Open Source Alternatives

// free & open replacements for common proprietary software

← Network

Escape proprietary lock-in. This page maps the most popular commercial software to their best free and open source equivalents. European alternatives are highlighted with the EU badge.

// Office & Productivity

Microsoft Office / Office 365 Microsoft
↓ open source
  • LibreOffice
    MPL-2.0 EU EU
    Full desktop suite: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base
  • ONLYOFFICE
    AGPL-3.0 EU EU
    High .docx/.xlsx/.pptx compatibility, collaborative editing
  • Collabora Online
    MPL-2.0 EU EU
    LibreOffice in the browser, self-hostable
Microsoft Outlook Microsoft
↓ open source
  • Thunderbird
    MPL-2.0
    Full-featured email + calendar client
  • Evolution
    LGPL-2.1
    GNOME email, calendar, contacts with Exchange support
  • Geary
    LGPL-2.1
    Lightweight email client for GNOME
Notion Notion Labs
↓ open source
  • AppFlowy
    AGPL-3.0
    Notion-like workspace, local-first, Rust+Flutter
  • Joplin
    AGPL-3.0
    Markdown notes + sync, end-to-end encryption
  • Logseq
    AGPL-3.0
    Outliner / graph-based knowledge base
Evernote Bending Spoons
↓ open source
  • Joplin
    AGPL-3.0
    Markdown notes with E2E encryption and sync
  • Standard Notes
    AGPL-3.0
    Encrypted, minimal, privacy-focused notes

// Image & Photo Editing

Adobe Photoshop Adobe
↓ open source
  • GIMP
    GPL-3.0
    Professional pixel editor, advanced scripting, layer support
  • Krita
    GPL-3.0
    Digital painting, illustration, concept art
Adobe Lightroom Adobe
↓ open source
  • Darktable
    GPL-3.0
    RAW photo workflow, non-destructive, GPU accelerated
  • RawTherapee
    GPL-3.0
    Advanced RAW processor, extensive tone mapping
  • digiKam
    GPL-2.0
    Photo management + editing with DAM features
Adobe Illustrator Adobe
↓ open source
  • Inkscape
    GPL-3.0
    Full SVG vector editor, node editing, extensions
Adobe InDesign Adobe
↓ open source
  • Scribus
    GPL-2.0
    Desktop publishing, PDF/X output, print-ready layouts

// Video & Audio

Adobe Premiere Pro Adobe
↓ open source
  • Kdenlive
    GPL-2.0
    Multi-track NLE, proxy editing, MLT framework
  • OpenShot
    GPL-3.0
    Beginner-friendly video editor, cross-platform
  • Shotcut
    GPL-3.0
    FFmpeg-based editor, wide format support
↓ free (proprietary)
  • DaVinci Resolve
    Proprietary (free)
    Industry-standard color grading + full NLE — free version is extremely capable; Studio upgrade $295 one-time
Adobe After Effects Adobe
↓ open source
GarageBand / FL Studio / Ableton Live Apple / Image-Line / Ableton
↓ open source
  • Ardour
    GPL-2.0
    Professional DAW, recording, mixing, MIDI
  • LMMS
    GPL-2.0
    Beat & bassline production, VST plugin support

// Communication & Collaboration

Slack Salesforce
↓ open source
  • Mattermost
    AGPL-3.0
    Self-hostable team messaging, Slack-compatible
  • Rocket.Chat
    MIT
    Full-featured team chat, omnichannel, self-hosted
  • Zulip
    Apache-2.0
    Topic-threaded chat — reduces notification noise
Microsoft Teams / Zoom Microsoft / Zoom Video
↓ open source
  • Jitsi Meet
    Apache-2.0
    Browser-based video conferencing, no account required, self-hostable
  • OpenTalk
    EUPL-1.2 EU EU
    GDPR-native video conferencing built for European public sector & enterprises
  • BigBlueButton
    LGPL-3.0
    Web conferencing designed for education
  • Element / Matrix
    Apache-2.0 EU EU
    Federated, E2E encrypted comms over the open Matrix protocol
Discord Discord Inc.
↓ open source
  • Matrix / Element
    Apache-2.0
    Federated, E2E encrypted, open protocol — no vendor lock-in
  • Revolt
    AGPL-3.0
    Discord-like UI, self-hostable, open source
WhatsApp / iMessage Meta / Apple
↓ open source
  • Signal
    AGPL-3.0
    Gold standard E2E encryption, minimal metadata collection
  • Element / Matrix
    Apache-2.0 EU EU
    Decentralized, federated, self-hostable messaging
  • Wire
    GPL-3.0 EU EU
    E2E encrypted messaging & calls for teams and individuals
  • Briar
    GPL-3.0
    P2P messaging over Tor, works without internet via Bluetooth/WiFi

