Open-source toolkit · free to use

A free toolkit.

A short, honest list of open-source tools worth knowing about. None of these are mine. They are other people’s excellent work, and the point is to show what open source can do once it is set up properly and pointed at your own data, instead of paying monthly for the same job. Most businesses already have access to more than they use; usually the gap is not the tool, it is knowing which one fits and how to wire it in. So I lead with what is genuinely strong and tell you plainly where each one fits, and where it doesn’t. If one of these solves your problem outright, take it, with my blessing.

How to use these.

Three steps
01 · Pick the jobStart from the problem you actually have, then find the tool that fits it, not the other way around.
02 · Set it up on your own dataRun it on infrastructure you control so nothing walks out with a vendor.
03 · Wire it into your weekRun the core task once end to end, confirm the result, then make it a habit or hand it to your team.

Four to start with.

Strongest picks
Documents

docling

The safest doc-prep tool in the set. Pulls clean data out of messy PDFs and scans, fully local, so nothing leaves your machine.

Project →
Monitoring

Uptime Kuma

Uptime monitoring and a status page with no feature gating. Know before your clients do when something is down.

Project →
Hosting

Coolify

A self-hosted deploy platform. Push your own apps to your own hardware, genuinely free to self-host.

Project →

The full map.

By job

Recruitment, ATS & HR

7 tools
TwentyM
Replaces Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive
Modern open CRM. AGPL, fine internal.
AGPL-3.0
OpenCATSM
Replaces Bullhorn, JobAdder, Zoho Recruit
Long-standing open applicant tracking.
MPL-2.0
Resume-MatcherM
Replaces ATS keyword-match scoring
Local CV-to-role matching.
Apache 2.0
WP Job ManagerL
Replaces SmartJobBoard, JobBoard.io
Careers and job board on WordPress.
GPL-3.0
Frappe HRM
Replaces BambooHR, Employment Hero, ELMO
Full HRMS.
GPL-3.0
HorillaM
Replaces BambooHR, Zoho People
Open HR suite.
LGPL-2.1
OrangeHRMM
Replaces BambooHR, Employment Hero
Established open HR.
GPL-3.0

Automation & workflows

9 tools
ActivepiecesL
Replaces Zapier, n8n, Make
Cleanest licence of the automation set.
MIT
n8nM
Replaces Zapier, Make, Workato, Power Automate
Fair-code, not OSI. Fine internal; check client-facing use.
Sustainable Use
WindmillM
Replaces Retool, Temporal, Zapier, Airflow
Scripts as workflows.
AGPL-3.0
TemporalM
Replaces Custom retry code, Step Functions
Durable execution engine. Heavier lift.
MIT
Trigger.devM
Replaces Zapier for devs, Lambda + EventBridge
Background jobs for developers.
Apache 2.0
KestraL
Replaces Airflow, Azure Data Factory, Control-M
Declarative orchestration.
Apache 2.0
DagsterL
Replaces Airflow, Control-M, Azure Data Factory
Modern data orchestration.
Apache 2.0
PrefectM
Replaces Airflow, cron, Control-M
Pythonic orchestration.
Apache 2.0
Apache AirflowM
Replaces Control-M, Azure Data Factory, cron
The incumbent. Heavier to run.
Apache 2.0

Data, pipelines & BI

12 tools
MetabaseL
Replaces Tableau, Looker, Power BI, Domo
Non-technical dashboards on your database.
AGPL-3.0
GrafanaL
Replaces Datadog dashboards, New Relic, Kibana
Metrics and ops dashboards.
AGPL-3.0
EvidenceL
Replaces Tableau, Power BI for static reporting
Code-based report decks.
MIT
Apache SupersetM
Replaces Tableau, Looker, Power BI
Full BI, self-hosted.
Apache 2.0
LightdashM
Replaces Looker (LookML semantic layer)
BI on top of dbt.
MIT
CubeL
Replaces Looker semantic layer, AtScale
Semantic and metrics layer.
Apache 2.0
DuckDBL
Replaces Warehouse compute for small data, pandas
Fast local analytics database.
MIT
dbt CoreL
Replaces Alteryx, Informatica transforms
SQL transforms as code.
Apache 2.0
GristL
Replaces Excel, Airtable, Google Sheets
Spreadsheet-database with formulas.
Apache 2.0
AirbyteM
Replaces Fivetran, Stitch, Talend
Data connectors. Elastic licence, check use.
Elastic 2.0
MeltanoM
Replaces Fivetran, Stitch, Airbyte
Code-first data integration.
MIT
UnstructuredM
Replaces Textract, document ETL layers
Prep docs for AI pipelines.
Apache 2.0

