📁 Cloud storage & office Open source Privacy ★★★★★
CryptPad
E2EE collaboration—even without an account
Overview
CryptPad from XWiki SAS (France) stores only encrypted blobs server-side; keys live in URL fragments or user keys.
Reimplements “anyone with the link” sharing more safely than Google Docs for sensitive drafts.
AGPL-licensed with optional self-hosting for full control.
Scores
Privacy 5/5
Ease of use 4/5
Features 3/5
Value 4/5
Google Drive / Docs — comparison
No Drive capacity, search, or Gemini—but co-editing stays unreadable to the server operator. Chooses privacy over Google Docs comfort.
Pros
- ✓ Start collaborating instantly without signup
- ✓ Self-hostable under AGPL
- ✓ Spreadsheets, whiteboards, polls, and more
Cons & caveats
- − Less capable than Google Docs/Sheets
- − Performance drops with large files or many editors
- − Limited SSO and audit logs for enterprises
Best for
- Temporary meeting notes and sensitive drafts
- Journalists and NGOs handling confidential documents
- Small teams leaving Google Docs but keeping browser editing
Not ideal for
- Company-wide file servers at terabyte scale
- Workflows requiring full Microsoft Office compatibility
Specs
- Pricing
- Free + paid — Free 5 GB on cryptpad.fr. Premium €5/month (50 GB). Self-host: free software plus server cost.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Data location
- France (cryptpad.fr) or your self-hosted server.
- Platforms
- Web · Self-hosted
Zero-knowledgeRich text/Sheets/Kanban自己ホスト可フランスホスト
Migration from Google Drive / Docs
- 1 Export Google Docs to .docx/.csv → import to CryptPad
- 2 Replace shared Doc links with CryptPad pads
- 3 Use Nextcloud or similar for long-term archival
- 4 Train collaborators on URL fragment (#) key handling
Setup steps
- 1 Open cryptpad.fr or your self-hosted instance
- 2 Choose pad type (Document, Sheet, Kanban, etc.)
- 3 Share URL—protect the fragment after # from leaks
- 4 Create an account optionally to expand storage