OSI-licensed open source
Open source software apps replace common commercial SaaS with software whose code you can inspect, self-host and modify. For developers and small IT teams the draw is control over data, no per-seat licence fees and the option to integrate or extend.
This guide skips generic desktop favourites and focuses on maintained, self-hostable apps a team can actually run: file sync, office suite, documents, PDF tooling, wiki, remote access, project management and CRM. Each licence was read from the project repository on the verified date.
Tools, licences and pricing checked against vendor and repository pages on November 7, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nextcloud | Self-hosted file sync and collaboration | Free, open source (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 |
| LibreOffice | Replacing a desktop office suite | Free, open source | MPL-2.0 |
| Paperless-ngx | Digitising paper and PDFs into a searchable archive | Free, open source (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0 |
| Stirling-PDF | Self-hosted PDF editing for a team | Free MIT-licensed core (self-hosted); paid Server and Enterprise plans - see vendor pricing | MIT |
| BookStack | Team wiki and internal documentation | Free, open source (self-hosted) | MIT |
| RustDesk | Self-hosted remote support | Free, open source (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 |
| Plane | Open-source project and issue tracking | Free, open source (self-hosted); Plane Cloud has a free sign-up - see vendor pricing | AGPL-3.0 |
| EspoCRM | Small-team CRM you control | Free, open source (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 |
Best for: Self-hosted file sync and collaboration · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Nextcloud is a self-hosted platform for file storage, sync and collaboration. The server repository describes it as a safe home for all your data.
Best for: Replacing a desktop office suite · Free, open source
LibreOffice is a free office suite whose source lives in the core repository, with patches submitted through Gerrit. Downloads are provided through The Document Foundation.
Best for: Digitising paper and PDFs into a searchable archive · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Paperless-ngx is a community-supported document management system to scan, index and archive documents.
Best for: Self-hosted PDF editing for a team · Free MIT-licensed core (self-hosted); paid Server and Enterprise plans - see vendor pricing
Stirling-PDF is an open-core PDF editing platform you can self-host. Core code is MIT licensed, while proprietary, SaaS and some frontend directories carry separate licences; enterprise features are sold separately.
Best for: Team wiki and internal documentation · Free, open source (self-hosted)
BookStack is a platform for storing and organising information and documentation, structured as shelves, books, chapters and pages.
Best for: Self-hosted remote support · Free, open source (self-hosted)
RustDesk is a remote desktop application designed for self-hosting, positioned as an alternative to TeamViewer.
Best for: Open-source project and issue tracking · Free, open source (self-hosted); Plane Cloud has a free sign-up - see vendor pricing
Plane is an open-source project management platform for tasks, sprints, docs and triage, pitched as an alternative to Jira and Linear.
Best for: Small-team CRM you control · Free, open source (self-hosted)
EspoCRM is a free CRM application for managing leads, contacts, sales, marketing campaigns and support cases.
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| If you need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Replace Dropbox or Google Drive | Nextcloud |
| Replace desktop Office | LibreOffice |
| Paper-free document archive | Paperless-ngx |
| PDF work without uploading files to third parties | Stirling-PDF |
| Internal wiki | BookStack |
| Jira-style planning | Plane |
Quick answers to common questions
The code is free to use under its licence, but you pay in hosting and maintenance, and some projects sell paid editions or support.
If you modify AGPL software and let others use it over a network, you must offer them the modified source. Using it internally unmodified is simpler.
Its core is MIT licensed, but certain directories are proprietary, so it is open-core.
Licences such as BSL, SSPL or Elastic are not OSI open source, so they are excluded from this list.
List it on TechLogHub and we'll review it for this guide.