Documents & e-signature

8 tools
doclingL
Replaces Textract, Document AI, LlamaParse
Get your documents ready for gen AI: parse messy PDFs and Office files into clean, LLM-ready markdown.
DocumentsAISelf-hostedMIT
Completely free, no paid tier.
MinerUM
Replaces Adobe Extract, Textract, Document AI
Turns complex PDFs, scans and Office docs into LLM-ready markdown or JSON, handling tables and formulas.
DocumentsAIBothCustom
Free at your scale; GPU recommended.
UnstractM
Replaces Textract, Rossum, Instabase, Nanonets
Describe the fields you want in plain English and it returns structured JSON. Built for finance and compliance.
DocumentsAIBothAGPL-3.0
Open source is single-user; team cloud from $499/mo.
Paperless-ngxM
Replaces DocuWare, M-Files, SharePoint DMS
Scan, index and archive documents into a full-text searchable pile you actually own.
DocumentsSelf-hostedGPL-3.0
Free; you run the server, backups and security.
Stirling PDFM
Replaces Adobe Acrobat Pro, Smallpdf
Edit, sign, redact, convert and automate PDFs on your own server, no external service.
DocumentsBothCustom
Open-core; some features need a paid licence.
DocumensoM
Replaces DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Annature
Open e-signature you host: send and sign documents on your own infrastructure.
DocumentsBothAGPL-3.0
Free self-hosted; paid cloud tier.
DocuSealM
Replaces DocuSign, Adobe Sign, Annature
Open e-signature, form-based.
AGPL-3.0
OpenSignM
Replaces DocuSign, Adobe Sign
Open e-signature.
AGPL-3.0

Internal apps, backend & integration

11 tools
SupabaseL
Replaces Firebase, AWS Amplify
Postgres backend with auth and APIs. Strong default.
Apache 2.0
AppwriteL
Replaces Firebase, AWS Amplify
Backend-as-a-service.
BSD-3-Clause
PocketBaseM
Replaces Firebase for small apps
Single-file backend. Solo maintainer.
MIT
AppsmithL
Replaces Retool, Power Apps, Budibase
Internal tool builder.
Apache 2.0
BudibaseM
Replaces Retool, MS Access, Power Apps
Low-code apps. BSL licence, check use.
BSL 1.1
ToolJetM
Replaces Retool, Power Apps, Appsmith
Internal tool builder.
AGPL-3.0
TeableM
Replaces Airtable, Smartsheet, NocoDB
Airtable-style over a real database.
AGPL-3.0
NocoDBM
Replaces Airtable, Smartsheet, Monday
A self-hostable Airtable alternative: a spreadsheet interface over your own Postgres or MySQL.
Project managementDev toolingBothSource-available
Free for internal use; commercial licence if you resell access.
Payload CMSL
Replaces Contentful, Sanity, Directus, WordPress
Headless CMS and backend.
MIT
Kong GatewayL
Replaces Apigee, AWS API Gateway, MuleSoft
API gateway.
Apache 2.0
SvixM
Replaces Hookdeck, custom webhook infra
Webhooks as a service.
MIT

AI infrastructure & agents

6 tools
OllamaL
Replaces OpenAI or Anthropic hosting, LM Studio, vLLM
Run open models locally with a CLI and REST API, and wire them into agents and apps.
AIBothMIT
Local runtime free; cloud tiers from $20/mo. Model licences are separate.
cogneeL
Replaces Mem0, Zep, Letta, LangMem
Gives agents memory that survives past the end of a chat: brand voice, products, customers, decisions.
AIBothApache 2.0
Free tier 1M tokens; standard $2.50 per 1M tokens.
ClineL
Replaces Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf
Open coding agent for IDEs and terminals that plans, edits and runs commands. Bring your own key.
Dev toolingAILocal / desktopApache 2.0
Free and open, bring-your-own API key; enterprise custom.
DeerFlowM
Replaces Deep Research, Manus, OpenHands
A research-and-coding agent harness that coordinates sub-agents, memory and sandboxes for long tasks.
AISelf-hostedMIT
Free (MIT); you still pay an LLM provider. ByteDance-owned.
BossConsoleM
Replaces Cursor, Warp, Devin, Factory
A governed desktop console for running AI coding agents with a browser, terminal, editor and MCP tools.
AIDev toolingLocal / desktopApache 2.0
Free (Apache-2.0); enterprise route exists.
NimbalystM
Replaces Conductor, Cursor, Warp, Devin
Desktop workspace for orchestrating parallel AI coding sessions, docs and diagrams (formerly Crystal).
Dev toolingAILocal / desktopMIT
Free; uses your existing Claude Code / Codex subscriptions.

Hosting, ops & monitoring

3 tools
CoolifyL
Replaces Vercel, Heroku, Netlify, Railway
Self-hostable deploy platform: push apps and databases to your own hardware, 280+ one-click services.
Dev toolingHostingBothApache 2.0
Self-hosted free with all features; cloud from $5/mo.
CaddyL
Replaces NGINX Plus, Traefik Enterprise
Fast web server with automatic HTTPS: it requests and renews your certificates by itself.
Dev toolingHostingSelf-hostedApache 2.0
Free; sponsorship-funded.
Uptime KumaL
Replaces UptimeRobot, Pingdom, StatusCake
Self-hosted uptime monitoring with status pages and alerts to wherever you already read messages.
MonitoringSelf-hostedMIT
Genuinely free, no feature gating.

