In the vast world of software, there are some amazing tools that are not just useful but also free and open for everyone to use.
In this article, let’s explore some of the best open-source software in 2024 that can make your digital life easier and more exciting.
1. LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite written in C++, Java, and Python, which was first released in January 2011 by The Document Foundation and has since been known to be the most reliable open-source office suite.
Usually used as an alternative to Microsoft Office Suite, it is regularly updated and is also compatible with the doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx files.
2. Nextcloud
Nextcloud is an open-source, self-hosted file-sharing platform with support for communicating and collaborating with teams.
Its functionality is similar to that of Dropbox and ownCloud, and you can use it to sync your files, calendars, and other data formats.
3. Adminer
Adminer is a minimalist Database Management System (DBMS) in a single PHP file and it focuses on security, UX, performance, feature set, and size.
It ships with several inbuilt themes and features all the operations you can perform in phpMyAdmin with the promise of offering a tidier UI with high performance and better support for MySQL features.
4. Slim Framework
Slim Framework is a PHP micro-framework that enables users to write powerful web applications and APIs in a simpler way.
Fundamentally, it works as a dispatcher that receives an HTTP request, invokes an appropriate callback routine, and then returns an HTTP response.
5. uniCenta
uniCenta is an open-source commercial-grade Point Of Sale dedicated to providing business owners with innovative POS applications.
Its features include modules for system control, sales, inventory, suppliers, employees, customers, and reports.
6. Bitwarden
Bitwarden is a free and open-source password manager for keeping digital records away from the sight of unauthorized users.
It features a clean minimalist UI with several client applications including one for a web interface, desktop, mobile apps, etc. and can be used by individuals, teams, and organizations.
7. The Elastic Stack
The Elastic Stack is made up of various open-source applications designed to enable users to collect data from any source irrespective of its format and type.
It also enables users to search, analyze, and visualize data in real-time and it can be distributed as Software as a Service (Saas) or installed on-premise.
8. Steam
Steam is not open-source but it is regarded as the ultimate online gaming platform, is an online community where you can easily search, install, and manage game collections for different OS platforms.
SteamOS + Linux on Steam is the best thing that has happened to gamers in the Linux community.
9. Cockpit
Cockpit is a user-friendly, integrated, glanceable, extendable, and web-based GUI for managing servers. It is designed to have a beautiful, modern UI with support for teams, integration with the terminal, multi-server administration, and built-in troubleshooting tools.
It provides a user-friendly dashboard, which is accessible through a web browser, allowing users to perform various system-related tasks without the need for a command-line interface.
10. .NET Core
.NET Core refers to the free and open-source general-purpose software development framework for Linux, macOS, and Windows Operating Systems.
It contains the .NET Native runtime and CoreRT and it can be used in device, cloud, and embedded/IoT scenarios.
11. IPFire
IPFire is a versatile open-source Linux-based firewall that is easy to use and offers high performance in any scenario.
IPFire originally started as an IPCop fork but was rewritten from scratch in version 2.
12. Flameshot
Flameshot is a simple but powerful screenshot application for Linux, that you can use to interact with it via GUI or CLI and perform markup operations on a per-screenshot basis.
13. Brave Browser
Brave Browser is a free and open-source Chromium-based browser that ships with more features than Chrom typically does.
It is customizable, security-focused, user-friendly, and ships with an inbuilt adblocker and password manager among other features.
14. BRL-CAD
BRL-CAD is a free and open-source cross-platform solid modeling system that includes interactive geometry editing, a system performance analysis benchmark suite, geometry libraries for application developers, and high-performance ray tracing for rendering and geometric analysis.
15. ssh-chat
ssh-chat is a custom SSH server through which you can hold secure chats with a limited number of users over an SSH connection.
It is specially designed to convert your SSH server into a chat service after which you get a chat prompt rather than a typical shell.
16. PhotoRec
PhotoRec is a CLI utility software for data recovery capable of recovering files with over 480 extensions. It is compatible with various digital camera memory, hard disks, and CD-ROMs.
17. GParted
GParted is a GUI utility for managing disk partitions and is capable of resizing, moving, and copying partitions without data loss.
It is excellent at manipulating file systems including xfs, ufs, ntfs, udf, fat16/fat32, ext2/ext3/ext4, btrfs, etc.
18. Restic
Restic is an open-source CLI-based utility for performing backups easily, securely, quickly, and efficiently for free.
It uses Semantic Versioning to always allow for backward compatibility within one major version.
19. Rclone
Rclone is a command line-based utility for synchronizing files and directories to and from several storage locations including Dropbox, FTP, Hubic, Dreamhost, OVH, Nextcloud, Yandex Disk, etc.
Rclone’s features include checking for file hash equality, timestamps preserved on files, one-way sync mode to directories, Union backend, etc.
20. Minio
Minio is a private cloud storage stack that provides scalable and persistent object storage for several infrastructures including Docker, Kubernetes, GCP, etc.
21. Cmus
Cmus is a powerful but lightweight CLI-based music player app for playing audio files from the terminal on Unix-like Operating Systems.
22. Etcher
Etcher is a cross-platform GUI utility for easily and safely flashing OS images to SD cards and USB drives.
23. Cargo
Cargo is a package manager for the Rust programming language and it is efficient at downloading the necessary Rust dependencies for your project as well as compiling the packages into distributable packages that it then uploads to crates.io.
24. Sayonara Player
Sayonara Player is a C++ audio player and library manager for Linux devices. It features several advanced functionalities including extending its features list with extensions, directory view, recording webstreams and podcasts, an inbuilt tag editor, crossfade, equalizer, etc.
25. Helm
Helm is a package manager created by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation for Kubernetes and it provides users with the easiest way to discover, share, and build Kubernetes applications.
Kubernetes also referred to as k8s, is an open-source system for automating application management, scaling, and deployment.
26. ClickHouse
ClickHouse is an open-source column-oriented Database Management System for generating analytical data reports in real time using SQL. It is linearly scalable, fault-tolerant, simple to use, and hardware efficient.
27. Shotcut
Shotcut is a free, cross-platform, and open-source video editor with wide support for video formats and a clean user interface.
It features network stream playback, IP stream, webcam and audio capture, support for 4K resolution, capture from SDI, etc.
28. Kdenlive
Kdenlive is an advanced free and open-source video editing software with support for multi-track video editing, proxy editing, timeline preview, automatic backup, and audio and video scopes.
Kdenlive also features several online resources for users, a title for creating 2D titles, a configurable UI, etc.
29. Rufus
Rufus is a lightweight utility for creating bootable USB flash drives and flashing BIOS or other firmware from DOS. It can also be used to format drives and can be run directly from a memory stick as a portable app.
30. DSpace
DSpace is a customizable open-source dynamic digital repository whose aim is to make information easy to access, use, and manage.
It is used in several academic, commercial, and non-profit settings for building open digital repositories.
31. Stellarium
Stellarium is an open-source OpenGL-powered planetarium software that shows a 3D simulation of the night sky in real-time.
It also contains details of all the planetary bodies and constellations with engaging visualizations.
32. Krita
Krita is a cross-platform open-source raster graphics editor for digital painting and creating animations. It is among the most popular digital painting tools with features like native support for CMYK, a clutter-free UI, efficient resource management, a pop-up color palette, etc.
33. Tvheadend
Tvheadend (TVH) is a Linux recorder and TV streaming server with support for various streaming formats including ISDB-T, IPTV, SAT>IP, ATSC, DVB-S2, DVB-S, DVB-C, etc.
34. OpenShot
OpenShot is a free, cross-platform, and open-source video editor created to be incredibly simple, powerful, and efficient.
It features unlimited tracks, animations & keyframes, a title editor, slow motion and time effects, support for 70+ languages, etc.
35. GSConnect
GSConnect is an implementation of KDE Connect especially for GNOME shell with Nautilus, Firefox, and Chrome integration.
Like KDEConnect, GSConnect allows devices to connect and share notifications, SMS messages, files, etc. e.g. connecting an Android device to an Ubuntu PC.
