Curated list of 1000 open source alternatives to proprietary software
Hey people! I have been compiling a database of opensource alternatives and I'm super proud of it so far. It serves as a searchable directory for high-quality opensource. After tons of hours I've managed to compile a database of 1000+ opensource software. I've seen other sites which have the same premise and all the GitHub Awesome Lists, but they lack in showing if the repo is active, abandoned, experimental, buggy/unstable, has a restrictive license or corporate influence like this does. Thanks for your time, if you have any recommendations for features/additions I'd love to hear.
Curated list of 1000 open source alternatives to proprietary software launched on February 8, 2026 with 10 votes, #1,046 of 16,627 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches.
In plain words
This is a searchable database of over 1,000 open source software alternatives to proprietary tools. It is designed for developers and users looking for open source options across various categories. What distinguishes it from similar directories is its detailed status tracking, which identifies whether repositories are actively maintained, abandoned, experimental, or buggy, and flags restrictive licenses or corporate influence.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
Does a similar job
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Open Source Alternative To2022 · opensourcealternative.to · ▲377Discover open source alternatives to your proprietary SaaS
- OSOpen-source alternatives to tools You pay for2023 · osssoftware.org · ▲245
hey makers, I've spent the whole night to compile this list out of > winners of Product Hunt > best dev tools on DevHunt > recently active on GitHub > most internet backlinks > most mentions as "alternative to .." Let me know if I should add anything there.
- ADA directory of open source alternatives to proprietary software2024 · openalternative.co · ▲156
Hi, Piotr here I was collecting nice open-source companies for quite some time now. Mostly to take some inspiration and learn from their code. Last week, I though it would be fun to learn this Astro thing everyone's talking about. So I thought building a directory website out of this collection was pretty good idea. After 2 days of building, OpenAlternative was born. It's a community driven list of open source alternatives to proprietary software and applications. Enjoy and thank you for your support!
AlterBaseNov 2025 · alterbase.co · ▲189Hi, I'm software dev with 2x exit. I collected some affordable alternatives to expensive and well-known tools for a while. Mostly for personal use. Now I built the platform and added them here. Also, community help to grow with their tools and suggestions. Enjoy and if you have any alternative for popular softwares or have a suggestions please submit here to make it the internet's biggest alternative software platform.
- OSOpen-source alternatives to tools you pay for2025 · alternativeoss.com · ▲24
I got tired of collecting open source projects in my chrome bookmarks so I decided to compile a curated list of: - Recently active projects on GitHub - Mostly dev tools (but also productivity, analytics) - Projects which are "Alternative to X software" My bookmarks are finally empty:D If you have a great open source tool you use, I'd be glad to hear your suggestions. Also, any feedback is greatly appreciated.
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Source: Show HN post ↗
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