Design & creative

7 tools
GSAPL
Replaces Paid animation tooling
The official GreenSock animation skill for GSAP, now fully free including all plugins.
DesignDev toolingSkill / pluginMIT
Free. GSAP itself is now 100% free, owned by Webflow.
LottieFilesL
Replaces Paid motion tooling
The official LottieFiles motion-design skill: Lottie and SVG animation, keyframes and export.
DesignSkill / pluginMIT
Free (MIT); LottieFiles' own platform is freemium.
Design DNAL
Replaces Figma tokens, Zeroheight, Tokens Studio
Agent skill that extracts a visual identity into machine-readable tokens: colour, type, effects.
DesignSkill / pluginMIT
Free (MIT); pay only for the model that runs it.
DiceBearL
Replaces Gravatar, UI Avatars
An avatar library that generates avatars from a set of styles, via API or library.
DesignBothMIT
Free; self-host for anything customer-facing. Check per-style art licences.
ExcalidrawL
Replaces Miro, FigJam, Lucidchart
Collaborative whiteboard for hand-drawn diagrams and wireframes on an infinite canvas.
DesignBothMIT
Editor free and MIT; Excalidraw+ from $6/user/mo.
archifyM
Replaces Lucidchart, draw.io, Structurizr
Agent skill for verifiable architecture, workflow and sequence diagrams as self-contained HTML.
DesignDev toolingSkill / pluginMIT
Free (MIT); you pay only for the model that runs it.
GenjutsuM
Replaces Framer, Webflow interactions
Creative-coding skills that take an interface from functional to polished: motion, interaction, visual systems.
DesignDev toolingSkill / pluginMIT
Free (MIT); prompt content only.

Audio & transcription

2 tools
OpenWhisprL
Replaces Otter.ai, Rev, Descript, Dragon
Voice-to-text dictation with local or cloud models, privacy-first and cross-platform.
AudioLocal / desktopMIT
Local models free; cloud uses your own key.
voiceboxM
Replaces ElevenLabs, Murf, Descript Overdub
Clone a voice on your own machine, nothing uploaded. TTS across 7 engines and 23 languages.
AudioLocal / desktopMIT
Free forever, fully local. Consent needed for real voices.

Scheduling, forms, surveys & time

6 tools
Easy!AppointmentsM
Replaces Calendly, Acuity Scheduling
Self-hosted booking.
GPL-3.0
RalllyM
Replaces Doodle, When2meet
Group scheduling.
AGPL-3.0
LimeSurveyL
Replaces SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Typeform
Surveys and forms.
GPL-2.0
FormbricksM
Replaces Qualtrics, Culture Amp, Typeform
Surveys and in-product feedback.
AGPL-3.0
KimaiL
Replaces Harvest, Toggl Track, Clockify
Time tracking.
AGPL-3.0
solidtimeM
Replaces Toggl Track, Clockify, Harvest
Time tracking.
AGPL-3.0

Project management

3 tools
OpenProjectL
Replaces Jira, Monday, Asana, MS Project
Classic, agile or hybrid project management with roadmaps, portfolios and time tracking.
Project managementBothGPL-3.0
Community free; paid tiers have a 25-user minimum.
PlaneM
Replaces Jira, Linear, Monday, ClickUp
Modern issue tracking with cycles, modules, docs and roadmaps in one workspace.
Project managementBothAGPL-3.0
Community edition free and self-hosted; cloud is paid.
NocoDBM
Replaces Airtable, Smartsheet, Monday
A self-hostable Airtable alternative: a spreadsheet interface over your own Postgres or MySQL.
Project managementDev toolingBothSource-available
Free for internal use; commercial licence if you resell access.

SEO & search

4 tools
Plausible AnalyticsL
Replaces Google Analytics
Privacy-first, cookie-free web analytics. Light enough to drop in with no consent banner.
AnalyticsSEOBothAGPL-3.0
Community edition free to self-host; EU cloud is paid.
OpenSEOM
Replaces Semrush, Ahrefs
Keyword research, rank tracking, audits and competitor insight, with an MCP connection for agents.
SEOBothMIT
Not free in practice: brings your own DataForSEO key, paid per query.
FirecrawlM
Replaces Apify, Bright Data, ScrapingBee
Search, scrape and crawl sites into clean markdown or structured data for AI agents.
SearchAIBothAGPL-3.0
Self-host is not production-grade; the paid cloud is the real product.
SearXNGM
Replaces Paid search APIs (Google, Bing)
Self-hosted metasearch that aggregates results with no tracking, usable as an agent search backend.
SearchSelf-hostedAGPL-3.0
Free; costs are the server plus upkeep.

E-commerce

1 tools
BagistoL
Replaces Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce
Open-source Laravel e-commerce for stores, orders, B2B and multi-vendor marketplaces.
Dev toolingSelf-hostedMIT
MIT core free; a real build buys paid marketplace extensions.

A licence note, so this reads as honest rather than salesy: the AGPL and source-available tools here are fine to run internally but carry real conditions if a tool is offered to clients as a service. Any client-facing use gets a licence check first.

Want one of thesebuilt around your business?

Start a conversation →

Happy to help you set any of these up, or design an owned version that fits exactly how you work.