36. BorgBackup
BorgBackup (short, Borg) is a deduplicating backup program with optional support for compression and encryption. It was built with the main goal of providing an efficient way to securely back data up.
37. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is Microsoft’s free, cross-platform, and open-source feature-rich code editor. It is in the list of top 5 GUI text editors used by developers and that comes as no surprise given its seemingly unending capabilities.
38. KeePass Password Safe
KeePass Password Safe is a free and open-source password manager that secures all your passwords and files in a single encrypted database. It is lightweight, easy to use, and multi-platform.
39. Discord
Discord is a proprietary freeware digital distribution platform and VoIP application created for gamers. It is cross-platform and supports both single-user and group chats with a specialty in communication via text, image, audio, and video between users.
40. Wine
Wine, which stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator, is a compatibility layer that enables its users to run Windows applications on any POSIX-compliant OS.
Wine cleanly integrates Windows apps with Linux desktops by translating Windows API calls into POSIX calls in real-time which eliminates the performance and memory repercussions of other methods.
41. Synapse
Synapse is a high-performance, lightweight Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) powered by the fast and asynchronous mediation engine that gives it support for Web Services, XML, and REST.
It has so many features that you are better off checking its features page out yourself.
42. Pix
Pix is an advanced image browser, viewer, organizer, and editor for BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, TGA, ICO, XPM image formats, and optional support for RAW and HDR images.
It has advanced tools for editing images by adding comments, scaling them, finding duplicates, tools for viewing and browsing images such as working with slideshows, performing lossless JPG transformations, etc.
43. Geany
Geany is a cross-platform GTK+ text editor with the basic features of an IDE. It is designed to have few dependencies on external libraries while offering its users a speedy and memory-friendly performance.
44. openLCA
openLCA is a free feature-rich Life Cycle Assessment software created by GreenDelta in 2006. With it, you can model and assess any product for the whole duration of its life cycle from resource extraction to production, its usage, and disposal.
45. Gophish
Gophish is a free, robust cross-platform phishing framework that enables individuals and organizations to easily test their network for phishing attacks.
It contains customizable templates as well as the ability to import/export them, campaigns that you can schedule to launch and send emails in the background, a real-time results tracker, and a full REST API.
46. Flutter
Flutter is a mobile app development SDK created and maintained by Google. It allows users to build sleek native applications on both Android and iOS from a single codebase.
Flutter is also compatible with code for the web, React Native, and Xamarin and it features built-in animations, widgets, and OS-specific designs that speed up the development process.
47. GIMP
GIMP is a feature-rich cross-platform image editing software most commonly used as the Linux alternative for Adobe Photoshop.
Apart from GIMP being capable of doing almost everything Photoshop can, its features are extensible via plugins thanks to its integration with several programming languages, and its files can be used with other media editing software like Inkscape, SwatchBooker, and Scribus.
48. Clementine
Clementine is a feature-rich music player and library organizer and it is among the most popular music players for Linux. Its features include being cross-platform, a queue manager, remote control using a Wii remote, CLI or MPRIS, Android device, visualizations from projects, etc.
49. Mailcow
Mailcow is an open-source mail server that makes use of other smaller open-source services to provide users with an enjoyable mailing experience.
It features a UI that enables users to complete administrative tasks, use temporary spam aliases, work with KIM and ARC, reset SOGo ActiveSync device caches, and integrate with Fail2ban-like software, among others.
50. Beaver
DBeaver is a robust free multi-platform GUI database tool for developers, analysts, DB administrators, and SQL programmers. It has support for all popular databases not excluding MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, MS Access, Teradata, Sybase, Firebird, and Derby.
51. ONLYOFFICE
ONLYOFFICE is an open-source office suite that is 100% compatible with the Microsoft Office suite. Its features include an online platform for creating and managing documents, team collaboration, a calendar, and project and mail management tools.
ONLYOFFICE can integrate with your Saas or on-premise solution to provide your clients with a branded UI/UX, and web services like Nextcloud, SharePoint, Alfresco, etc.
52. Mailspring
Mailspring is a customizable cross-platform and open-source mail client created to boost users’ productivity and provide them with a more pleasant mailing experience.
It features a beautiful modern UI with several keyboard shortcuts and out of the box with features like click tracking, etc., and tons of other features that users can shell out some cash for.
53. Thunderbird
Thunderbird is a free and open-source email client brought to you with love from the makers of Firefox. It was designed to be easy to set up and customize and it is among the most used email clients in the Linux community because of its rich feature set and it usually comes bundled with several distros.
54. VLC
VLC is a free, portable, multi-platform, and open-source media player created by the VideoLAN project. It has maintained its rank as one of the most reliable media players you can use given the fact that it can play with almost any media format you throw at it.
VLC is also a streaming app so you can stream audio and video content online as you would in a browser without leaving the app.
55. Stacer
Stacer is one of the coolest Linux system monitoring and optimizing software. It features a clean modern and intuitive interface with an informative dashboard and sleek icons.
You can use it to manage system services, startup processes, applications, scripts, files, etc. and you can work in different modes, limit CPU and memory usage, customize its look, etc.
56. Godot Engine
Godot Engine is a free and open-source game engine whose aim is to make the developers be creative with the games they make without reinventing the wheel or strings attached e.g. no royalties.
It is team-friendly, and ships with a wide set of common tools to speed up game development. It features sleek 2D and 3D graphics and has its usage simplified. With Godot Engine, the games you build are 100% yours.
57. Inkscape
Inkscape is a professional free, cross-platform vector graphics editor for anybody with an interest in digital drawing. You can use it to create illustrations, icons, maps, web graphics, diagrams, etc.
58. Blender
Blender is a free and open-source professional 3D creation suite created with support for the entire 3D pipeline i.e. modeling, simulation, rigging, compositing, motion tracking, game creation, rendering, and video editing.
59. Cinelerra
Cinelerra is a free and open-source software for professionally editing videos on Linux platforms. Its features include compositing, motion tracking, rendering, transitions, customizable text, effects, etc.
60. Calibre
Calibre is a free and cross-platform one-stop solution for electronic documents, especially ebooks, comics, and PDFs. Its features include a robust ebook viewer, a built-in news/magazine downloader, advanced management options for ebook organization, and metadata updates, to mention a few.
61. TexMaker
TexMaker is a free, cross-platform, and open-source LaTeX editor that enables users to create, edit, and manage LaTeX documents elegantly.
It has a long features including code folding, syntax highlighting, code completion, find in folders, an unlimited number of snippets, and support for regular expressions, to mention a few.
62. FileZilla
FileZilla is a free and open-source FTP solution that also has support for SFTP and FTP over TLS (FTPS). It features everything necessary for performing file operations from remote locations.
Nevertheless, it offers enterprise-class users a paid package that bundles extra features such as additional protocol support for Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob, and WebDAV, to name a few.
63. Kodi
Kodi is a beautiful, free, open-source, and multi-platform media center software from which you can manage and play music, movies, TV shows, and photo slideshows.
64. Iris
Iris is a community-driven multi-platform web framework written in Go. It is easy to use and has now come to be among the fastest web frameworks housing several features including automatic HTTPS with Public Domain, caching, sessions, WebSocket, versioning API, dependency injection, MVC, and compatibility with 3rd-party packages and standard libraries.
65. Psiphon3
Psiphon3 is a free and open-source network software designed for Windows and Android users to circumnavigate censorship while maintaining their optimal browsing and download speeds. It makes use of open-source components for SSH, VPN, and HTTP Proxy technology to provide users with uncensored online content.
Did you find any awesome Linux open-source software in 2024 that is not on the list? Let us know in the comments section below.
Since the time Microsoft released Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and subsequently acquired GitHub in 2018, the company is seen embracing the open-source community. It has even kickstarted many in-house projects under open-source guidelines. As a result, many open-source programs are now cross-platform and available on Windows natively. Not just that, the open-source apps are well-designed and follow Windows design principles. So in this article, we have listed the best free and open-source software for Windows 11. We have included apps from all categories, so you can find alternatives for popular apps, which are free and work well on Windows. On that note, let’s jump to the list.
