?

CryptPad is maintained by a dedicated team within XWiki SAS, a Paris-based open-source software company, led by David Benque, building on original work by Caleb James De Lisle.

Can I self-host CryptPad?

Yes. CryptPad's server software is open source and can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure at no licensing cost, giving full control over data location and privacy.

What is included in CryptPad's office suite?

CryptPad includes rich text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, a code/markdown editor, kanban boards, a whiteboard, forms, and encrypted file storage.

How much do CryptPad Enterprise plans cost?

Enterprise plans start around €1,500 per year and scale by user count and storage, from about €3,000/year for 50 users and 100GB up to about €25,000/year for 1,000 users and 1TB, with education and nonprofit discounts available.

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