CryptPad
cryptpad.fr
Collaborative documents the server cannot read, with no account to start
No sign-up
Loading page
docs.google.com
Several people typing in one document without overwriting each other.
The default answer for real-time collaborative writing: named cursors, suggestion mode, threaded comments and a version history that restores any earlier state. Sharing is a link with a permission level rather than an attachment, which is the actual improvement over emailing a file around a team. Offline editing only works if you enabled the Chrome extension in advance, and a single document tops out around a million characters.
Questions
Free to use, but you have to register before it will do the job. Editing needs a Google account, and offline access only works if you set it up before losing the connection.
Yes. Google Docs sends your input to its own servers to process it. That is fine for public material; for anything containing personal data, use one of the on-device tools instead.
Editing needs a Google account, and offline access only works if you set it up before losing the connection.
Alternatives
Same category or same task, ordered by how closely they overlap.
cryptpad.fr
Collaborative documents the server cannot read, with no account to start
meet.google.com
Video calls anyone with a Google account can join straight from a link
meet.jit.si
Open-source video meetings guests join in a browser with nothing installed
cal.com
Open-source scheduling links you can run on your own server
calendly.com
Send a link and let people book a slot your calendar says is free
doodle.com
Propose several times and let a group tick the ones that work for them