In this article, we have curated the 35 best open-source apps for Windows 11. From productivity apps to utilities and professional-grade software, we have mentioned everything. Expand the table below and go through the list of apps.
1. VLC
When you are talking about the best open-source software for Windows 11, you simply can’t miss the VLC media player. It’s one of the best media players not just on Windows, but also on Linux, Android, macOS, and iOS. It’s completely free and open-source with no ads, user tracking, or spyware. No matter what you throw at it, be it video files with proprietary codecs, or Audio CDs, DVDs, etc, VLC can decode everything in an instant. And this is the reason why we chose VLC as one of the best Windows 11 apps.
Install VLC (Free)
There are many screenshot tools on Windows including the native Snipping tool, Greenshot, Lightshot, etc., but nothing comes close to ShareX. It’s a free and open-source program that allows you to take all kinds of screenshots on Windows. From partial screenshots to full-screen, window capture, and delayed screenshots, it can capture everything. Not to mention, you can also record the screen and create GIFs in the best quality on Windows 11 with ShareX. Simply put, for me, ShareX is one of the best free and open-source software for Windows 11 and you should check it out.
Install ShareX (Free)
3. OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a professional-grade software used by streamers and broadcasters, but did you know that it’s completely open-source? More than 500 users have contributed to the OBS project to make it a powerful live streaming and screen recording software. With OBS Studio, you can stream directly on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and other social media channels.
It supports compositing, granular settings for various media sources, unlimited scenes, custom transitions, and more. In fact, due to its open-source nature and huge community support, OBS Studio is supported by a large number of developers with third-party plugins. So I would say, OBS Studio definitely ranks among the best open-source software for Windows 11.
Install OBS Studio (Free)
4. Rufus
Rufus is another great open-source utility for Windows 11. You can use it to create a bootable USB for Windows 11 and also bypass many of the system requirements of Windows 11. The best part is that it’s completely free to use and supports many other operating systems too. You can define the partition scheme, directly pull Windows 11 from Microsoft’s website, select the file system, and do much more. You can also perform a clean install of Windows 11 using Rufus. In tandem, Rufus is an essential open-source app for Windows users and you should definitely use it.
Install Rufus (Free)
5. Lively Wallpaper — Free Alternative to Wallpaper Engine
There are a number of paid live wallpaper apps for Windows 11, but the one that stands out for me is Lively Wallpaper. Unlike the premium Wallpaper Engine, Lively Wallpaper is completely free to use and it’s open-source as well. You can set GIFs, online videos, downloaded videos, and even websites as your desktop live wallpaper. The good thing is that Lively Wallpaper consumes very few system resources reducing stutters and lags. All in all, Lively Wallpaper makes a case for open-source community-supported software and does a fabulous job at that.
Install Lively Wallpaper (Free)
While VLC is definitely a powerful media player, if you are looking for another open-source media player that is built on the modern WinUI framework, then Rise Media Player is for you. It’s a beautifully designed app in Fluent style and offers everything that you expect from a media player.
You can play your local media files, and stream music and videos with unlimited customization. The best part is that it uses materials like Mica and Acrylic to enhance the UI even more. The developer has released a new Alpha Preview 2 with a Now Playing feature and many quality-of-life improvements. Go ahead and check out this excellent open-source media player on Windows 11.
Install Rise Media Player (Free)
7. Cider — Alternative to Apple Music
Apple recently released the official Apple Music app for Windows 11, but it’s currently in preview. However, if you are looking for a stunningly designed Windows app for Apple Music, I would strongly recommend Cider. It’s completely free and open-source and integrates Apple Music seamlessly into the app. In addition, you can add services like Spotify, Last.fm, and Discord as well. Unlike the dreaded iTunes app, Cider is very fast as it’s natively written on Vue.js for Windows 11. Not to forget, you have support for AirPlay, Apple Music Sing, Chromecast, and more.
Install Cider (Free)
8. KDE Connect — Alternative to Phone Link
If you are looking for an open-source alternative to Phone Link or Intel Unison, go ahead and check out KDE Connect. It offers similar features and enables deeper communication between your smartphone and PC. You can effortlessly share files and links between the two devices, get phone notifications on your PC, customize commands to shut down your computer, and more. In addition, you can remotely control music on your PC using your phone and use your phone as a virtual trackpad. Simply put, it brings many of the essential features to bridge the gap between smartphones and PCs.
Install KDE Connect (Free)
9. GIMP — Free Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
We already know how costly Adobe’s suite of apps can get and particularly, Adobe Photoshop. If you are looking for an open-source and free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, I would strongly suggest checking out GIMP. I personally use GIMP and it’s actively developed with new feature additions that make it a powerful image editor. You get most of the basic and advanced features on par with Adobe Photoshop. It has support for many third-party plugins and comes with a variety of sophisticated tools as well.
Install GIMP (Free)
10. Audacity
Audacity is a free and open-source audio editor for Windows 11. It’s an excellent application that comes with many audio-manipulation tools. You can record audio from multiple sources, resample audio in various formats, edit audio clips, add effects, analyze the frequencies, and do much more.
With its Spectrogram view mode, you can visualize detailed frequency and analyze the audio in greater detail. Just like other open-source programs, it also supports third-party plugins from various applications. If you wish to record audio on Windows 11 and the built-in Sound Recorder app is too basic for you, you can try Audacity. It will not disappoint you.
Install Audacity (Free)
11. Shotcut — Free Alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro
Shotcut is not as advanced as Adobe Premiere Pro, but it does a very good job at video editing. It’s a free and open-source video editor for Windows 11 with support for multiple audio and video formats. Thanks to FFmpeg — another open-source project — Shotcut can decode most media formats including proprietary ones. You do get multiple timelines and dockable panel support just like other advanced video editors. The video editor also supports tone mapping, video effects, transitions, animations, and more. Other than Shotcut, you can also try other free and open-source video editors like Kdenlive and OpenShot.
Install Shotcut (Free)
12. 7-Zip and NanaZip
We already know that 7-Zip has made a mark for itself in the file archiving space. Overthrowing WinRAR and WinZip, this free and open-source software has become the de-facto solution for compressing and decompressing files and folders. It’s a very lightweight app featuring an impressive algorithm that outputs files with a high compression ratio. You can even encrypt and password-protect files and folders in Windows 11 with 7-Zip. Not to mention, 7-Zip lets you access various file formats like DMG, MSIX, EXE, and more.
That said, it has a somewhat outdated design for Windows 11 which forces people to look for an alternative. In that case, you can try NanaZip which is a fork of 7-Zip, but in a modern UI. Built on XAML Islands, NanaZIP has a simple and modern user interface. Unlike 7-Zip, NanaZip offers a context menu when you right-click on a file or folder with various functions. To sum up, both are powerful apps and based on your preference, you can choose either of them.
Install 7-Zip (Free)
Install NanaZip (Free)
13. LibreOffice — Free Alternative to Microsoft Office
LibreOffice is a popular office suite similar to Microsoft Office, but it’s completely free and open-source. If you don’t want to buy Microsoft Office or subscribe to its expensive plans, you can very well get your things done on LibreOffice. It has all the office productivity software you need including Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math, and more.
All the programs are alternatives to MS Office apps. I have personally used LibreOffice in the past and I can say that the compatibility between Microsoft Office and LibreOffice documents is quite good. Moreover, developers have modernized the UI greatly and now it even supports dark mode.
Install LibreOffice (Free)
14. QuickLook
QuickLook is a fantastic open-source program for Windows 11 that lets you quickly preview files and folders, similar to macOS, ChromeOS, and Linux. Select the file and press the “Space” key and you can peek into the file without fully opening it. It works for images, videos, PDF files, folders, etc. I have been using QuickLook on my Windows 11 PC and am very happy with the experience. So if you want to get a macOS-like preview feature on Windows 11, QuickLook will let you do that.
