The concept of “openness” in technology has become increasingly important and relevant in recent years. Many individuals and businesses are seeking alternatives to proprietary software and turning to open source options. Open source software offers transparency, security, and customizability that can’t be found in proprietary players. Additionally, open source software embodies a development ethos that emphasizes freedom and collaboration.
While there are potential downsides to open source software, such as limited features and technical hurdles, it’s still valuable to explore open source alternatives for productivity apps. These alternatives can provide a more open and customizable app stack without sacrificing productivity.
One open source alternative to popular design and prototyping tools like Adobe’s Figma is Penpot. Penpot is a web-based design tool that has gained popularity and raised $8 million in funding. Another open source option worth exploring is Excalidraw, a whiteboarding tool with collaborative features.
For scheduling and organizing meetings, Cal.com offers an open source alternative to the widely-used platform Calendly. Cal.com provides scheduling infrastructure for everyone and has raised $25 million in Series A funding.
Screenity is an open source alternative to Loom, a tool for screen recording and video communication. Screenity is limited to the Chrome browser for now but provides a non-corporate option for remote work needs.
Jitsi is an open source video conferencing alternative to Zoom. Jitsi offers a fully self-hostable and configurable option for video conferencing and was acquired by 8×8 in 2018.
Nextcloud is an open source solution for cloud storage, providing privacy, security, and data sovereignty. Users can self-host their Nextcloud instances or use a third-party provider.
Ghost is an open source publishing platform that offers a cheaper alternative to closed ecosystems like Substack and Medium. Ghost raised funding through crowdfunding and provides managed hosting without taking fees from publishers.
TabbyML aims to provide an open source alternative to AI-powered coding assistants like GitHub Copilot. TabbyML can be entirely self-hosted and raised $3.2 million in seed funding.
Chatwoot is an open source customer support platform that allows businesses to self-host their customer engagement tools and keep data in-house.
PhotoPrism is an open source alternative to Google Photos, offering self-hosted server options for photo management and organization.
Bitwarden is an open source password management tool that operates under an open source model. Bitwarden raised $100 million in funding and offers transparency while still having certain proprietary features.
AppFlowy is an open source alternative to Notion, offering self-hostable tools for task management, note-taking, and project tracking. AppFlowy raised $6.4 million in funding.
For link shortening and management, Dub.co provides an open source alternative to tools like Bitly. Dub.co allows users to self-host its solution and offers features like time-series data and personalization.
Exploring these open source alternatives to popular productivity apps can provide individuals, freelancers, and small businesses with more open and customizable options for their app stack. While there may be some limitations and challenges associated with open source software, the benefits of transparency, security, and collaboration make it worth considering.