Welcome to CryptPad!
Introduction
Whether you’re writing a novel, budgeting a wedding, delivering a keynote presentation for fun, or running a survey in your local community, you need to manage your documents somehow, and it sure would be nice to know that nobody is snooping around your data who shouldn’t be. In an age of near ubiquitous digital surveillance and data harvesting, CryptPad offers a refreshing way to create, collaborate, and share documents securely via the internet.
What is CryptPad?
CryptPad is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted, collaborative office suite that runs in your browser. CryptPad supports a number of collaborative, real-time editors including:
- Word Documents
- Spreadsheets
- Presentations
- Forms
- KanBan Boards
- Whiteboards
You can view all of the different applications in detail on CryptPad’s documentation website.
Who is behind CryptPad?
CryptPad is developed and maintained by XWiki, an independent software company based in France. XWiki began developing CryptPad in late 2014 with only a handful of developers; as of 2024 there were fewer than ten full-time employees dedicated to the CryptPad project.
As CryptPad has grown and developed it has come to demand more from its’ developers. XWiki is seeking to grow the subscription and donation revenue streams for CryptPad to ensure that they can stay focused on building the best software for end-users. If you’d like more information on the financials of the project, you can check out the latest funding update on CryptPad’s blog for a full rundown.
If you find value in using CryptPad and wish to support its’ continued development, consider getting a paid plan on CryptPad’s flagship instance hosted by XWiki or donating via Open Collective. If you work in a larger team or organization, XWiki also offers Enterprise Solutions that help financially support the project.
How can I get started with CryptPad?
Before registering a free account, I recommend you have the following:
- A device with both an internet connection and a trusted web browser.
- A unique, secure, and memorable password/passphrase.
- A safe place to store your login credentials such as a password manager or analog solution such as a personal notebook in a lock-box.
After procuring the above, proceed to:
- Select a public CryptPad Instance. If you don’t know which one to pick, just go with the flagship instance.
- After selecting your instance, click the “Sign Up” button. You will be prompted to create a username and password. Make certain that you keep these credentials stored in a safe place as it is impossible (by design) to retrieve your account data if you misplace them.
- Sign in and familiarize yourself with the CryptDrive landing page. This is where you will create and organize all of your documents.
Where can I learn more about CryptPad?
Extensive documentation is maintained by the CryptPad community including a general User Guide of CryptPad’s features, an FAQ, and an Administrator Guide for those wishing to self-host their own CryptPad instance.
Last Updated: 6 months ago