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Microsoft 365 vs Etherpad: catalog facts
Microsoft 365	Etherpad
Freemium Free web versions are available. Desktop apps require a paid subscription.	Free Free and open source under the Apache licence. Hosting is separate.
Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Web	Web, Self-hosted
The reference implementation of the formats everyone else has to match Desktop, web and mobile apps with real-time co-authoring	Authorship colouring and a timeslider through the entire edit history Very light to run, with a large plugin ecosystem
Subscription pricing, with the desktop apps behind it Closed source, and heavily tied to a Microsoft account	Plain text with minimal formatting; it is not a word processor Plugin quality varies and some conflict
Downloadable app, Hosted service	Self-hosted, Web application
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: Apache-2.0
Account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.