# 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. 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.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Question | What is the best open source software? |
| Picks | 24 |
| Top pick | Excalidraw (133,574 stars) |
| Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software |

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.

## Work and productivity

- [Excalidraw](https://appsgit.com/apps/excalidraw) (133,574 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for note-taking & editors: Excalidraw has 133,574 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 272 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Lucidchart.
- [Etherpad](https://appsgit.com/apps/etherpad) (18,563 stars, Apache-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for office suites: Etherpad has 18,563 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 922 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Docs and Dropbox Paper.
- [Gitea](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitea) (58,319 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Top pick for project management: Gitea has 58,319 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,696 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab.
- [Super Productivity](https://appsgit.com/apps/super-productivity) (22,570 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for task management: Super Productivity has 22,570 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 3,655 commits in the last year; it replaces Todoist.
- [SiYuan](https://appsgit.com/apps/siyuan) (46,636 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): Top pick for wikis & knowledge bases: SiYuan has 46,636 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,702 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Evernote.

## Documents and utilities

- [Stirling-PDF](https://appsgit.com/apps/stirling-pdf) (93,634 stars, Apache-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for document management: Stirling-PDF has 93,634 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,925 commits in the last year; it replaces Adobe Acrobat.
- [penpot](https://appsgit.com/apps/penpot) (60,729 stars, MPL-2.0, Clojure, Docker): Top pick for utilities: penpot has 60,729 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 4,842 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Canva.

## Communication

- [Rocket.Chat](https://appsgit.com/apps/rocket-chat) (46,213 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for team chat: Rocket.Chat has 46,213 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,155 commits in the last year; it replaces Slack and Discord.
- [Jitsi Meet](https://appsgit.com/apps/jitsi-meet) (30,044 stars, Apache-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for video conferencing & VoIP: Jitsi Meet has 30,044 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 797 commits in the last year; it replaces Zoom and Google Meet.

## Business

- [Twenty](https://appsgit.com/apps/twenty) (57,949 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for CRM: Twenty has 57,949 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 7,656 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and HubSpot.
- [Odoo](https://appsgit.com/apps/odoo) (54,848 stars, LGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Top pick for accounting & invoicing: Odoo has 54,848 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,679 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS.
- [ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/apps/erpnext) (39,821 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Top pick for point of sale: ERPNext has 39,821 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,664 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS.
- [Ever Gauzy](https://appsgit.com/apps/ever-gauzy) (8,194 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for ERP & inventory: Ever Gauzy has 8,194 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,967 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday.
- [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Top pick for CMS: Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow.
- [Metabase](https://appsgit.com/apps/metabase) (49,547 stars, AGPL-3.0, Clojure, Docker): Top pick for analytics: Metabase has 49,547 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,378 commits in the last year; it replaces Metabase Cloud and Tableau.

## Photos, media and files

- [Immich](https://appsgit.com/apps/immich) (115,648 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Top pick for photo galleries: Immich has 115,648 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,638 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Photos and Adobe Photoshop.
- [Jellyfin](https://appsgit.com/apps/jellyfin) (57,817 stars, GPL-2.0, C#, Docker): Top pick for media servers: Jellyfin has 57,817 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,025 commits in the last year; it replaces Plex and Spotify.
- [Syncthing](https://appsgit.com/apps/syncthing) (89,175 stars, MPL-2.0, Go, Docker): Top pick for file sync & storage: Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

## Security and operations

- [Vaultwarden](https://appsgit.com/apps/vaultwarden) (68,572 stars, AGPL-3.0, Rust, Docker): Top pick for password managers: Vaultwarden has 68,572 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 181 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.
- [Uptime Kuma](https://appsgit.com/apps/uptime-kuma) (92,149 stars, MIT, JavaScript, Docker): Top pick for monitoring & status pages: Uptime Kuma has 92,149 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,359 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Uptime Robot.
- [Apache Airflow](https://appsgit.com/apps/apache-airflow) (47,062 stars, Apache-2.0, Python, Docker): Top pick for automation & workflows: Apache Airflow has 47,062 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 7,745 commits in the last year.
- [restic](https://appsgit.com/apps/restic) (36,436 stars, BSD-2-Clause, Go): Top pick for backup: restic has 36,436 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license and had 645 commits in the last year.

## AI and home

- [Ollama](https://appsgit.com/apps/ollama) (182,289 stars, MIT, Go, Docker, AI features): Top pick for AI & LLM tools: Ollama has 182,289 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,083 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- [Home Assistant](https://appsgit.com/apps/home-assistant) (91,266 stars, Apache-2.0, Python, Docker): Top pick for home automation & IoT: Home Assistant has 91,266 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,497 commits in the last year; it replaces IFTTT and Nest / SmartThings.

## How this list was made

- One pick per catalog category: the highest-ranked open-source app in each, so the list spans the catalog instead of one kind of software.
- Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000).
- Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- An app appears only once on the page; archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are left out.

## FAQ

### 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.

## Related questions

- [What are the most popular self-hosted apps on GitHub?](https://appsgit.com/best/most-starred-self-hosted-apps)
- [Which open source self-hosted projects are growing the fastest?](https://appsgit.com/best/fastest-growing-open-source-projects)
- [What are the best new self-hosted apps?](https://appsgit.com/best/newest-self-hosted-apps)
- [What are the best self-hosted apps?](https://appsgit.com/best/self-hosted-apps)
- [What are the best open source AI tools you can self-host?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-ai-tools)
- [What are the best apps to run in a homelab?](https://appsgit.com/best/homelab-apps)
- [What are the best self-hosted apps for privacy?](https://appsgit.com/best/privacy-focused-self-hosted-apps)
- [What are the best self-hosted alternatives to Google services?](https://appsgit.com/best/self-hosted-google-alternatives)

## See also

- [All utilities apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/utilities)
- [All office suites apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/office-suites)
- [All project management apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/project-management)
- [All task management apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/task-management)
- [Open-source alternatives to Figma](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/figma)
- [Open-source alternatives to Lucidchart](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/lucidchart)
- [Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Visio](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/microsoft-visio)
- [Open-source alternatives to Google Docs](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/google-docs)
- [Open-source alternatives to Dropbox Paper](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/dropbox-paper)
- [Open-source alternatives to GitHub](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/github)
- [Odoo vs ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/compare/odoo-vs-erpnext)
- [Gitea vs GitLab](https://appsgit.com/compare/gitea-vs-gitlab)
- [Gitea vs Gogs](https://appsgit.com/compare/gitea-vs-gogs)
- [Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat](https://appsgit.com/compare/mattermost-vs-rocket-chat)
- [Rocket.Chat vs Zulip](https://appsgit.com/compare/rocket-chat-vs-zulip)
- [Jitsi Meet vs BigBlueButton](https://appsgit.com/compare/jitsi-meet-vs-bigbluebutton)
- [How to self-host Gitea with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/gitea)
- [How to self-host Immich with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/immich)
- [How to self-host Jellyfin with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/jellyfin)
- [How to self-host Syncthing with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/syncthing)

---

Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.