Install QuickLook (Free)
15. Files
While Microsoft is overhauling the native File Explorer on Windows 11 with tabs support and a new details pane, an independent developer has made an open-source Files app that is modern-looking and has all the useful features for Windows. It has a sleek and intuitive design with support for tabs, color coding, dual pane, column view, QuickLook integration for quick previewing, and more. In fact, it won the Microsoft Store App Awards in 2022 for the best-designed app. If you want to try something new, go ahead and use the Files app on your Windows 11 PC.
Install Files (Free)
16. ScreenToGif
ScreenToGif is one of my favorite Windows 11 apps. It’s a full-blown GIF editor and it’s free to use and open-source as well. You can edit GIFs frame-by-frame, reduce their quality and size, edit, cut, crop, and resize them too. There are many built-in algorithms to reduce the GIF size without affecting the quality. Apart from that, it also supports sketch board recording with screen and webcam support. You can also share the GIFs directly using Imgur, Gfycat, and other online sources. Simply put, there is no better GIF editor for Windows 11 than ScreenToGif.
Install ScreenToGIF (Free)
17. Brave Browser — Open-Source Alternative to Chrome, Edge
Many are not aware but Brave is an open-source browser that is based on Chromium. Chrome is also based on Chromium, but it has many proprietary Google services integrated. As for Brave, it’s built on the premise of offering fast performance without the niggling memory issues of Chrome. It consumes 33% less memory than Chrome and offers 3x better performance.
Apart from that, it blocks third-party trackers and invasive ads by default which is great from the point of privacy. In addition, Brave provides malware and phishing protection as well. Brave has also done well to add Tor mode which anonymizes the network route. So if you want a fast, secure, and open-source browser for Windows 11, go ahead and try Brave. Also, you can check out Mozilla Firefox (Get) which is also open-source.
Install Brave (Free)
18. Tor Browser
If you want complete anonymity online, you should use the Tor browser on Windows 11. It’s a free and open-source program developed by the Tor project and thousands of volunteers worldwide. The Tor browser runs an encrypted Tor network which is maintained by a community of volunteers from all around the world. It blocks third-party trackers, ads, fingerprinting techniques, etc. to offer restriction-free internet. The idea behind the Tor browser is to quell censorship and surveillance on the internet.
Install Tor (Free)
19. Bitwarden
Bitwarden is one of the best password managers for Windows 11 and it’s also one of the rare ones that are open-source. The password manager is all about transparency and its source has been audited by many security firms. It also conducts regular penetration testing by consulting groups. So, as far as security is concerned, Bitwarden offers top-notch protection for your passwords. The best part is that it also offers a free version with unlimited passwords and device support. It can auto-fill web forms, generate strong passwords, offer a 2FA login, an authenticator app, and more. To sum up, if you want an open-source password manager for Windows 11, Bitwarden is the way to go.
Install Bitwarden (Free)
20. Blender — Free Alternative to Autodesk Maya and Cinema 4D
Blender is a professional-grade 3D creation software that has been used to create many popular movies. It’s a powerful program used by graphic artists to create animated films, visual effects, art, and more. Guess what? Blender is completely free and open-source. If you are someone who wants to work on motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality assets, and 3D-printed models, well, Blender has all the tools to drive your imagination. Apart from that, many use it for 3D and 2D modeling, sculpting, and digital drawing. To conclude, there is no program out there that can match Blender’s capabilities.
Install Blender (Free)
21. Okular — Free Alternative to Paid PDF Editors
While there are a ton of PDF editors on Windows 11, most of them are paid and some freemium ones allow only one edit in a day. If you are looking for a completely free and open-source PDF editor for Windows 11, I would recommend Okular. It’s developed for Linux systems mainly, but of late, it has been greatly improved on Windows as well.
You can both view and edit PDF documents with Okular. It supports annotation with a wide variety of tools, you can highlight texts, add inline, notes, and your text as well. Not to mention, Okular offers digital signatures as well, so that is great. In addition to Okular, you can also try LibreOffice Draw to edit your PDF files for free on Windows 11.
Install Okular (Free)
22. Krita — Free Alternative to Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Animate
Krita is a feature-packed painting application for Windows 11 that is entirely free and open-source. It’s a suitable alternative to the pricey Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Animate. You can do raster graphics editing for digital and 2D animation. The app is perfect for someone looking to make conceptual art, illustrations, comics, and digital painting. You have a customizable layout with support for 30 dockers and it also supports dark and light modes. Moreover, Krita offers more than 100 brushes for various ranges and your style. It can even stabilize your brush in case you have a shaky hand. So if you want to paint on a Windows PC, Krita is the way to go.
Install Krita (Free)
23. HandBrake
To convert videos to other formats, you don’t need to download a sketchy program or install a heavy video editor on your PC. HandBrake is a free and open-source program that can nearly convert any video format to another modern format with proper codec support. It can even convert proprietary video formats to your choice of media format. From AV1 to H.265, MPEG-4, and VP9, you are covered on almost all the fronts. It can even encode audio formats like DTS-HD, TrueHD, AC3, and other tracks. Finally, you can add subtitles, set live and static video previews, adjust bitrate, mark chapters, etc.
Install HandBrake (Free)
24. Psiphon
Psiphon is a free and open-source software for Windows 11 that can circumvent restrictions on the internet by deploying various network technologies. You can think of it as a VPN, but it’s more than that. It uses a combination of VPN, SSH, and web proxy to establish a secure connection amid internet censorship. If a service or content is blocked in your region, Psiphon can unblock it for you. For user protection, it constantly changes the servers and uses a number of blocking-resilient protocols to keep the internet open.
Install Psiphon (Free)
25. FreeCAD — Free Alternative to AutoCAD
FreeCAD is a free and open-source CAD software for 3D parametric modeling on Windows 11. It essentially lets you create designs of real-life objects into 3D models. You can create 3D models of any size and change the parameters to modify the design as you like. The program also lets you create 2D sketches and then create 3D objects on top of it. The best part about FreeCAD is that it has many tools and components to develop production-ready models of high quality. Whether you are in architecture, product design, or mechanical engineering, FreeCAD is the best software to model and create the objects you want.
Install FreeCAD (Free)
26. VirtualBox — Open-Source Alternative to VMware
While VirtualBox is not completely open-source, it’s one of the most powerful virtualization software out there. The extension packs are proprietary and developed by Oracle. You can use it to create a virtual machine on Windows 11 or run Android, Linux, and other operating systems in a VM. Sure, VMware also offers a free edition of its software, but it’s not open-source. So if you are on the lookout for an open-source virtualization tool that is also free, VirtualBox is the way to go.
Install VirtualBox (Free)
27. VeraCrypt
If you are looking for an open-source disk encryption program for Windows 11, VeraCrypt is the most suited one. It’s totally free and offers premium features without any fee. It allows you to password-protect your encrypted volumes on Windows. It does so by encrypting the whole disk partition using industry-standard algorithms like AES, Serpent, SHA-2, and other methods. Not just that, you can also encrypt your USB stick so that no one can access your confidential files.
Install VeraCrypt (Free)
28. Joplin — Free Alternative to OneNote and Evernote
On Windows, OneNote and Evernote are considered to be the best note-taking apps. However, Joplin is a free and open-source software for Windows 11 that you can use to take notes and create your to-do lists as well. Joplin can handle a large number of notes and resources and can be organized into notebooks. You can also search the notebook, tag them, categorize them into multiple sections, and also add texts wherever you want. The best part is that it also supports Markdown format and you can also import your Evernote notes with formatting intact.
Install Joplin (Free)
29. BleachBit — Open-Source Alternative to CCleaner
Many users prefer to use CCleaner to clean up their PC, but it has come to notice that CCleaner is an adware and it constantly hogs system resources. In fact, Microsoft now flags CCleaner as a Potentially Unwanted App (PUA). So if you want a lightweight disk cleaner and maintenance software for Windows 11, I would recommend BleachBit.
It’s fully open-source and free to use. It identifies temporary and cached files from browsers, programs, mail clients, and various other apps. The app has a simple user interface and can deep clean your system within seconds. Apart from that, we will also recommend following our guide on how to free up disk space on Windows 11.
