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6 picks · data-backed ranking

Best self-hosted Microsoft alternatives

The best self-hosted replacements for Microsoft products are Nextcloud and Mailcow for Microsoft 365; Superset and Metabase for Power BI; Gitea and Gogs for GitHub. Nextcloud leads with 37,321 GitHub stars.

For each Microsoft product with an appsgit alternatives page, the highest-recommended open-source app on that page (2 per product).

Two open-source replacements each for Microsoft 365, Power BI and GitHub (owned by Microsoft), taken from the top of each alternatives page.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Nextcloud

    nextcloud/server

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    FeaturedFile Sync & StoragePHP

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (8,046). Replaces Microsoft 365: Nextcloud has 37,321 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 8,046 commits in the last year.

  2. Rank 2:

    Mailcow

    mailcow/mailcow-dockerized

    Mail server suite based on Dovecot, Postfix and other open source software, that provides a modern Web UI for administration.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    Email ServersJavaScriptDocker

    Stands out for its JavaScript codebase. Replaces Microsoft 365: Mailcow has 13,712 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 353 commits in the last year.

  3. Rank 3:

    Superset

    apache/superset

    Modern data exploration and visualization platform.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    AnalyticsPython

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Replaces Power BI: Superset has 75,336 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 6,135 commits in the last year.

At a glance

Self-hosted Microsoft alternatives compared

For each Microsoft product, the first open-source app on its appsgit alternatives page (actively developed apps first, then by GitHub stars).

Top 6 picks compared, data as of Oct 28, 2026
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
Nextcloudthe most commits in the last 12 months (8,046)AGPL-3.037,3218,046Oct 28, 2026No
Mailcowits JavaScript codebaseGPL-3.013,712353Oct 28, 2026Yes
Supersetthe most GitHub starsApache-2.075,3366,135Oct 28, 2026No
Metabaseits Clojure codebaseAGPL-3.049,8817,206Oct 28, 2026Yes
Giteaa permissive MIT licenseMIT58,7381,909Oct 28, 2026Yes
Gogs–MIT47,906227Oct 28, 2026Yes

Full ranking

All 6 picks, ranked

For each Microsoft product, the first open-source app on its appsgit alternatives page (actively developed apps first, then by GitHub stars).

  1. 1

    Nextcloud

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (8,046). Replaces Microsoft 365: Nextcloud has 37,321 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 8,046 commits in the last year.

  2. 2

    Mailcow

    Mail server suite based on Dovecot, Postfix and other open source software, that provides a modern Web UI for administration.

    Stands out for its JavaScript codebase. Replaces Microsoft 365: Mailcow has 13,712 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 353 commits in the last year.

  3. 3

    Superset

    Modern data exploration and visualization platform.

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Replaces Power BI: Superset has 75,336 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 6,135 commits in the last year.

  4. 4

    Metabase

    Easy way for everyone in your company to ask questions and learn from data.

    Stands out for its Clojure codebase. Replaces Power BI: 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.

  5. 5

    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.

    Stands out for a permissive MIT license. Replaces GitHub: Gitea has 58,738 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,909 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    Gogs

    Painless self-hosted Git Service written in Go.

    Replaces GitHub: Gogs has 47,906 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 227 commits in the last year.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is Nextcloud free?

Yes. Nextcloud is open-source software released under the AGPL-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 self-host these apps with Docker?

Yes, 4 of the 6 picks. Mailcow, Metabase and Gitea publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these apps open source?

All 6 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license.

Which of these apps is the most actively developed?

Nextcloud, with 8,046 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, v33.0.10, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

How is this list ranked?

For each Microsoft product, the first open-source app on its appsgit alternatives page (actively developed apps first, then by GitHub stars).

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