// Security & Privacy

LastPass / 1Password GoTo / AgileBits
↓ open source
  • Bitwarden
    GPL-3.0
    Cloud or self-hosted password manager, browser extensions, mobile apps
  • Vaultwarden
    AGPL-3.0
    Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible server in Rust — self-host on a Raspberry Pi
  • KeePassXC
    GPL-3.0
    Local-first encrypted vault, no cloud required, KDBX format
  • Padloc
    GPL-3.0 EU EU
    Zero-knowledge password manager with clean UI
NordVPN / ExpressVPN Nord Security / Kape Technologies
↓ open source
  • WireGuard
    GPL-2.0
    State-of-the-art VPN protocol — fast, minimal, self-hosted
  • OpenVPN
    GPL-2.0
    Battle-tested VPN, widely supported on all platforms
  • Headscale + Tailscale
    BSD-3
    Self-hosted WireGuard mesh control plane (Headscale replaces Tailscale's coordinator)
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Mullvad VPN
    GPL-3.0 EU EU
    No-logs, account-free sign-up, RAM-only servers, independently audited
  • ProtonVPN
    GPL-3.0 (clients) EU EU
    Open source clients, Swiss privacy law, no-logs policy, free tier available
  • IVPN
    GPL-3.0 (clients) EU EU
    Privacy-first VPN, anonymous accounts, WireGuard + OpenVPN, audited

// Cloud & Storage

Dropbox / Google Drive / OneDrive Dropbox / Google / Microsoft
↓ open source
  • Nextcloud
    AGPL-3.0 EU EU
    Self-hosted cloud: files, calendar, contacts, notes, video calls
  • Syncthing
    MPL-2.0
    Decentralized peer-to-peer file sync, no central server
  • Seafile
    AGPL-3.0
    Fast self-hosted file sync with client-side encryption
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Tresorit
    Proprietary (FOSS clients) EU EU
    Zero-knowledge encrypted cloud storage, GDPR-compliant, business-grade
  • pCloud
    Proprietary EU EU
    Swiss-based cloud storage — client-side encryption option (pCloud Crypto), lifetime plans
  • Infomaniak kDrive
    Proprietary EU EU
    Swiss cloud storage and collaborative editing — carbon-neutral, GDPR-native
Google Photos / iCloud Photos Google / Apple
↓ open source
  • Immich
    AGPL-3.0
    Self-hosted photo & video backup with mobile apps, ML face detection
  • PhotoPrism
    AGPL-3.0
    AI-powered photo browser, facial recognition, self-hosted

// Development Tools

GitHub Microsoft
↓ open source
  • Forgejo
    MIT
    Community-driven Gitea fork, self-hosted git forge
  • Gitea
    MIT
    Lightweight self-hosted git service
  • GitLab CE
    MIT EU EU
    Full DevOps platform: git, CI/CD, container registry, issues
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Codeberg
    MIT (Forgejo) EU EU
    Non-profit public git hosting powered by Forgejo — no surveillance capitalism
Postman Postman Inc.
↓ open source
  • Bruno
    MIT
    Local-first API client, no cloud sync, stores collections as plain files
  • Hoppscotch
    MIT
    Browser-based API testing, self-hostable
JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ / PyCharm / ...) JetBrains
↓ open source
  • VS Code / VSCodium
    MIT
    VSCodium = VS Code without Microsoft telemetry, all open source binaries
  • Zed
    GPL-3.0 / AGPL-3.0
    High-performance collaborative editor written in Rust
  • Eclipse IDE
    EPL-2.0
    Mature Java/JVM IDE with broad plugin ecosystem
  • Neovim
    Apache-2.0
    Hyperextensible terminal editor — full LSP and plugin support

// Email Services

Gmail / Outlook.com / Yahoo Mail Google / Microsoft / Yahoo
↓ open source
  • Stalwart Mail
    AGPL-3.0
    Modern all-in-one mail server (SMTP, IMAP, JMAP) — written in Rust, easy setup
  • Mailcow
    GPL-2.0
    Docker-based full email suite with webmail (SOGo), spam filter, DKIM, DMARC
  • Mail-in-a-Box
    Apache-2.0
    Turnkey self-hosted email server — sets up Postfix, Dovecot, webmail in one command
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Tuta
    GPL-3.0 EU EU
    End-to-end encrypted email & calendar, zero-knowledge, GDPR-native
  • ProtonMail
    Apache-2.0 (clients) EU EU
    Encrypted email with zero-access policy, Swiss privacy law
  • Mailbox.org
    Hosted / open stack EU EU
    Ad-free private email on 100 % renewable energy, green hosting
  • Posteo
    Hosted / open stack EU EU
    Sustainable anonymous email — 100 % green energy, no logging, €1/month
  • Hostinger Email
    Proprietary EU EU
    EU-based email hosting with custom domains, competitive pricing, webmail included
  • Infomaniak Mail
    Proprietary EU EU
    Swiss privacy-focused mail — GDPR-compliant, carbon-neutral data centers, custom domains
  • Runbox
    Proprietary EU EU
    Privacy email hosted in Norway — renewable energy, Norwegian privacy law
  • Mailfence
    Proprietary EU EU
    Secure email with integrated PGP encryption — Belgian privacy law, no tracking
  • Disroot
    Hosted / open stack EU EU
    Non-profit community platform — email, Nextcloud, XMPP, all EU-hosted