Install BleachBit (Free)
30. Clonezilla — Free Alternative to Macrium Reflect
If you want to create a full backup of your system, there are many backup software for Windows, but most of them are paid. However, Clonezilla is a free and open-source software for Windows 11 that lets you access most of the premium features for free. It can fully clone the system images and disks without any errors. No matter if you have a disk with different file systems, Clonezilla can mirror the disk effortlessly. The only con is its UI, which might frighten general users. However, once you understand its interface, you can easily move your data from one disk to another without losing anything.
Install Clonezilla (Free)
31. Mailspring
For many Windows users, the go-to open-source email client has been Thunderbird. However, now a modern-looking app Mailspring has come up that offers most of the features for free. It has a very neat interface with no ads or bloatware integration. It supports multiple accounts including IMAP and Office 365. You can choose to make a unified inbox for multiple accounts. The best part is that it has touch and gesture support so if you have a touchscreen Windows tablet, it will fit right in. You also get built-in support for read receipts, link tracking, send later, and more. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try Mailspring on your Windows 11 PC.
Install Mailspring (Free)
32. Transmission
Transmission is a free and open-source torrent client for Windows 11. The reason I am recommending Transmission over qBittorent is that it’s very lightweight and does not consume system resources needlessly. If you are looking for a torrent client for Windows, pick Transmission over the adware uTorrent or other such clients. Transmission automatically blocks bad peers which makes it much faster than other clients. Apart from that, it has been developed in a modern framework so the feel and look of the app is quite nice on Windows 11.
Install Transmission (Free)
33. Notepad++
Notepad++ is a popular text and source code editor for Windows. It’s open-source and free for everyone to use. While Microsoft recently added tabs support to Notepad, Notepad++ had it for years. You can open multiple files in the same window in a tabbed interface and edit texts as you like it. If you are a beginner in coding and want to edit or view source code, Notepad++ is the best place to start. It offers syntaxes for as many as 78 programming languages including popular ones like C, C++, HTML, JSON, Rust, and more. To sum up, for text and source code editing, Notepad++ is a very good open-source app on Windows that you can try.
Install Notepad++ (Free)
34. Microsoft PowerToys
In case, you are unaware, Microsoft PowerToys is a free and open-source program developed for Windows users. It features a number of utilities for power users that can improve productivity by a greater degree. You can enable PowerToys Run to get a Spotlight-like Search tool on Windows 11. Apart from that, you can quickly extract text from images on Windows 11 using PowerToys, no need to download a separate OCR software. You can further customize Snap Layouts and create your own layout for better productivity. There are many such features that can streamline and enhance your Windows experience. So go ahead and try PowerToys on your PC right away.
Install PowerToys (Free)
35. ExplorerPatcher
After the release of Windows 11, many users were miffed due to new changes in Start Menu and Taskbar design. However, with a free and open-source program called ExplorerPatcher, you can restore most Windows 10 functionalities on Windows 11. For example, you can set Windows 11 Taskbar icons to Never Combine for separate app placement on the Taskbar. Apart from that, you can remove the “Recommended” section from the Windows 11 Start menu. There are many other meaningful changes you can make with ExplorerPatcher so I would suggest going ahead and trying the app by yourself.
Install ExplorerPatcher (Free)
So this is our list of the best open-source software for Windows 11. We have included only those Windows apps which are completely free and open-source. You can go ahead and pick the programs most suited to your needs. Anyway, that is all from us. If you are looking for the best settings to change for enhanced privacy on Windows 11, head to our linked guide. And if we missed out on your favorite open-source app, do let us know in the comment section below.
GNU/Linux (Unix-подобные ОС) (W [WSL],M,L)
OnlyOffice (замена Microsoft Office) как выглядит на Linux? (W,M,L)
LibreOffice (аналог Microsoft Office) для Windows/Linux (W,M,L)
Mozilla Firefox (браузер)(W,M,L,A)
Chromium, как выглядит на Linux? (браузер)(W,M,L,A)
7zip (архиватор)(W,M,L,A)
VLC Media Player (видеоплеер)(W,M,L,A)
Blender (3D графика + видеомонтаж)(W,M,L)
VirtualBox (виртуальная машина [запуск ОС внутри ОС])(W,M,L)
Krita (растровая графика)(W,M,L)
Pamac — управление программами в Linux Manjaro (ArchLinux) [ALMP, FlatPak, Snap, AUR]
Thunderbird (почтовый клиент) (W,M,L)
Notepad++ (текстовый редактор с подсветкой кода) (W)
Visual Studio Code (среда разработки для написания программ и кода) (W,M,L)
qBittorrent (бит-торрент клиент) (W,M,L)
GIMP (растровая графика)(W,M,L)
InkScape (векторная графика) (W,M,L)
HandBrake (видео конвертер) (W,M,L)
Kdenlive (видеоредактор, конвертер) (W,M,L)
KeePassXC (хранитель паролей) (W,M,L)
Wireshark (анализатор сетевых протоколов) (W,M,L)
ClamAV (антивирусный движок) (W,M,L)
Portmaster (сетевой экран [firewall]) (W,L)
FileZilla (FTP/SSH клиент и сервер) (W,M,L)
FFmpeg (мощный, известный набор библиотек и программ для работы с видео) (W,M,L | кроссплатформенно, CLI)
Android (ОС для мобильных, планшетов, и т.п.)
Arduino (программирование микроконтроллеров) (W,M,L)
Docker (платформа для контейнеризации приложений) (W,M,L)
OBS Studio (программа для записи видео с экрана и вещания видео онлайн) (W,M,L)
Bitcoin Core (клиент Bitcoin), Ethereum (платформа для смарт-контрактов)
Godot Engine (движок для разработки игр)
Prometheus (система мониторинга) (W,M,L)
Signal (обмен сообщениями и файлами) (W,M,L,A)
Telegram (обмен сообщениями и файлами) (W,M,L,A)
OpenWrt (прошивка для роутеров и встроенных устройств)
webOS (ОС для телевизоров, устройства IoT) [встраиваемая операционная система(используется ядро Linux)]
Marlin (прошивка для 3D принтеров) [основан на Arduino]
TensorFlow (библиотека для численных вычислений, которая позволяет создавать и обучать различные модели машинного обучения, включая нейронные сети)
ROS (Robot Operating System) (гибкая платформа с открытым исходным кодом для разработки программного обеспечения для роботов) (M,L)
GnuCash (программа для учёта и финансов) (W,M,L)
ERPNext (система управления предприятием [ERP]) (Web-приложение)
SuiteCRM (CRM-система для управления клиентскими отношениями) (Web-приложение)
InvoicePlane (программа для создания и управления счетами) (Web-приложение)
Dolibarr (система управления предприятием [ERP, CRM]) (Web-приложение)
FrontAccounting (система управления предприятием (ERP), предназначенная для малых и средних предприятий (МСП); предоставляет инструменты для учёта, управления заказами, запасами, производством и других бизнес-процессов) (Web-приложение)
PlayOnLinux (интерфейс для установки и использования различных приложений и игр, предназначенных для Microsoft Windows, на операционных системах Linux) (L)
Wine (запуск программ для ОС Windows в ОС Linux) (L)
CUPS (Common Unix Printing System)(система печати для UNIX-подобных операционных систем) (M,L)
Open Hardware Monitor (мониторинг датчиков ПК) (W, HardInfo для Linux)
ownCloud (личная система хранения) (Web-приложение, есть клиенты для разных ОС)
It is time to share a list of the best free and open-source software I found during the year 2023. Some of these programs may not be new in that they weren’t released for the first time in 2023, but they are new and have been helpful to me. It is in the spirit of sharing that I’m writing this article hoping you find some of these programs useful as well.
To begin, you may want to search for the program using your distribution’s package manager, like so:
The RHEL-based distribution users can use the yum or dnf package manager:
# yum search all package Or # dnf search all package
The Debian-based distribution users can use apt or aptitude package manager:
# apt search package OR # aptitude search package
OpenSUSE and derivatives can use the zypper command:
# zypper search package
Arch Linux and derivatives:
# pacman -Ss package
If your search returns no results, head over to the website of each tool where you will find the standalone package for download and installation instructions, along with information on dependencies.
