PrivacyTools.io
Reviewed by Marco Wollank
Replace today: Google Docs Microsoft 365

Productivity & Collaboration Privacy Tools for Work

Private alternatives to Google Docs, Microsoft 365, vetted against our public criteria.

Grouped by threat level

Covered Easy start and good defaults for everyone
Hardened Some setup and real gains for the willing

How they compare

Tool Type Based in Cost
CryptPad 		Office suite France Freemium
PrivMX 		Teamwork Poland ·
Collabora Online 		Office suite United Kingdom ·
ONLYOFFICE 		Office suite Latvia Freemium
LibreOffice 		Office suite Germany Free
Etherpad 		Doc editor · Free
Vikunja 		Tasks Germany Free
EtherCalc 		Spreadsheet · Free

Office and collaboration suites are convenient because the provider can read everything you write, which is exactly the problem. The tools here keep the real-time collaboration and drop the silent reading, several with end-to-end encryption or self-hosting. They span document and spreadsheet co-editing, full office suites you run locally, quick collaborative editors, and task management. These are the ones that keep your work yours.

Why mainstream suites can read your work

Real-time editing and server-side search both work because the provider can read your documents on its servers. That readable copy is what powers the features, and it is also what gets scanned and indexed, then exposed in a breach or handed over under a legal demand. There is no setting that removes it, because removing it would remove the features it enables. A tool like CryptPad takes the other path: it encrypts your documents in the browser before they reach the server, so the people you invite are the only ones who can read them, and the host stores nothing it can open.

How we pick

Every tool here is measured against our public listing criteria. For this category that means end-to-end encryption or self-hosting, with open-source code where possible and export to open formats so your work is never trapped in one service. We weigh jurisdiction as one factor rather than a hard gate, and a tool only makes the list if we would trust our own documents to it. We say plainly where each one trades polish for confidentiality.

What to look for in a private office suite

Match the tool to the work first. If you need live co-editing, end-to-end encryption is the feature that matters, since it is the only thing that keeps the syncing server from reading along. If you mainly work solo, a powerful local suite like LibreOffice wins simply because nothing ever leaves your machine. Beyond that, look for open-source code and export to open formats so documents stay portable and never trapped in one service. Self-hosting is the strongest version of all of this, because nobody but the people you invite ever touches the file.

Are these as capable as Google Docs?

For the work most people actually do, yes. Document editing, spreadsheets, comments, and shared cursors are all here, and the import and export paths mean your existing files move in and out cleanly. The honest catch is at the edges: an encrypted, browser-based suite can feel a touch heavier than a service backed by a giant server farm, and a deeply nested database from another app may need rebuilding by hand. Most teams find the gap is in polish rather than capability, and a fair trade for documents the host cannot read.

How to switch

Pick the tool that matches how you work, export your existing files, and import them into the new one, spot-checking anything with complex formatting. If you are leaving Google’s office tools specifically, our Google Docs alternatives page walks through the move. Keep the old account in read-only mode for a few weeks as a safety net while the habit settles. To replace the wider suite of work tools, the de-Microsoft playbook covers the rest, and a private team chat closes the communication side that documents alone leave open.

Frequently asked

Can several people edit at the same time?
Yes. These tools support real-time collaboration with shared cursors, the way you already work. The difference is that on the encrypted ones the server syncing your edits cannot read the document.
Will it open my Word and Excel files?
Most import common formats like DOCX and XLSX, and export back to them, so documents move in and out without getting trapped. Complex layouts are worth a quick check after import.
Can I self-host these tools?
Several options here are open source and run on your own server, which is the strongest privacy setup since the documents never touch anyone else's infrastructure. Hosted versions exist too if you would rather not run it yourself.
How is an encrypted suite different from a private Google Docs setting?
A sharing setting hides a document from other people, but the provider can still read it on its servers, because that readable copy is what powers search and the live features. An end-to-end encrypted suite removes that copy entirely, so the host stores text it cannot open. The protection comes from the design, not from a permission you toggle.
Does end-to-end encryption slow collaboration down?
There can be a small cost, since the encryption work happens in your browser rather than on a powerful server, and a very large or complex document is where you might feel it. For everyday writing and spreadsheets the difference is rarely noticeable. If raw speed on huge files matters more than confidentiality, a local office suite is the better fit.
Is a local office suite private if it has no cloud at all?
Yes, and in a sense it is the simplest privacy story there is, because a suite that runs entirely on your machine has nothing to send anywhere. The trade is that you give up effortless real-time co-editing and have to handle sync and backups yourself. It suits people who value full local control over live collaboration.