// Design & Prototyping

Figma / Adobe XD Adobe / Adobe
↓ open source
  • Penpot
    MPL-2.0 EU EU
    Browser-based design & prototyping, self-hostable, open SVG/CSS format
  • Inkscape
    GPL-3.0
    Desktop SVG editor suitable for UI mockups and vector design
Miro / FigJam Miro / Adobe
↓ open source
  • Excalidraw
    MIT
    Collaborative whiteboard with hand-drawn style, self-hostable
  • tldraw
    Apache-2.0
    Infinite canvas whiteboard, embeddable, open source

// Social Media & Video

YouTube Google
↓ open source
  • PeerTube
    AGPL-3.0 EU EU
    Federated, self-hosted video platform — ActivityPub, no algorithm, no ads
Twitter / X X Corp
↓ open source
  • Mastodon
    AGPL-3.0 EU EU
    Federated microblogging — decentralized, no ads, no algorithm
  • Misskey / Firefish
    AGPL-3.0
    Feature-rich ActivityPub microblogging with reactions and polls
Reddit Reddit Inc.
↓ open source
  • Lemmy
    AGPL-3.0 EU EU
    Federated link aggregator — ActivityPub, self-hostable, large EU instance network
  • Kbin / Mbin
    AGPL-3.0 EU EU
    Federated magazine & microblogging platform, ActivityPub

// Cloud Infrastructure

AWS / Azure / Google Cloud Amazon / Microsoft / Google
↓ open source
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Hetzner Cloud
    Proprietary EU EU
    Affordable, high-performance VMs & dedicated servers — German data centers
  • OVHcloud
    Proprietary EU EU
    Europe's largest cloud provider — bare metal, VPS, object storage
  • Scaleway
    Proprietary EU EU
    Developer-friendly EU cloud: VMs, Kubernetes, serverless, object storage
  • IONOS Cloud
    Proprietary EU EU
    EU-sovereign cloud, GDPR-compliant, ISO 27001 certified
  • Exoscale
    Proprietary EU EU
    Swiss-operated cloud — OpenStack-based, data stays in EU/CH

// CDN, DNS & Domain Registrars

Cloudflare CDN Cloudflare Inc.
↓ open source
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Bunny.net
    Proprietary EU EU
    EU-operated CDN + object storage + video streaming — fast global PoPs, simple pricing
  • KeyCDN
    Proprietary EU EU
    Swiss CDN — GDPR-compliant, HTTP/2, Brotli, real-time analytics, no monthly fee
Google DNS (8.8.8.8) / Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1) Google / Cloudflare
↓ open source
↓ EU-hosted services
  • Quad9
    Proprietary EU EU
    Non-profit recursive DNS resolver with malware blocking — Swiss privacy law, DNSSEC
  • deSEC
    Apache-2.0 (API) EU EU
    Free authoritative DNS hosting for your domain — German non-profit, DNSSEC by default
GoDaddy / Namecheap (Domain Registrars) GoDaddy Group / Namecheap (US)
↓ open source
  • Porkbun
    Proprietary
    Transparent pricing, free WHOIS privacy, good API — US-based but popular EU-friendly option
↓ EU-hosted services
  • INWX
    Proprietary EU EU
    ICANN-accredited German registrar — competitive pricing, DNSSEC, API access, reseller program
  • united-domains
    Proprietary EU EU
    German registrar with a wide TLD portfolio and privacy protection included
  • Infomaniak Domains
    Proprietary EU EU
    Swiss registrar — bundled with hosting and mail, green data centers
  • Hostinger Domains
    Proprietary EU EU
    EU-based registrar with affordable pricing, integrates with Hostinger hosting/mail

// Media & Entertainment

Spotify Spotify AB
↓ open source
  • Navidrome
    GPL-3.0
    Self-hosted music server, Subsonic-compatible API, lightweight
  • Jellyfin (Music)
    GPL-2.0
    Full media server with music library management
Netflix / Plex / Disney+ Netflix / Plex Inc. / Disney
↓ open source
  • Jellyfin
    GPL-2.0
    Self-hosted media server for movies, TV, music — no license required

// Operating Systems

Windows 10 / 11 Microsoft
↓ open source
  • Fedora Linux
    GPL + mixed
    Cutting-edge, developer-friendly, Red Hat upstream
  • Ubuntu / Ubuntu LTS
    GPL + mixed
    Largest community, excellent hardware support
  • Debian
    GPL + mixed
    Rock-solid stability, the foundation for many distros
  • Arch Linux
    GPL + mixed
    Rolling release, DIY, bleeding-edge, full control
  • NixOS
    MIT
    Declarative, reproducible system configuration
macOS Apple
↓ open source
  • Fedora Linux
    GPL + mixed
    Clean GNOME desktop, excellent developer experience
  • Pop!_OS
    GPL + mixed
    Ubuntu-based, GPU support, tiling WM option
  • elementary OS
    GPL + mixed
    macOS-like UX, polished, curated app store