7 jobs · 14 apps
Best open source software for freelancers
For a freelancer, a self-hosted stack starts with Odoo for invoicing, Frappe HR for time tracking and Twenty for clients.
A freelancer's toolkit of self-hostable apps for invoicing, time tracking, clients, scheduling and files, ranked with the freelancer profile.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Odoo
odoo/odoo
Free open source ERP system.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
ERP & InventoryPythonDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (17,454). 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.
- Rank 2:
ERPNext
frappe/erpnext
ERP system to help you run your business.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
ERP & InventoryPythonDockerStands out for the longest track record (since 2011). 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.
At a glance
Open source software for freelancers compared
Each section takes the top-ranked apps in one catalog category, scored on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odoo | the most commits in the last 12 months (17,454) | LGPL-3.0 | 55,380 | 17,454 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| ERPNext | the longest track record (since 2011) | GPL-3.0 | 40,687 | 10,424 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Frappe HR | – | GPL-3.0 | 8,970 | 2,970 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Ever Gauzy | – | AGPL-3.0 | 8,635 | 5,783 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Twenty | the most GitHub stars | AGPL-3.0 | 59,965 | 9,000 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Krayin | – | MIT | 24,071 | 535 | Oct 21, 2026 | Yes |
| Cal.diy | – | MIT | 49,455 | 1,968 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Rallly | – | AGPL-3.0 | 5,329 | 1,711 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Gitea | – | MIT | 58,738 | 1,909 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Plane | – | AGPL-3.0 | 61,588 | 771 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
1 of 7 · 2 picks
Invoicing and accounting
- 1
Odoo
Free open source ERP system.
ERP & InventoryDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (17,454). 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.
- 2
ERPNext
ERP system to help you run your business.
ERP & InventoryDockerStands out for the longest track record (since 2011). 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.
2 of 7 · 2 picks
Time tracking
- 1
Frappe HR
Complete HRMS solution with over 13 different modules right from employee management, onboarding, leaves, to payroll, taxation, and more.
HR & Time TrackingDockerFrappe HR has 8,970 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,970 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday.
- 2
Ever Gauzy
Open business management platform for collaborative, on-demand and sharing economies (ERP/CRM/HRM/ATS/PM).
HR & Time TrackingDockerEver 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.
3 of 7 · 2 picks
Clients (CRM)
- 1
Twenty
A modern CRM offering the flexibility of open source, advanced features, and a sleek design.
CRMDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. 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
Krayin
CRM solution for SMEs and Enterprises for complete customer lifecycle management.
CRMDockerKrayin has 24,071 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 535 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and HubSpot.
4 of 7 · 2 picks
Scheduling
- 1
Cal.diy
Online appointment scheduling system.
Booking & SchedulingDockerCal.diy has 49,455 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,968 commits in the last year; it replaces Calendly.
- 2
Rallly
Create polls to vote on dates and times (alternative to Doodle).
Booking & SchedulingDockerRallly has 5,329 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,711 commits in the last year; it replaces Calendly.
5 of 7 · 2 picks
Projects and tasks
- 1
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 ManagementDockerGitea 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.
- 2
Plane
Track issues, epics, and product roadmaps in the simplest way possible (alternative to JIRA, Linear and Height).
Project ManagementDockerPlane has 61,588 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 771 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana.
6 of 7 · 2 picks
File sharing
- 1
qBittorrent
Free cross-platform bittorrent client with a feature rich Web UI for remote access.
File SharingqBittorrent has 41,180 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 510 commits in the last year.
- 2
slskd
A modern client-server application for the Soulseek file sharing network.
File SharingDockerslskd has 4,210 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,249 commits in the last year.
7 of 7 · 2 picks
Passwords
- 1
VaultwardenFeatured
Lightweight Bitwarden server API implementation written in Rust.
Password ManagersDockerVaultwarden 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
Bitwarden
Password manager with a webapp, browser extension, and mobile app.
Password ManagersDockerBitwarden has 20,499 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,729 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.
Is it worth self-hosting as a freelancer?
If you already pay for several per-user tools, one small VPS can run invoicing, time tracking and file sharing for a few dollars a month. Keep backups off the server, since you are your own IT department.
Is Odoo free?
Yes. Odoo is open-source software released under the LGPL-3.0 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?
13 of the 14 apps here publish Docker images, including Odoo, ERPNext and Frappe HR, 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 section takes the top-ranked apps in one catalog category, scored on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits; 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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