Operating systems↗
/e/OS
Your phone. Minus the Google grip.
An Android-based mobile OS that reduces your reliance on Google services and puts privacy controls in your hands.
INSTEAD OFGoogle’s Android experience
Check your device
THE WHOLE OPEN-SOURCE SHORTLIST
GOOD SOFTWARE.
ALL 20 PICKS.
Open-source alternatives for your phone, computer, cloud, creative work, and code. Each guide explains what the project does, what it can replace, and what to check before switching.
An independent editorial selection, not a measured popularity ranking. Sources checked September 2026.
Search and filter the shortlist ↗Everyday tools↗
Nextcloud
Your cloud. Your little kingdom.
Files, calendars, contacts, and collaboration in a cloud you can host yourself or choose a provider for.
INSTEAD OFGoogle Drive & Dropbox
Hosting needed
Media & creativity↗
Jellyfin
The only algorithm is your taste.
Give your own movies, shows, and music a beautiful home. Stream your collection from your own media server.
INSTEAD OFPlex & Emby
Hosting needed
Everyday tools↗
LibreOffice
Big spreadsheet energy. No rent.
Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. A full desktop office suite that gets down to business, offline too.
INSTEAD OFMicrosoft 365
Easy first switch
Operating systems↗
Linux Mint
New life for your trusty laptop.
A welcoming Linux desktop with familiar essentials. An excellent place to begin exploring life beyond Windows.
INSTEAD OFWindows & macOS
Try a live USB
Media & creativity↗
Blender
Make the thing in your head.
Model, sculpt, animate, and render in a complete 3D creation suite. Your imagination can keep the subscription fee.
INSTEAD OFAutodesk Maya & Cinema 4D
Room to learn
Everyday tools↗
ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors
A familiar face for your documents.
An open-source desktop editor for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, with a focus on Microsoft file formats.
INSTEAD OFMicrosoft 365 desktop apps
Easy first switch
Everyday tools↗
Firefox
A browser with its own engine.
An open-source browser with tracking protection, extensions, and an independent browser engine.
INSTEAD OFGoogle Chrome & Edge
Easy first switch
Everyday tools↗
Bitwarden
Your passwords deserve better.
Generate and manage unique passwords in an encrypted vault, with apps and browser extensions across devices.
INSTEAD OFLastPass & 1Password
Easy first switch
Everyday tools↗
Signal
Less noise. Private conversations.
An open-source messaging app with end-to-end encrypted messages and calls, built by an independent nonprofit.
INSTEAD OFWhatsApp
Bring your friends
Everyday tools↗
Thunderbird
An inbox that answers to you.
Bring email, calendars, and contacts together in an open-source desktop app that works with many mail providers.
INSTEAD OFOutlook desktop
Easy first switch
Media & creativity↗
GIMP
More layers. Fewer strings.
Retouch photos, compose images, and make original artwork with an extensible image editor.
INSTEAD OFAdobe Photoshop
Room to learn
Media & creativity↗
Inkscape
Big ideas. Infinitely scalable.
Draw logos, illustrations, and diagrams with a vector editor built around the open SVG format.
INSTEAD OFAdobe Illustrator
Room to learn
Media & creativity↗
VLC
The traffic cone that just plays it.
A versatile media player for local files, discs, and streams, with broad format support.
INSTEAD OFProprietary media players
Easy first switch
Media & creativity↗
OBS Studio
Your broadcast. No gatekeeper.
Record your screen and build live streams with scenes, audio mixing, and flexible capture sources.
INSTEAD OFXSplit Broadcaster
Some setup
Media & creativity↗
Krita
A blank canvas. An open invitation.
A digital painting studio for illustrations, concept art, comics, and 2D animation.
INSTEAD OFCorel Painter & painting in Photoshop
Room to learn
Operating systems↗
Debian
The foundation under the foundations.
A community-built operating system powering desktops and servers—and serving as the base for other Linux distributions.
INSTEAD OFWindows & Windows Server
Some setup
Developer tools↗
Git
Great ideas deserve a history.
Distributed version control that lets developers track changes, branch ideas, and collaborate on code.
INSTEAD OFProprietary version control
Learn the basics
Developer tools↗
PostgreSQL
Serious data. Open foundations.
An extensible open-source relational database for applications, analytics, and demanding data workloads.
INSTEAD OFOracle Database & SQL Server
Developer territory
Developer tools↗
Python
Small scripts. Very big possibilities.
An open-source programming language for automation, web development, data analysis, and learning to code.
INSTEAD OFProprietary scripting ecosystems
Learn the basics