10 Open Source Apps I Actually Use Daily (And You Should Too)

Why I Ditched Paid Software (And Haven't Looked Back)

I got tired of subscription fatigue about three years ago. Not the "I should probably cancel some of these" kind of tired. The "I'm paying $40/month for software I use twice a week" kind.

So I started switching things out. One app at a time, mostly out of spite at first. Then I realized something: a lot of the open source alternatives weren't just cheaper. They were actually better for how I work.

This isn't a list of every open source app that exists (there are hundreds, maybe thousands). It's the 10 I actually open every single day. The ones that stuck around after the honeymoon phase wore off.

Some of them replaced paid tools I'd been using for years. LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office. Bitwarden instead of LastPass. A few I didn't even know I needed until I found them, like proper audio editing without a subscription or a password manager that doesn't make me nervous about who has access to my data.

The criteria was simple: I had to use it daily, it had to work without making me jump through hoops, and it couldn't feel like a downgrade. No "well, it's free so I guess I'll deal with it" compromises.

If you're curious about ditching some of your own subscriptions, or you just want tools that do the job without the bloat, here's what made the cut.

What Makes These Apps Different From Your Typical "Free" Software

I think there's some confusion about what "open source" actually means, because I see people mix it up with freeware all the time. They're not the same thing.

Freeware is just software you don't pay for. That's it. The company still owns all the code, you can't see how it works, and you're basically trusting them to not do anything sketchy with your data. Which, maybe they won't! But you have no way to know.

Open source means the actual source code is public. Anyone can look at it, audit it, fork it, modify it. If the original developer abandons the project or decides to add tracking (or worse), someone else can pick it up and keep it going. That's why I trust tools like Bitwarden with my passwords but wouldn't touch a closed-source alternative, even if it's free.

The privacy and security thing matters more than people think. When code is open, security researchers can actually verify that an app does what it claims. No hidden telemetry, no surprise data collection. With proprietary software, even the free stuff, you're just hoping the company is being honest in their privacy policy.

Now, when I say "daily use," I mean these are apps I actually open and rely on regularly. Not things I installed once and forgot about. Some of them I use multiple times a day (like my password manager), others maybe a few times a week. But they've all earned their spot by being genuinely useful, not just ideologically pure.

The Productivity Powerhouses (Apps 1-3)

I'll be honest, LibreOffice was the first thing I installed when I stopped paying for Microsoft Office. And I haven't missed it. You get Writer for documents, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress for presentations. Everything works, everything opens .docx files just fine, and nobody on the receiving end can tell the difference. I think the interface actually feels cleaner than modern Office, which keeps trying to push me into their cloud whether I want it or not.

The local-first approach matters more than people realize. Your files live on your machine. No subscription fees, no "oops we're having server issues" moments when you need to finish something.

Bitwarden is non-negotiable at this point. If you're still reusing passwords or keeping them in a notes app somewhere, just stop. Bitwarden generates strong passwords, autofills them across devices, and costs exactly nothing for the features most people need. The browser extension works better than some paid alternatives I've tried, and the mobile app syncs fast enough that I forget it's even doing it.

For the third slot, I keep coming back to Joplin for notes. Maybe it's not as flashy as Notion, but it's markdown-based, syncs to whatever cloud you want (or your own server), and doesn't lock your data behind some proprietary format. I use it for meeting notes, project planning, random ideas I need to dump somewhere. It just works, and six months later I can still find what I wrote.

The Creative Suite That Won't Break the Bank (Apps 4-6)

GIMP is what I reach for when I need to edit images and don't want to deal with Adobe's subscription nonsense. I mostly use it for resizing product photos, cleaning up screenshots, and occasionally removing backgrounds when I need something to look halfway professional. It's not as polished as Photoshop, I'll admit that. The interface takes some getting used to. But for the stuff I actually need to do? Resizing batches of images, adjusting colors, adding text overlays for blog posts. It handles all of it without complaining.

Audacity is my audio editor, though I probably don't use it as much as I should. When I record quick voice memos or need to edit a podcast clip, it's simple enough that I don't have to relearn it every time. The noise reduction feature has saved me more than once when I recorded something with way too much background hum.

VLC is maybe the most boring one to talk about because it just works. Every video file I throw at it plays without drama. No codec issues, no "please upgrade to premium" messages. I've used it to watch everything from old AVI files to weird formats clients send over. It's one of those tools that's so reliable I forget it's even open source until someone asks me what video player they should use.

These three cover most of my creative needs without costing anything. That's kind of the point, right?