1. SimpleScreenRecorder
You can use Simple Screen Recorder to make audio and video screencasts (entire screen or selected area). It is easy to install and use, but powerful at the same time.
We already covered Simple Screen Recorder in-depth, so just go through it and learn how to use it to capture and record the screen of your Linux computer.
2. Jaspersoft Studio
Jaspersoft Studio is a report designer program that allows you to create simple and sophisticated reports as well with charts, tabs, tables (and everything you can expect to see in a world-class report) and export them to a wide variety of formats (with PDF perhaps being the most common).
With Q&A forums and User groups, plus several samples and examples, the community website is a great resource for help to master this versatile program.
3. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a free source code editor developed by Microsoft that has reached a significant level of popularity among web and cloud developers who are also Linux users since it provides a nice programming environment out of the box that supports extensions to add functionality.
4. TuxGuitar
If you’re like me and music (especially the guitar) is one of your passions, you’ll love this TuxGuitar program, which will let you edit and play guitar tablatures like a pro.
5. Jitsi
Jitsi is a free and open-source audio/video conferencing and instant messaging platform for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android.
It provides complete encryption with support for protocols such as SIP, XMPP/Jabber, AIM/ICQ, IRC, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!, Google Hangouts extensions, as well as OTR, ZRTP, etc.
6. GCompris
GCompris is a cross-platform high-quality complete educational software collection for children aged between 2 to 10, and it comes with more than 140 entertaining activities.
That helps little children learn skills such as the identification of letters and numbers, the use of the mouse and keyboard, primary algebra training, reading time on an analog clock, vector drawing, language learning through games, and much more.
7. GIMP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a multi-platform, free, and open-source photo editing software used for image manipulation and image editing, free-form drawing, transcoding between different image file formats, and more specialized tasks.
8. FreeCAD
FreeCAD is a general-purpose 3D Computer-Aided Design program fit for use in engineering and architecture. Given the fact that FreeCAD is FOSS, it is easily customizable and extensible through the use of Python scripts.
9. Owncloud
Although not a new kid on the block in any way, I chose to include OwnCloud in this review due to its importance. As an alternative to commercial Dropbox, security, and privacy are achieved without much hassle and allow you to easily set up customized cloud storage and file-sharing solution.
We already covered installation about Owncloud in-depth here: Create Personal/Private Cloud Storage Solution in Linux
10. MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a program for creating and managing a Wikipedia-like website (in fact, Wikipedia itself is based on MediaWiki) where a community can add, remove, update, and revert entries, and authors are notified of such changes.
11. Bleachbit
You can think of Bleachbit as the CCleaner for Linux – but more powerful. It will not only recover disk space by deleting temporary or otherwise unnecessary files but will also improve Firefox’s performance and securely destroy unnecessary files to prevent recovery.
We already covered the installation of Bleachbit in-depth here: Disk Space Cleaner and Privacy Guard for Linux
12. CodeMirror
CodeMirror is a very powerful Javascript-based text editor for the web browser. CodeMirror includes syntax highlighting for over 100 languages and a robust API. If you own a website or blog that provides programming tutorials, you will find CodeMirror to be a very useful tool.
13. GNU Health
GNU Health is a free, extremely scalable Health and Hospital Information Platform, which is used by health professionals across the world to enhance the lives of the underprivileged, offering a free technique that optimizes health promotion and disease prevention.
14. OCS Inventory NG
Open Computer and Software Inventory Next Generation, or OCS Inventory NG for short, is a lightweight web application that can help network and system administrators to keep track of 1) all the devices connected to the network, and 2) machine configuration and software installed in them.
The project’s website (listed below) has a fully functional demo in case you want to check it out before attempting to actually install the program. In addition, OCS Inventory NG relies on well-known technologies like Apache and MySQL / MariaDB, making it a robust program.
15. GLPI
Often used in conjunction with OCS Inventory NG, GLPI is a multilingual, free IT asset management software that not only provides the tools to build up a database with an inventory of your network devices but also includes a job tracking system with mail notifications.
Other distinguishing features include, but are not limited to:
- Interventions in history
- Solution approval
- Satisfaction survey
- Exporting inventory to PDF, spreadsheet, or PNG formats
We already covered the installation of the GLPI IT Asset Management tool in-depth here: Install GLPI IT and Asset Management Tool in Linux
16. Ampache
With Ampache, you can set up your own home media center or online audio and video streaming application and access it from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Although it is designed as a personal application, Ampache allows for public registration if an administrator chooses to enable that feature.
17. Master PDF Editor (Paid)
Master PDF Editor is an easy-to-use pdf editing tool for working with PDF documents that comes with powerful multi-purpose functionality.
It helps you to easily add text, create and modify pdf, add images, and encrypt files. Master PDF also allows you to merge files into one or split documents into multiple files.
18. LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice Draw is an application that is inbuilt into the LibreOffice suite that enables you to create anything from an easy sketch to a complex one and provides you the means to communicate with graphics and diagrams. With Draw, you can easily open and edit basic PDF files.
19. uniCenta oPOS
If you own a small or medium business you will undoubtedly need a Point Of Sale program. As such, uniCenta oPOS may be a lifesaver for you. It uses a MySQL / MariaDB database for data storage, and thus a single database can be used with multiple active terminals at the same time.
On top of all that, uniCenta oPOS also includes a search panel, a price-checker utility, and a tool to create printed reports.
20. OpenShot
OpenShot is a FOSS video editor for Linux that can help you create “the film you have always dreamed of” (in the words of its developers) with your home videos, pictures, and music files.
It also allows you to add subtitles, and transition effects, and export the resulting video file to DVD and many other common formats.
21. LAN Messenger
LAN Messenger is a multilingual (a language pack is needed) and cross-platform (works in Linux, Windows, and Mac) IM program for communication over a LAN. It provides file transfers, message logging, and event notifications – all without the need to set up a server!
22. Cherrytree
Cherrytree is a free and open-source hierarchical note-taking program that comes with rich text formatting, syntax highlighting, and advanced customization options. Its advanced search feature enables you to search files across the file tree irrespective of their path.
It comes with keyboard shortcuts, importing and exporting notes, syncing with cloud platforms like Dropbox, and password security to keep your notes secure.
23. FlightGear
FlightGear is an awesome open-source flight simulator tool, that is used to create a knowledgeable and open flight simulator system for use in experiments or academic environments, pilot training, an industrial engineering program, for DIY-ers to chase their chosen exciting flight simulation design, and last but surely not least as a fun, practical, and demanding desktop flight simulator for Linux.
24. MuseScore
MuseScore is an open-source and free professional music notation application that is used to create, play and print beautiful sheet music using easy to use, yet powerful interface.
25. Tmux
Tmux is an open-source Linux terminal multiplexer that allows you to run multiple terminal sessions in a single window.
It is useful for running several programs in one terminal, detaching them (they keep running in the background), and reattaching them to a different terminal.
26. qBittorrent
qBittorrent is a free and open-source BitTorrent client that helps users to download and share files over the network in a decentralized manner.
It allows users to connect to peers and seeders to download and upload files efficiently by connecting to a swarm of other users who are sharing the same file. It uses the BitTorrent protocol, which breaks files into smaller parts and allows users to download those parts from multiple sources simultaneously.
27. NextCloud
Described as “a safe home for all your data”, NextCloud was started as a separate project by one of its ownCloud’s first collaborators.
Although it raised a few sparks between him and the ownCloud community, NextCloud seems to be here to stay and compete with ownCloud as a private cloud solution to access and share your files, calendars, contacts, and office documents.
Using dozens of third-party apps available on the official App Store, you can equip your Nexcloud instance with new features and turn it into a powerful collaborative environment that cares with respect to your personal data.
28. Celestia
Because even system administrators and developers need a little distraction, you can use Celestia (a free 3D astronomy program) to navigate the universe.
Celestia serves as a 3D planetarium that seamlessly simulates various celestial objects whose position and movement are calculated accurately in real-time. It also comes with a large database of stars, galaxies, planets, asteroids, comets, and other celestial bodies.
