CryptPad The European alternative to Google Docs / Google Sheets

CryptPad is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted collaborative editor from the French software company XWiki SAS, based in Paris. The platform offers real-time collaboration for text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, kanban boards, code editor, whiteboard, forms, and diagrams. Encryption takes place entirely in the browser (zero-knowledge architecture), so neither the operator nor an attacker can access the content. The project was originally funded through a research grant from BPI France.

The public server cryptpad.fr is hosted in France at OVHcloud and meets European data protection standards. XWiki SAS has been based in Paris since 2004 and has received multiple grants from BPI France and the European Union. Alternatively, CryptPad can be fully self-hosted, as the code is available under the AGPL-3.0 license. The CryptPad Cloud variant also runs on OVHcloud data centers in the EU.

Google Docs transfers all documents unencrypted to Google servers. CryptPad uses zero-access encryption in the browser, so even the XWiki servers cannot read content. Access protection is not through user accounts but through cryptographic keys in the link, which are not transmitted to the server. Using cryptpad.fr is possible without registration; with an account, users receive 1 GB of free storage.