The Utility Apps That Solve Annoying Problems (Apps 7-9)

I compress files maybe twice a week, but when I need to, 7-Zip is the only thing I reach for. It handles basically every archive format you'll run into (not just .zip), and it's faster than the built-in Windows tool. The context menu integration means I just right-click, hit "Extract here," and I'm done. No thinking required.

The compression ratio is noticeably better too, which matters when you're sending large files or trying to stay under an email attachment limit. I think the interface looks like it's from 2005, but honestly? That's kind of the point. It does one thing well and doesn't try to upsell you on cloud storage or premium features.

ShareX is where things get interesting. It's technically a screenshot tool, but calling it that feels reductive. I use it probably ten times a day. You can capture a region, a window, scrolling content, whatever. Then it automatically uploads to your chosen service and copies the link to your clipboard. The whole process takes maybe three seconds.

What I didn't expect was how much I'd use the other features. Screen recording, color picker, image annotation. It's replaced like four different tools I used to keep installed. The workflow customization gets deep if you want it to, but the defaults are smart enough that you can just install it and go.

For system utilities, I keep coming back to UniGetUI. It's a GUI wrapper for package managers like WinGet and Chocolatey, which sounds boring until you realize you can update all your apps from one place instead of clicking through a dozen individual updaters. Saves me maybe 20 minutes a week, which adds up.

The Wild Card: My Favorite Lesser-Known Tool (App 10)

I'm going with Workrave here. I know, I know... a break reminder app sounds like the least exciting thing on this list. But hear me out.

If you're like me and you get into flow state and suddenly realize you've been hunched over your keyboard for three hours straight, this thing is a lifesaver. Workrave pops up every 20 minutes or so (you can configure it) and basically forces you to take micro-breaks. Not in an annoying way, though. It shows you simple stretches, reminds you to look away from the screen, that kind of thing.

The wild part? It actually tracks your mouse and keyboard activity, so it knows when you're really working versus just having your computer on. If you step away naturally, it doesn't bug you when you come back. Smart.

I started using it after a particularly bad week where my neck was killing me, and I've stuck with it for probably two years now. The difference is real. I'm less stiff at the end of the day, and I think (maybe?) I'm actually more productive because those forced breaks reset my brain a bit.

It's especially good if you're managing a team or running a business and you're constantly context-switching between tasks. Those micro-breaks become these little mental checkpoints. You finish a break, sit back down, and you're like "okay, what was I actually trying to accomplish here?"

Not glamorous. But it works.

How to Actually Start Using These (Without Overwhelming Yourself)

Start with one app. I know I just gave you ten, but picking one and actually using it for a week beats installing five and forgetting about them all.

I'd probably start with Bitwarden if you're not using a password manager yet. It solves an immediate problem and you'll notice the difference right away. Or VLC if you're still dealing with codec issues on your current video player (you know who you are).

For installation, most of these have normal installers now. LibreOffice, GIMP, Audacity — they all work like any other software you'd download. Click, install, done. The days of compiling from source or messing with dependencies are mostly behind us, at least for the popular stuff.

Don't try to switch everything at once. Keep your current tools running while you test the open source version. I ran LibreOffice alongside MS Office for maybe two months before I felt comfortable enough to uninstall Office completely. Use both, see what breaks, adjust your workflow.

The transition is easier if you pick apps that use standard file formats. LibreOffice opens .docx files fine. Bitwarden can import from basically every other password manager. You're not locked into some weird proprietary format that makes switching back impossible.

One thing I've noticed — give yourself permission to bail if something genuinely doesn't work for you. Not every open source app is going to be the right fit. That's fine. Try the next one.

Conclusion: The Real Cost of "Free" Proprietary Software

Look, I'm not going to pretend that switching to open source is some kind of revolutionary act. But here's what I've noticed after years of using these tools: I actually know what's happening with my data. I'm not reading through pages of terms and conditions that change every few months, hoping the company didn't just give themselves permission to train AI models on my documents or sell my usage patterns.

With proprietary software, "free" usually means you're the product. Your attention, your data, your habits. All of it gets monetized somehow.

The thing about open source is that the code is right there. Anyone can audit it, fork it, improve it. If Bitwarden suddenly decided to do something sketchy with my passwords (they won't, but hypothetically), the community would fork the project within days. That's not possible with LastPass or 1Password, no matter how much you trust them.

I think the community aspect matters more than people realize. When you use LibreOffice or GIMP, you're benefiting from thousands of developers who contributed because they wanted better tools, not because they needed to hit quarterly revenue targets.

You don't need to switch everything at once. Maybe just try Bitwarden instead of your current password manager. Or install VLC next time a video won't play. Start small. See what fits.

The apps are free, but more importantly, they're yours.