As opposed to other planetarium software, Celestia allows you to travel throughout the solar system and the galaxy, not just the surface of the Earth. To infinity and beyond!
29. FreeRDP
If your system administration tasks include managing Windows servers via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), FreeRDP is a tool that you will want to try out.
It is described by its developers as an RDP client for Windows Terminal Services. The project is hosted on GitHub and released under the Apache license, so you are welcome to collaborate with it if you wish.
30. Flyspray
Again, I may be a little biased on this one. If you are searching for a bug-tracking and project management solution, don’t look any further Flyspray, a web-based tool powered by Apache has exactly what you need. And don’t just take my word for it: even ArchLinux uses Flyspray for bug-tracking.
Flyspray is a lightweight bug-tracking system written in PHP that runs on any OS and focuses on a very intuitive design allowing you to handle multiple projects at once.
It supports MySQL or PostgreSQL as database servers and provides voting functionality, email notifications (requires a separate mail server to be installed and configured), and optional Single-Sign-On (SSO) using a Facebook or Google account.
31. GNUCash
If you have been using a spreadsheet to keep track of your personal, family, or business finances, it may be time to try a more suitable solution such as GNUCash.
This FOSS accounting software allows you to keep an eye on your bank accounts, expenses, and income and to create custom, complete reports with this data. Its user-friendly interface is a plus to the solid accounting principles GNUCash uses under the hood.
The official website includes an exhaustive FAQ section, the application Manual, and a Tutorial guide. With these materials, learning how to use GNUCash will be a play in the park. On top of that, you can subscribe to the mailing lists in case you need help or run into any problems with GNUCash.
Like many other open-source projects, GnuCash is entirely developed, maintained, and translated entirely by volunteers and enthusiasts.
31. LogicalDOC
Both available as Enterprise (paid) and Community editions, LogicalDOC is an award-winning, web-based Document Management System (DMS). As such, it aims to provide a high-quality method for sharing business documents and records in a low-cost and secure way.
Additionally, LogicalDOC allows you to control access to these resources via security roles, and to easily track changes through version control. LogicalDOC can be installed both on a single computer in standalone mode, on a dedicated server as a shared service, or as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.
LogicalDOC comes with features for content processing and information management that are more suitable for enterprises and businesses but it’s also great for personal use.
33. Blender
If you are into game development, video editing, or 3D modeling, I am sure you must have already heard about this tool. If you are considering any of these activities either as a hobby or a career change and haven’t heard about Blender, it is definitely time to check it out.
As a FOSS solution, it does not come short when compared to commercial tools. On top of it, Blender is cross-platform which means you can not only run it on Linux but also on macOS and Windows.
Among the standard Blender features, you can find rendering, 3D modeling, digital sculpting, video editing, and simulation tools.
34. DVDStyler
DVDStyler is a cross-platform, FOSS DVD authoring tool that allows you to create nice-looking and professional DVDs with your video and image files.
As such, DVDStyler allows you to create your own interactive menus or choose from the built-in ones, add subtitle and audio files, and use video files in different formats. Additionally, you can create photo slideshows and place graphic objects like buttons, text, images, and so on.
In addition, this awesome tool integrates with your DVD burner to burn the disk from within the same application.
35. OSQuery
As its name suggests, OSQuery provides access to real-time system information in the form of tables and events that can be queried using SQL-like syntax via an interactive query console.
With osquery, you can explore your system to perform intrusion detection, diagnose a problem, or just produce a report of its operation – all at your fingertips using a single tool.
If you have at least a basic understanding of SQL, getting details about the operating system using the built-in tables in OSQuery will be a piece of cake.
OSQuery runs flawlessly on Windows, macOS, CentOS, and all other Linux OS released since 2011 and requires no dependencies.
Need yet another reason to convince you to give OSQuery a try? It was developed and maintained by the folks at Facebook.
36. KeePass
I have to deal with so many programs, websites, and services that I often forget my passwords. There is no doubt that this also happens to other Linux users, so here is the solution – KeePass. It’s a free open-source password manager that allows you to manage and keep your passwords in a secure way.
KeePass stores all of your passwords in a single database locked with a master key. That’s why you need to remember one single master key to access the database.
All passwords are encrypted using the most secure encryption algorithms. In fact, KeePass is compatible with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES, Rijndael) and the Twofish algorithm.
Alternatively, KeePass allows you to use key files instead of master keys. You just need to always have the key file with you. For example, you can carry it on a floppy disk or USB stick.
37. PDF Mix Tool
I don’t often edit PDF files but when I do, I usually use PDF Mix Tool, which is a simple and lightweight open-source program that makes it possible to perform common PDF editing operations, such as file merging and page rotation.
Apart from that, you can also use PDF Mix Tool to generate booklets, delete and add pages to a PDF file, extract pages and even edit the PDF document information.
This tool is good for basic editing operations. If you need a more complex and powerful program, take a look at the best pdf editors for Linux.
38. Mailspring
When it comes to email management, one of my favorite tools is Mailspring, which is an open-source and cross-platform email client that allows you to create a single inbox for all your email accounts.
Mailspring is compatible with all popular email providers, including Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Office 365, Yahoo!, etc., and supports IMAP/SMTP.
The Mailspring user interface is visually pleasing and there are a few beautiful themes. It also comes with a signature editor that allows you to create custom signatures, even with images and links to social media, which looks great.
39. OpenTodoList
If you work on several projects and have a lot of tasks to do at a time, you definitely need to try OpenTodoList, which is a simple note-taking application that allows you to stay organized.
With this tool, your information is organized in libraries. A library can contain to-do lists, notes, and images that are stored locally.
More importantly, you can synchronize your information with NextCloud, ownCloud, other WebDAV services, or any third-party synchronization tool of your choice. OpenTodoList lets you keep track of your tasks and enhance your productivity in a simple way.
40. ONLYOFFICE
Many Linux users have been lacking a decent Microsoft Office alternative for years. From my point of view, one of the best replacements for the MS Office suite is ONLYOFFICE, an open-source project that revolves around office software and productivity tools.
ONLYOFFICE offers a self-hosted office suite called Docs and a free desktop editor for Linux, Windows, and macOS. Both online and desktop editors are based on the same engine and allow you to create and collaborate on documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and fillable forms in real-time.
The ONLYOFFICE suite is fully compatible with DOCX, XLXS, and PPTX files and also makes it possible to open and view PDF and DjVu files. Conversion to DOCX is available, too.
ONLYOFFICE comes with integration apps for the most popular file-sharing and document management platforms, so you can embed the online editors to enable document editing and real-time co-authoring within Nextcloud, ownCloud, Moodle, WordPress, Seafile, etc.
41. Internxt – Secure Cloud Storage
Internxt is a secure cloud storage solution built using open-source software. Internxt Drive is a free and private cloud storage platform allowing users to share and collaborate on files securely.
Internxt guarantees file security with end-to-end encryption. For maximum security, it encrypts your files directly on your device before they are transmitted to the internet, and you can share and collaborate with teams using advanced file-sharing features.
All tecmint readers can get 70% off on all Internxt lifetime plans. However, the company often has higher sales onsite that you can keep an eye on.
Summary
In this article, I have described free and open-source applications that I have found during the year 2023, and hope that it sparks your interest in one or more of them.
Would you like us to cover any of them in greater detail on this site? Have you found another great FOSS application that you would like to share with the rest of the community? Just let us know using the comment form below. Questions, comments, and suggestions are also welcome.
💻 Список программного обеспечения, которое DartPower Team советует установить каждому!
Ссылки
- AwesomeDPT — Вернуться в основной список.
Этот репозиторий содержит ПО только для Windows 10, разрядности x86_64 (64-бита)
Windows
- Windows Media Creation Tool — Скачать образ Windows 10. Нужна будет активация.
Желательное ПО
- Snappy Driver Installer Origin — Бесплатная утилита с открытым исходным кодом, позволяющая установить драйвера на большинство оборудования. Поставляется с достаточно крупнум набором драйверов.
