Open-Source Alternatives to Everyday SaaS

Software as a Service is a trap. Like any subscription based, they seem cheap at first, but will burn through your finances much faster than any self hosted option.

The alternative? Open source! Sadly, many don’t know what options are available, and thats why I’m here to share some good alternatives I found on github.

AI Chatbots & LLMs

(ChatGPT Alternatives)

• OpenAssistant
  A versatile, LAION-backed conversational agent—API-ready and Apache 2.0 licensed. ⭐ 37.4 K stars
• Leon
  Self-hosted, privacy-first personal assistant built on Node.js.
• ChatRWKV
  Lightweight RNN-based LLM optimized for fast inference.

AI Code Completion

(GitHub Copilot Alternatives)

• FauxPilot
  Stand up your own “Copilot” server with minimal fuss.
• YouCompleteMe
  Semantic Vim/Neovim completion with support for dozens of languages.

Team Knowledge Base

(Notion Alternatives)

• AppFlowy
  Notion-style workspace in Flutter & Rust—offline-ready. ⭐ ~64 K stars
• AFFiNE
  Local-first, privacy-respecting Markdown workspace with drawing tools.
• docmost
  Docker-powered, minimalist documentation wiki.

Internal Tools

(Retool Alternatives)

• Appsmith
  Drag-and-drop widgets to build dashboards and admin panels. ⭐ ~37 K stars
• ToolJet
  Low-code framework for custom internal apps. ⭐ ~34.7 K stars
• Budibase
  Rapid, open-source app builder. ⭐ ~23.4 K stars
• ILLA
  Component-rich, no-code internal tool maker. ⭐ ~11.5 K stars
• Windmill
  Python-first internal dashboard and workflow runner.
• Openblocks
  Visual app composition with pre-built blocks. ⭐ ~6 K stars
• DashPress
  Lightweight PHP dashboard generator. ⭐ ~1.8 K stars

Web Analytics

(Google Analytics Alternatives)

• Matomo
  Enterprise-grade, GDPR-compliant analytics. ⭐ ~20.6 K stars
• Umami
  Simple, privacy-focused pageview tracking.
• Plausible
  Minimal, ethical analytics—no cookies required.
• OpenWebAnalytics
  Heatmaps, click-tracking & event logging all in one.

Note-Taking & Knowledge Management

(Evernote Alternatives)

• Joplin
  End-to-end encrypted notebooks on desktop & mobile.
• Logseq
  Local-first knowledge graph with Markdown & Org support.
• SiYuan
  Feature-rich desktop knowledge manager.
• Notesnook
  Privacy-centric, encrypted note app.

Blogging & Newsletters

• Company blogs / Newsletters ([WordPress & ConvertKit Alternatives])
  • Ghost – Full-featured CMS & newsletter platform.
  • listmonk – Self-hosted mail-list and newsletter manager.
• Blogging / Personal sites ([Medium Alternatives])
  • WriteFreely & btw – Ultra-lightweight writing platforms.

Static Sites & Website Builders

• Static site generators: Hugo, Jekyll, Astro, 11ty, Zola
• Visual builders: Silex, DoTenX, Webstudio

Icons & Design Collaboration

• Icon sets: Font Awesome, Feather, Tabler-Icons, Bootstrap Icons, RemixIcon
• Design tools: Penpot, Radix Primitives, Plasmic, Quant-UX

Online Forms & Session Replay

• Forms: Formbricks – Developer-friendly form builder.
• Session replay & analytics: Highlight – Privacy-focused user session insights.

Content & Data Management

• Headless CMS: Strapi, Payload, Webiny
• Log management: Graylog
• Data warehouses: Databend
• Annotation: doccano
• Feature flags: Unleash, Flagsmith, Flagr
• Product analytics: PostHog

E-Commerce & CRM

• Store builders: Medusa, Vue Storefront, Sylius, PrestaShop, Bagisto, Litekart
• CRM: Twenty
• Link shortener: Dub

Authentication & Infrastructure

• Auth: Keycloak, SuperTokens, Logto
• Search: Typesense
• Backend-as-a-Service: Supabase, Appwrite, Nhost

Billing, Notifications & Scheduling

• Usage-based billing: Lago
• Notifications: Novu, ntfy, Gotify, Apprise
• Scheduling: Cal.com

Video, Chat & Conferencing

• Video conferencing: Jitsi Meet, Element Call
• Team chat: Rocket.Chat, Mattermost, Zulip, Element
• Live customer chat: Chatwoot

File Handling & APIs

• File uploader: Uppy
• API dev: Hoppscotch, Insomnia, Firecamp
• Programmatic video: Remotion

Databases & Time-Series

• Graph DB: JanusGraph, Memgraph
• Vector DB: Milvus, Weaviate, DeepLake, CozoDB
• Time-series DB: Prometheus, QuestDB, OpenTSDB, KairosDB

Task & Project Management

• To-do & Kanban: super-productivity, WeKan, Focalboard, Kanboard, Planka
• Project tracking: Plane, Leantime, [Asana/JIRA alt]
• Time tracking: Kimai, SolidTime

Finance & Invoicing

• Personal finance: Ghostfolio, Firefly III
• Invoicing: Invoice Ninja, Crater, SolidInvoice

Why Go Open-Source?

1. Data Sovereignty – keep full control of your data.
2. Cost Savings – eliminate pricey subscriptions.
3. Customization – hack, extend, and integrate as you please.
4. Community-Driven – contribute back and shape the roadmap.

Find out more on this github! And feel free to contribute here in the comments or there!