Free open-source alternatives to paid apps

Instead of Adobe Photoshop

• GIMP GPL-3.0

  Photo editing, layers and retouching

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• Krita GPL-3.0

  Digital painting and illustration

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Android

Instead of Adobe Illustrator

• Inkscape GPL

  Vector graphics, logos and SVG

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Adobe Lightroom

• darktable GPL-3.0

  RAW editing and photo library

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• RawTherapee GPL-3.0

  Detailed RAW photo processing

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Figma

• Penpot MPL-2.0

  UI design and prototypes in the browser

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Adobe InDesign

• Scribus GPL-2.0

  Page layout for print and PDF

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Miro

• Excalidraw MIT

  Hand-drawn style whiteboard

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio

• draw.io GPL-3.0

  Flowcharts and diagrams

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Web

Instead of Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro

• Kdenlive GPL-3.0

  Multi-track video editor

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• Shotcut GPL-3.0

  Simple editor with lots of formats

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• OpenShot GPL-3.0

  Beginner-friendly video editor

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Adobe After Effects

• Natron GPL-2.0

  Node-based compositing and effects

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Adobe Animate, Toon Boom

• OpenToonz BSD-3-Clause

  2D animation used by anime studios

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• Synfig GPL-3.0

  Vector 2D animation

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Maya, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max

• Blender GPL

  3D modelling, animation and rendering

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Snagit, Camtasia

• ShareX GPL-3.0

  Screenshots, screen recording and GIFs

  Windows

• Flameshot GPL-3.0

  Screenshots with quick annotations

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Loom

• Cap AGPL-3.0

  Record and share screen videos

  Windows · Mac

Instead of Streamlabs Ultra, XSplit

• OBS Studio GPL-2.0

  Streaming and screen recording

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Adobe Audition

• Audacity GPL

  Record and edit audio

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro

• Ardour GPL-2.0

  Full recording studio (DAW)

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• LMMS GPL-2.0

  Beat making and synths

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Sibelius, Finale, Dorico

• MuseScore Studio GPL-3.0

  Write and play back sheet music

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Guitar Pro

• TuxGuitar LGPL

  Guitar tabs that open Guitar Pro files

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• LibreOffice MPL-2.0

  Documents, spreadsheets and slides

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors AGPL-3.0

  Office suite that looks like Microsoft Office

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Microsoft Outlook

• Thunderbird MPL-2.0

  Email, calendar and contacts

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Adobe Acrobat Pro

• Stirling-PDF MIT

  Merge, split, sign and convert PDFs

  Self-hosted · Web

Instead of DocuSign

• Documenso AGPL-3.0

  Send documents for e-signature

  Web · Self-hosted

• DocuSeal AGPL-3.0

  E-signature forms and templates

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Grammarly Premium

• LanguageTool LGPL-2.1

  Grammar and style checks in 30+ languages

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Scrivener

• Manuskript GPL-3.0

  Plan and write novels

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of EndNote

• Zotero AGPL-3.0

  Collect sources and cite them

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android

Instead of Notion

• AppFlowy AGPL-3.0

  Docs, wikis and databases in one place

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android

Instead of Evernote

• Joplin AGPL-3.0

  Notes with sync and Evernote import

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android

• Standard Notes AGPL-3.0

  Encrypted private notes

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android · Web

Instead of Roam Research

• Logseq AGPL-3.0

  Linked notes and daily journal

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android

Instead of Todoist Pro

• Super Productivity MIT

  To-dos with time tracking

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · Web

• Vikunja AGPL-3.0

  Lists, boards and shared projects

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Trello

• Wekan MIT

  Kanban boards you host yourself

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Jira

• Plane AGPL-3.0

  Issues, sprints and roadmaps

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Calendly

• Cal.com MIT

  Booking links for meetings

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Typeform, SurveyMonkey

• Formbricks AGPL-3.0

  Surveys and forms

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Streaks, Habitify

• Loop Habit Tracker GPL-3.0

  Simple habit tracker with streaks

  Android

Instead of Slack

• Element AGPL-3.0

  Encrypted team chat on Matrix

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android · Web

• Rocket.Chat MIT

  Team chat with channels and threads

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android · Self-hosted

Instead of Zoom

• Jitsi Meet Apache-2.0

  Video calls, no account needed

  Web · iPhone · Android · Self-hosted

Instead of TeamViewer, AnyDesk

• RustDesk AGPL-3.0

  Remote desktop and support

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android

Instead of Dropbox, Google Drive

• Nextcloud AGPL-3.0

  Your own cloud: files, calendar, contacts

  Self-hosted · Web · Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android

• Syncthing MPL-2.0

  Sync folders between your devices

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Android

Instead of Google Photos, iCloud Photos

• Immich AGPL-3.0

  Photo backup with face search

  Self-hosted · iPhone · Android · Web

Instead of 1Password, LastPass

• Bitwarden GPL-3.0

  Password manager with free sync

  Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · Android · Web

• KeePassXC GPL

  Offline password vault

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of WinRAR, WinZip

• 7-Zip LGPL

  Zip, 7z and RAR files

  Windows · Linux

• PeaZip LGPL-3.0

  Archive manager with 200+ formats

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of VMware Workstation, Parallels

• VirtualBox GPL-3.0

  Run other operating systems in a window

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Plex Pass

• Jellyfin GPL-2.0

  Stream your own movies and shows

  Self-hosted · Web · iPhone · Android

• Navidrome GPL-3.0

  Stream the music you own

  Self-hosted · Web

Instead of Squarespace, Wix, Substack

• WordPress GPL-2.0

  Websites and blogs of any size

  Self-hosted

• Ghost MIT

  Blog and paid newsletter

  Self-hosted

Instead of Shopify

• WooCommerce GPL

  Online store on WordPress

  Self-hosted

• PrestaShop OSL-3.0

  Standalone online store

  Self-hosted

Instead of Google Analytics

• Matomo GPL-3.0

  Full web analytics you control

  Self-hosted · Web

• Plausible AGPL-3.0

  Simple, cookie-free analytics

  Self-hosted · Web

• Umami MIT

  Lightweight privacy-friendly analytics

  Self-hosted · Web

Instead of Mailchimp

• listmonk AGPL-3.0

  Newsletters and mailing lists

  Self-hosted

• Mautic GPL-3.0

  Marketing automation and email

  Self-hosted

Instead of Zapier, Make

• Activepieces MIT

  No-code automations between apps

  Web · Self-hosted

• Node-RED Apache-2.0

  Visual flows for APIs and devices

  Self-hosted

Instead of Hootsuite, Buffer

• Postiz AGPL-3.0

  Schedule social media posts

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of Zendesk, Intercom

• Chatwoot MIT

  Live chat and shared inbox

  Web · Self-hosted

• FreeScout AGPL-3.0

  Help desk for support emails

  Self-hosted

Instead of Tableau, Power BI

• Apache Superset Apache-2.0

  Dashboards and data exploration

  Self-hosted · Web

• Metabase AGPL-3.0

  Ask questions of your data, no SQL needed

  Self-hosted · Web

Instead of Airtable

• Baserow MIT

  Spreadsheet-style database

  Web · Self-hosted

Instead of YNAB

• Actual Budget MIT

  Envelope budgeting, like YNAB

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Web · Self-hosted

• Firefly III AGPL-3.0

  Personal finance tracker

  Self-hosted · Web

Instead of QuickBooks

• GnuCash GPL

  Double-entry bookkeeping

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Quizlet Plus

• Anki AGPL-3.0

  Flashcards with spaced repetition

  Windows · Mac · Linux · Android

Instead of MATLAB

• GNU Octave GPL-3.0

  Runs most MATLAB code

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of SPSS

• JASP AGPL-3.0

  Point-and-click statistics

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of AutoCAD, SolidWorks

• FreeCAD LGPL-2.0

  3D parametric CAD

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• LibreCAD GPL-2.0

  2D drawings and plans

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of ChatGPT Plus

• Jan Apache-2.0

  Chat with AI models on your own computer

  Windows · Mac · Linux

• Ollama MIT

  Run open AI models locally

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of GitHub Copilot

• Continue Apache-2.0

  AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of Midjourney

• ComfyUI GPL-3.0

  Make AI images on your own GPU

  Windows · Mac · Linux

Instead of MyFitnessPal Premium

• OpenNutriTracker GPL-3.0

  Calorie and macro tracker, no ads

  iPhone · Android

• Waistline GPL-3.0

  Food diary with free barcode scanning

  Android

Instead of Strava subscription

• OpenTracks Apache-2.0

  Record runs, rides and hikes offline

  Android

Instead of Paprika, recipe apps

• Mealie AGPL-3.0

  Recipe box, meal plans and shopping lists

  Self-hosted · Web