# Best open source software for nonprofits

> For a nonprofit, a self-hosted stack starts with admidio for member management, Pretix for events and WordPress for the website and newsletter. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Question | What is the best open source software for nonprofits? |
| Picks | 16 |
| Top pick | admidio (478 stars) |
| Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-nonprofits |

Nonprofits often run on tight budgets and volunteers. These apps cover member management, events, a website and newsletter, collaboration and bookkeeping, with no per-seat fees.

## Members and groups

- [admidio](https://appsgit.com/apps/admidio) (478 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP, Docker): admidio has 478 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,017 commits in the last year.
- [Galette](https://appsgit.com/apps/galette) (72 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP): Galette has 72 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 752 commits in the last year.
- [hitobito](https://appsgit.com/apps/hitobito) (481 stars, AGPL-3.0, Ruby): hitobito has 481 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 1,254 commits in the last year.

## Events and tickets

- [Pretix](https://appsgit.com/apps/pretix) (2,534 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Pretix has 2,534 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,456 commits in the last year; it replaces Eventbrite.
- [Hi.Events](https://appsgit.com/apps/hi-events) (4,050 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Hi.Events has 4,050 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 with branding terms (Section 7) license, ships a Docker image and had 277 commits in the last year; it replaces Eventbrite.
- [gathio](https://appsgit.com/apps/gathio) (466 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): gathio has 466 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 102 commits in the last year.

## Website and newsletter

- [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium.
- [Ghost](https://appsgit.com/apps/ghost) (55,489 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Ghost has 55,489 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 5,329 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium.
- [Listmonk](https://appsgit.com/apps/listmonk) (23,701 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Listmonk has 23,701 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 227 commits in the last year; it replaces Mailchimp and Twilio SendGrid.

## Collaboration and decisions

- [Nextcloud](https://appsgit.com/apps/nextcloud) (37,003 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP): Nextcloud has 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.
- [Mattermost](https://appsgit.com/apps/mattermost) (39,271 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Mattermost has 39,271 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,913 commits in the last year; it replaces Slack.
- [Discourse](https://appsgit.com/apps/discourse) (47,933 stars, GPL-2.0, Ruby, Docker): Discourse has 47,933 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,794 commits in the last year; it replaces Reddit.
- [Loomio](https://appsgit.com/apps/loomio) (2,612 stars, AGPL-3.0, Ruby, Docker): Loomio has 2,612 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,786 commits in the last year.

## Bookkeeping

- [Bigcapital](https://appsgit.com/apps/bigcapital) (3,921 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Bigcapital has 3,921 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,005 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.
- [hledger](https://appsgit.com/apps/hledger) (4,746 stars, GPL-3.0, Haskell, Docker): hledger has 4,746 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,992 commits in the last year.
- [Akaunting](https://appsgit.com/apps/akaunting) (10,159 stars, BUSL-1.1, source-available, PHP): Akaunting has 10,159 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license) and had 518 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

## How this list was made

- Apps were picked by hand from the appsgit catalog for each job, then checked against the snapshot: unknown or archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are dropped automatically.
- Inside each section the curated order is kept, most broadly useful first; an app appears only once on the page.
- Stars, license, Docker and activity facts come from the GitHub API as of October 2026.
- Source-available apps are labelled; they are not open source, so read their licenses before commercial use.

## FAQ

### Is there an open source donor management system?

Not in this catalog. Galette describes itself as membership management for non-profit organizations and Admidio as user management for organizations and groups; a general CRM can track donors.

### Is admidio free?

Yes. admidio is open-source software released under the GPL-2.0 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?

10 of the 16 apps here publish Docker images, including admidio, Pretix and Hi.Events, 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.

## Related questions

- [What is the best open source software for content creators?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-creators)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for content creators?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-creators)
- [What is the best open source software for a gaming community?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-gaming-communities)
- [What is the best open source software for a smart home?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-smart-home)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for a smart home?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-smart-home)
- [What are the best open source apps for planning and tracking travel?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-apps-for-travel)
- [What is the best open source event management software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-events)
- [What is the best open source budget management app?](https://appsgit.com/best/budget-management)

## See also

- [All HR & time tracking apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/time-tracking)
- [All finance & budgeting apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/finance-budgeting)
- [All polls, surveys & events apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/polls-events)
- [All e-commerce apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/e-commerce)
- [Open-source alternatives to Eventbrite](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/eventbrite)
- [Open-source alternatives to WordPress.com](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/wordpress-com)
- [Open-source alternatives to Medium](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/medium)
- [Open-source alternatives to Webflow](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/webflow)
- [Open-source alternatives to Squarespace](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/squarespace)
- [Open-source alternatives to Wix](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/wix)
- [Ghost vs WordPress](https://appsgit.com/compare/ghost-vs-wordpress)
- [listmonk vs Mautic](https://appsgit.com/compare/listmonk-vs-mautic)
- [Nextcloud vs ownCloud](https://appsgit.com/compare/nextcloud-vs-owncloud)
- [Nextcloud vs Seafile](https://appsgit.com/compare/nextcloud-vs-seafile)
- [Nextcloud vs Syncthing](https://appsgit.com/compare/nextcloud-vs-syncthing)
- [Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat](https://appsgit.com/compare/mattermost-vs-rocket-chat)
- [How to self-host WordPress with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/wordpress)
- [How to self-host Nextcloud with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/nextcloud)

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