- 7-Zip ZS — Бесплатный файловый архиватор с открытым исходным кодом, который отличается высоким уровнем сжатия, возможностью проверки целостности архивов и защитой архивов паролем с использованием методов шифрования AES-256 или ZipCrypto. Это Форк с поддержкой ZStandard.
- ZuluJDK — Свободная альтернатива Oracle Java JRE & JDK, с крайне высокой эффективностью в производительности. Использует намного меньше ресурсов, чем Oracle Java. Эта альтернатива настолько популярная, что про неё даже есть фильм с оценкой 7.7/10 на IMDb. KEKW.
- K-Lite Codec Pack — Коллекция DirectShow фильтров, VFW/ACM кодеков, а так-же прочих утилит и проигрывателей.
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2005-2019 Redistributable Package x64 — Пакет Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package устанавливает компоненты среды выполнения библиотек Visual C++, необходимых для запуска приложений, разработанных с помощью Visual C++, на компьютере без установленной среды Visual C++.
- UnChecky — автоматически убирает галочки с установкой нежелетельного ПО в установщиках.
- DirectX — Набор API, разработанных для решения задач, связанных с программированием под Microsoft Windows. Наиболее широко используется при написании компьютерных игр. Пакет средств разработки DirectX под Microsoft Windows бесплатно доступен на сайте Microsoft. Зачастую обновлённые версии DirectX поставляются вместе с игровыми приложениями.
- BleachBit — бесплатная программа с открытым исходным кодом для управления приватностью и очистки свободного места, а также увеличения производительности операционных систем Windows и Linux. Лучше, чем CCleaner.
- Windows10Debloater — Лучший на данный момент оптимизатор и твикер для Windows 10. Не удаляет ничего лишнего (того, что не стоит), и полностью с открытым исходным кодом. Лучше, чем Win10Tweaker. Проверено на работоспособность в Windows 11 — работает.
Рекомендуемое ПО
- Chromium — Это считай одно из лучших open-source Браузеров. Браузеры желательно качать на ваше усмотрение, но Мы рекомендуем именно Chrome.
- ShareX — Бесплатная программа с открытым исходным кодом, которая может захватывать или записывать выбранную область с экрана одним нажатием клавиши, автоматически сохранять их на жестком диске / в буфер обмена и мгновенно загружать их в службу размещения изображений / файлов, а затем может копировать URL-адрес в буфер обмена.
- VLC — Программное обеспечение, которое является open-source, нужна для просмотра медиа-файлов (спасибо кэп).
- TL — Лучший лаунчер для Minecraft. (Настоящий TLauncher)
- LibreOffice — Бесплатный офисный пакет с открытым исходным кодом.
- qBittorrent — Бесплатный кросс-платформенный торрент-клиент с открытым исходным кодом.
- AnyDesk — Позволит работать удаленно, где бы вы ни находились. Каждый раз, когда вам нужно получить доступ к удаленному экрану, будь в другой части офиса или в другом конце мира, вы можете использовать AnyDesk. Просто запустите загруженный файл AnyDesk.exe, и можете приступать к работе.
- Parsec — Проприетарное программное обеспечение для захвата рабочего стола, которое в основном используется для игр через потоковое видео. Parsec может транслировать видеоматериалы из видеоигр через Интернет-соединение, что позволяет запускать игру на одном компьютере и воспроизводить ее удаленно на другом устройстве. Также Parsec можно использовать в качестве программного обеспечения для совместного использования рабочего стола с низкой задержкой.
- Notepad++ — Свободный текстовый редактор с открытым исходным кодом для Windows с подсветкой синтаксиса большого количества языков программирования и разметки, а также языков описания аппаратуры VHDL и Verilog. Поддерживает открытие более 100 форматов. Базируется на компоненте Scintilla, написан на C++ с использованием STL, а также Windows API и распространяется под лицензией GNU General Public License. Базовая функциональность программы может быть расширена как за счёт плагинов, так и сторонних модулей, таких как компиляторы и препроцессоры.
- Discord — Бесплатный мессенджер с поддержкой VoIP и видеоконференций, изначально ориентированный для пользователей компьютерных игр. Разработчик — компания Hammer & Chisel из Сан-Франциско. Настольное клиентское приложение реализовано для Windows, macOS и Linux, мобильное приложение — для Android и iOS, существует также веб-клиент.
- Libra Hardware Monitor — Бесплатная утилита с открытым исходным кодом для мониторинга текущих режимов работы процессоров, видеокарт, материнских плат, жестких дисков: частот, температур, напряжений, скоростей вращения вентиляторов, загрузки. Программа поддерживает обновления.
- Infra Recorder — Программа для записи CD и DVD, распространяемая под лицензией свободного ПО — GNU GPLv3. Работает на компьютерах под управлением операционной системы Microsoft Windows и представляет собой графическую оболочку для пакета консольных утилит cdrtools.
- Classic Shell — Полприетарный набор утилит (Был свободным до версии 3.6.8) для возвращения вида интерфейса Windows XP в операционные системы Windows Vista и выше. Состоит из трех компонентов: Classic Start Menu — позволяет вернуть прежнее меню «Пуск», Classic Explorer — добавляет в Проводник Windows панель инструментов, и Classic IE9 — позволяет настраивать панели в браузере Internet Explorer. Работает как отдельное приложение и не меняет системные настройки. При деинсталляции возвращает исходные настройки.
- WinCDEmu — Утилита с открытым исходным кодом для монтирования образов дисков в Microsoft Windows. Устанавливает драйвер, который эмулирует оптический привод, что позволяет пользователю монтировать образы CD и DVD и работать с ними как с физическими дисками. Кроме этого утилита позволяет снимать ISO-образы с оптических дисков. Имеет графический интерфейс, но также есть возможность монтировать образы из командной строки. Имеет переносную версию. Распространяется под лицензией GNU LGPL.
- PowerToys — Microsoft PowerToys — это набор утилит для опытных пользователей. Тут есть функции, которые позволяют настраивать и оптимизировать работу с Windows для повышения производительности и не только.
- Dism++ — Утилита для чистки и для оптимизации вашего клиента Windows. Ещё оно умеет работать с образами Windows. (А точнее — бэкапы Винды, удаление и установка драйверов, и так далее.).
Желательные расширения для браузера.
- uBlock Origin — Свободное и открытое ПО, кросс-платформенное расширение для браузеров, предназначенное для фильтрации контента, включая блокировку рекламы. uBlock Origin получил похвалу от технологических сайтов, и, как сообщается, он намного менее требователен к ресурсам памяти, чем другие расширения с похожим функционалом. Задача uBlock Origin состоит в том, чтобы предоставить пользователям средства для обеспечения своих собственных вариантов фильтрации контента.
- No Coin — Расширение с открытым исходным кодом отлично справляется с блокировкой Coin Hive и других подобных майнеров криптовалют, которые могут испольняться в виде JavaScript кода на некоторых сайтах.
Рекомендуемые расширения для браузера.
- VkOpt — Многофункциональный скрипт для ВКонтакте, который поддерживает все современные браузеры. Изначально он предназначался для скачивания музыки и видео. Но за годы существования он приобрел намного больше удобного функционала. И несмотря на то, что команда разработчиков вкопта успела несколько раз смениться, процесс активного развития не прекращается до сих пор.
- VTchromizer — С помощью этого расширения можно проверять ссылки (в том числе ссылки на файлы), непосредственно с веб-страниц браузера с помощью VirusTotal. Вы так-же можете щелкнуть по иконке расширения в правом верхнем углу и вручную ввести адрес для проверки.
- Steam Inventory Helper — Расширение-помощник для Steam. Имеет достаточно большой ряд приемуществ и функций. С помощью него можно, например, видеть стоимость инвентаря партнера по обмену, или продать большое количество предметов сразу.
- Enhancer for Youtube — Расширение, которое улучшивает использование Ютуба с некоторыми функциями. Например, можно скачать любой момент видео в виде скрина.
- Обход блокировок Рунета — Расширение, которое позволяет обойти блокировки сайтов РКН в связи с санкциями на РФ.
Остальное
- Просмотр скрытых файлов и папок