Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Etherpad

Collaborative editing in really real-time

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Etherpad launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Jottings▲95

   Real-time collaboration in Markdown

   2016 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Brackets 1.0▲190

   An open-source text editor for web designers by Adobe

   2014 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Hackpad▲36

   Collaborate instantly

   2014 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Editorially▲95

   Collaborative writing tool

   2013 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Atom▲145

   A hackable text editor for the 21st Century

   2014 · github.blog · its alternatives →

6. 6PA
   Polyphony – A realtime collaborative text editing lib for web/mobile▲8

   2014 · polyphony-ot.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Contentify▲70

   a real-time collaborative content manager on top of Github

   2014 · thyb.github.io · its alternatives →

8. 8
   CodePad▲3

   Collaborative text editor and compiler for pair programming

   2015 · codeinterview.io · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Quackpad▲139

   Collaborative docs for teams using Slack

   2015 · quackpad.io · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Fulvid▲86

    A standalone desktop editor for Markdown and MDX

    13d ago · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Typewrite▲103

    Real-time collaborative writing

    2014 · typewrite.io · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Restyaboard▲197

    An open source alternative to Trello

    2015 · restya.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Collaborate on Slides▲99

    Shared editing and per-slide feedback on presentations

    2016 · slides.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Etherpad▲4

    Editor providing collaborative editing in really real-time

    2020 · etherpad.org · its alternatives →

15. 15
    MarkRight▲84

    A minimalistic github flavored markdown editor

    2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    CotEditor▲102

    The free plain-text editor for OS X

    2014 · coteditor.com · its alternatives →

17. 17FA
    Firepad, an open source collaborative text editor▲168

    2013 · firepad.io · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Live Sketchpad▲77

    Live collaboration app

    2015 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    PostScripting▲111

    Proofreading and editing done right

    2015 · postscripting.net · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Wick Editor▲88

    The Internet's free and open-source creation suite

    2016 · wickeditor.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Wipster▲96

    A workflow and collaboration tool for video creatives

    2015 · wipster.io · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Comet▲92

    openAPI editor for nerds

    2021 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Collaborative Markdown Editor▲83

    Collaborative editor with end-to-end encryption.

    2017 · standardnotes.org · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Hi▲62

    A real-time writing community.

    2014 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →