7 jobs · 24 apps
Open source software: the best free apps by category (2026)
The best open source software, one top pick per category, includes Excalidraw for note-taking & editors, Etherpad for office suites and Gitea for project management.
One top open-source pick for each of the most-searched kinds of software, from documents and project management to accounting, backups and AI. Each pick is the highest-ranked open-source app in its catalog category, so the list covers everyday needs instead of repeating one kind of app.
Open source means the code is published under an OSI-approved license: you can use it for free, read and change it, and run it on your own server.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Excalidraw
excalidraw/excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
UtilitiesTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Top pick for note-taking & editors: Excalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Lucidchart.
- Rank 2:
Etherpad
ether/etherpad
Highly customizable online editor providing collaborative editing in real-time.
Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Office SuitesTypeScriptDockerStands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Top pick for office suites: Etherpad has 18,601 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,044 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Docs.
- Rank 3:
Gitea
go-gitea/gitea
Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Project ManagementGoDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Top pick for project management: Gitea has 58,738 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,909 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab.
At a glance
Open source software: the best free apps by category compared
Each pick is the highest-ranked open-source app in its catalog category on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits, and an app appears only once. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excalidraw | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 134,690 | 285 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Etherpad | a permissive Apache-2.0 license | Apache-2.0 | 18,601 | 1,044 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Gitea | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 58,738 | 1,909 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Super Productivity | the most recent release (v19.3.1, October 2026) | MIT | 23,205 | 7,004 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| SiYuan | the most commits in the last 12 months (10,161) | AGPL-3.0 | 46,973 | 10,161 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Stirling-PDF | – | Apache-2.0 | 95,215 | 2,068 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| penpot | – | MPL-2.0 | 61,776 | 5,322 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Rocket.Chat | – | MIT | 46,344 | 2,486 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Jitsi Meet | – | Apache-2.0 | 30,158 | 926 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Twenty | – | AGPL-3.0 | 59,965 | 9,000 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
1 of 7 · 5 picks
Work and productivity
- 1
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Top pick for note-taking & editors: Excalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Lucidchart.
- 2
Etherpad
Highly customizable online editor providing collaborative editing in real-time.
Office SuitesDockerStands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Top pick for office suites: Etherpad has 18,601 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,044 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Docs.
- 3
Gitea
Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD.
Project ManagementDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Top pick for project management: Gitea has 58,738 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,909 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab.
- 4
Super Productivity
Advanced todo list app with integrated timeboxing and time tracking capabilities. Integrates with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Redmine and OpenProject.
Task ManagementDockerStands out for the most recent release (v19.3.1, October 2026). Top pick for task management: Super Productivity has 23,205 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 7,004 commits in the last year; it replaces Todoist.
- 5
SiYuan
A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (10,161). Top pick for wikis & knowledge bases: SiYuan has 46,973 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,161 commits in the last year.
2 of 7 · 2 picks
Documents and utilities
- 1
Stirling-PDF
Local hosted web application that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files, such as merging, splitting, file conversions and OCR.
Document ManagementDockerTop pick for document management: Stirling-PDF has 95,215 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,068 commits in the last year; it replaces Adobe Acrobat.
- 2
penpot
Web-based design and prototyping platform meant for cross-domain teams.
UtilitiesDockerTop pick for utilities: penpot has 61,776 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,322 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Canva.
3 of 7 · 2 picks
Communication
- 1
Rocket.Chat
Communications platform that puts data protection first (alternative to Gitter.im and Slack).
Team ChatDockerTop pick for team chat: Rocket.Chat has 46,344 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,486 commits in the last year; it replaces Slack and Discord.
- 2
Jitsi Meet
WebRTC application that uses Jitsi Videobridge to provide high quality, scalable video conferences.
Video Conferencing & VoIPDockerTop pick for video conferencing & VoIP: Jitsi Meet has 30,158 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 926 commits in the last year; it replaces Zoom and Google Meet.
4 of 7 · 6 picks
Business
- 1
Twenty
A modern CRM offering the flexibility of open source, advanced features, and a sleek design.
CRMDockerTop pick for CRM: Twenty has 59,965 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 9,000 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and HubSpot.
- 2
Odoo
Free open source ERP system.
ERP & InventoryDockerTop pick for accounting & invoicing: Odoo has 55,380 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,454 commits in the last year; it replaces NetSuite and SAP Business One.
- 3
ERPNext
ERP system to help you run your business.
ERP & InventoryDockerTop pick for point of sale: ERPNext has 40,687 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,424 commits in the last year; it replaces NetSuite and SAP Business One.
- 4
Ever Gauzy
Open business management platform for collaborative, on-demand and sharing economies (ERP/CRM/HRM/ATS/PM).
HR & Time TrackingDockerTop pick for ERP & inventory: Ever Gauzy has 8,635 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,783 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday.
- 5
Strapi
Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface.
CMSTop pick for CMS: Strapi has 73,390 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,699 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow.
- 6
Metabase
Easy way for everyone in your company to ask questions and learn from data.
AnalyticsDockerTop pick for analytics: Metabase has 49,881 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 7,206 commits in the last year; it replaces Metabase Cloud and Tableau.
5 of 7 · 3 picks
Photos, media and files
- 1
ImmichFeatured
Photo and video backup solution directly from your mobile phone (alternative to Google Photos).
Photo GalleriesDockerTop pick for photo galleries: Immich has 117,454 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,902 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Photos and Adobe Photoshop.
- 2
JellyfinFeatured
Media server for audio, video, books, comics, and photos with a sleek interface and robust transcoding capabilities. Almost all modern platforms have clients, including Roku, Android TV, iOS, and…
Media ServersDockerTop pick for media servers: Jellyfin has 58,727 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,208 commits in the last year; it replaces Plex and Netflix.
- 3
Syncthing
Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.
File Sync & StorageDockerTop pick for file sync & storage: Syncthing has 89,827 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 244 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.
6 of 7 · 4 picks
Security and operations
- 1
VaultwardenFeatured
Lightweight Bitwarden server API implementation written in Rust.
Password ManagersDockerTop pick for password managers: Vaultwarden has 69,807 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 217 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.
- 2
Uptime Kuma
Easy-to-use self-hosted uptime monitor with status pages and 90+ notification channels.
Monitoring & Status PagesDockerTop pick for monitoring & status pages: Uptime Kuma has 93,018 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,361 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Uptime Robot.
- 3
Apache Airflow
Platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows.
Automation & WorkflowsDockerTop pick for automation & workflows: Apache Airflow has 47,293 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,771 commits in the last year.
- 4
restic
Fast, secure and efficient backup program with encryption and deduplication.
BackupTop pick for backup: restic has 36,851 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license and had 644 commits in the last year.
7 of 7 · 2 picks
AI and home
- 1
Ollama
Get up and running with Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Phi-4, Gemma 3, and other large language models.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeTop pick for AI & LLM tools: Ollama has 185,075 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,263 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- 2
Home AssistantFeatured
Home automation platform.
Home Automation & IoTDockerTop pick for home automation & IoT: Home Assistant has 91,788 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 21,554 commits in the last year; it replaces Nest / SmartThings and Google Home.
Is open source software really free?
Free to use, modify and self-host under its license, yes. You still pay for the server or hardware it runs on, and many projects sell an optional hosted plan or support.
What is the difference between open source and free software?
In practice they describe the same licenses: OSI-approved open-source licenses and FSF free-software licenses both let you use, study, change and share the code. Free of charge is a side effect, not the definition, and source-available licenses are neither.
Is Excalidraw free?
Yes. Excalidraw is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run this stack with Docker?
22 of the 24 apps here publish Docker images, including Excalidraw, Etherpad and Gitea, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups.
How is this list ranked?
Each pick is the highest-ranked open-source app in its catalog category on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits, and an app appears only once. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
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